All agricultural sector businesses rely on the weather being just right. You don’t want floods, and you don’t want droughts. Perhaps you even have action plans in place should something untoward happen? The trouble with putting so much focus on a power you can’t control is that you might be missing all the other threats to your business that could inevitably destroy it. And in agriculture, there are a lot of them:
Health And Safety
Missing something within your daily risk assessments could become catastrophic. Nobody can work alone. But it might be your responsibility to make sure every other worker is performing adequately and safely every minute of every day. Keep your paperwork up to date and perform spot checks as often as your regular checks. If something goes wrong, it could bring down your whole business. If you work with animals, then your health and safety checks will undoubtedly include disease control. Stay on top to come out on top.
Equipment Breakdowns
These are entirely avoidable if you dedicate the time and energy to prevent them. You need to keep detailed records of the maintenance you’re undertaking on machinery and equipment. These machines are ultimately major assets for your business. Without them, your processes will be slow or even impossible to perform. Something as simple as checking for signs of wear and keeping the components clean could increase the lifespan of each machine. That could improveyour ROI significantly.
Keep meticulous records that include any data changes to manuals and training information. Apply lubrication, machinery grease and oil supplies for manufacturers of each machine on time. These simple actions can reduce the risk of breakdown. Non-functioning equipment in your line of work could spell disaster at certain times of the year.
Secure Your Tech
Staying secure on networks will keep your data safe, your customer records private, and your business running. Tech failures mean you might lose connection with your clients or customers. More distressing still, they won’t know why they’ve lost connection with you. They might simply move to your competitors or post worrying messages on social media. You might lose vital data and records about your business. This could lead to a struggle to continue trading within required regulations and law.
Workforce Illness
Everyone needs a day or two off from time to time. It might be a simple cold, or it might be something more serious and long-term. Have you allowed too much key-worker dependency to occur? You simply might not be able to get the jobs done that are required to continue trading. Where vital certification is required, make sure more than one person has that on site. Small businesses can really struggle here. You need to be sure you have backups in place.
Agriculture is a high-risk sector to work in. But it can also be highly rewarding too. Making sure you have contingencies and backups can help your business to keep running even through tough periods. Maintain your systems and equipment, and stay on top of regulations and certifications. Don’t let an oversight bring down your business.
