About the Book

As a former senior executive of the world’s largest reinsurance company, Donna Childs dealt with disaster preparedness, risk management and business continuity strategies. This experience proved critical when she launched her own small business, which business was in the immediate vicinity of the World Trade Center on 9-11. She not only kept her business up and running, she helped many others to recover. In this book, she shows you how.

(read more)

"A fascinating read, based on experience with 9/11 but applicable to many types of natural or human-caused disasters. The author provides detailed and useful information on disaster recovery planning for small businesses, emphasizing IT recovery but providing useful tips for much more. The extensive explanation of insurance coverages is well balanced with guidance to help a small business take action to survive, remain viable, and ultimately to recover and remain competitive in the marketplace following a disaster."
- Diana L. McClure, Director of Business Protection & VP, Institute for Business & Home Safety
"As the number of businesses grows in the United States, so do the numerous threats to their survival including natural or man-made disasters, technology and security breaches, and questionable or ultimately unsuccessful business relationships. Donna Childs' extraordinary personal and business experiences, coupled with her economic development work, make her a remarkable resource for entrepreneurs as they integrate contingency planning into their overall business strategy. Her focus on IT is particularly important given how vital information storage and retrieval has become for businesses of all sizes. A must-read-and a must-plan-for any business owner."
- Erin M. Fuller, Executive Director, National Association of Women Business Owners
"How will you confront that nightmare scenario, an unprecedented event that puts your business on the line? If you're not inclined to 'wing it' when facing the worst, and if you're ready to channel some new revenues to your company by demonstrating real preparedness, this book is for you."
- Robert D. Austin, PhD, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School; Faculty Chair of the Harvard Executive Program for Chief Information Officers
"Small businesses are now facing disasters on a scope and scale that were previously unthinkable. This book is a must-read to prepare your business for the worst."
- Murray Low, PhD, Associate Professor, Columbia Business School; Director of the Entrepreneurship Program
"An essential handbook for anyone who owns, or plans to start, a small business, Prepare for the Worst, Plan for the Best helps you move from paralysis to preparedness. It's a logical, understandable approach to protecting the business you worked so hard to build."
- Lauren Simonds, Managing Editor, SmallBusinessComputing.com


Sign up for special offers and
free giveaways:
About The Book

As a former senior executive of the world’s largest reinsurance company, Donna dealt with disaster preparedness, risk management and business continuity strategies. This experience proved critical when she launched her own small business, which business was in the immediate vicinity of the World Trade Center on 9-11. She not only kept her own business up and running, she helped many others to recover. In this book, she shows you how.

About The Author

Donna Childs founded and led a small business, focused on expanding access to sustainable financial services for the poor. That business was located in the immediate vicinity of the World Trade Center on 9-11-01. Donna holds a B.S. in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry from Yale University, an M.A. in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School. She has worked on insurance industry issues in both academia and Wall Street. She began her career as a research associate for the financial institutions course of the Harvard Business School, was an investment banker in the financial institutions group of Goldman, Sachs & Company, and, more recently, lived in Zurich, Switzerland where she was a director and member of senior management of the Swiss Reinsurance Group. A recognized authority on risk finance, Donna was the associate editor of Risk Financier and a frequent speaker at reinsurance industry conferences. In 2007, the National Association of Women Business Owners named Donna its “Woman Business Owner of the Year”. In that same year, Donna graduated from the Owner President Management Program of the Harvard Business School.

Are you prepared?

Donna’s experience as the owner of a small business in Lower Manhattan working through 9/11 is featured in the Ready for Business campaign of the Department of Homeland Security.

 

 

 

Ready Business