By Trevor Gosling
Small businesses need to start looking at workarounds to lessen the impact of load shedding. Here are several things that small businesses can do in the interim to mitigate the fallout from load shedding:
Download apps like Eskom Sepush to make yourself aware of the load shedding times in your area and communicate this with your team. Structure your workdays to tackle the important tasks in those times.
Break up the workload. If you only have a limited number of hours a day – spread the important tasks across team members so that they get accomplished on time.
Invest in surge protectors for your appliances, machinery, and hardware. Small surge protectors that are sold in the supermarket will do the trick to keep your PC, fridge, coffee machine, and other small appliances from blowing when the power surges back after load shedding.
For industrial-size equipment, it’s best to get advice from a trustworthy electrician. If you run a shop, invest in a mobile or battery-powered point of sale solution so that you can continue to accept card payments when the power is off.
Invest in solar power banks or car chargers for your mobile devices.
Identify which tasks can be done with your mobile device when all other systems are down, such as phone and email communication.
Though your data costs might be higher than usual, at least you’re able to stay in touch with suppliers, customers, and stakeholders.
This may seem obvious, but charge your technology while you have power.
Backup all systems and important - on the cloud and on an external hard drive. It’s easy to lose documentation and vital information if it’s not saved and backed up in time.
Consider investing in a generator. Ensure you have fast access to additional working capital to ensure your business can survive any revenue dips that load shedding may cause.
Trevor Gosling is the chief executive of Lulalend.
*The views expressed here are not necessarily those of IOL or of title sites.
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