If you're like most people, you probably started with wonderful ideas of fulfilling your dreams, to be successful and to take charge of your own destiny.

I hope you have achieved those or are well on your way.

You wouldn’t think of starting your business without a business plan and you shouldn’t even consider marketing your product or services without a marketing plan. A solid business plan and marketing plan are your roadmaps to help you to know where your going, how to get there and to achieve your goals, whatever they may be.

Nobody likes to think about what would happen if those accomplishments were suddenly pulled out from under you, yet unfortunately it does happen.

As of this writing, we have seen this directly with the recent rash of hurricanes that have devastated the Caribbean, Cuba, Florida and our Gulf Coast. Thousands of lives have been temporarily or permanently disrupted.

Do you have a plan if this should happen to you? Can your home business survive in the event of an emergency? If not, then it's time to start thinking about adding a business continuity plan to your list of things to do.

What is a business continuity plan? Very simply, a business continuity plan is a complete set of well-planned and documented procedures that will help your business get back on track in the event of an emergency.

If your business is managed from your home, both your residence and your livelihood are at risk due to unexpected loss.

Natural disasters are not the only risk factors. As devastating as it is to think someone else was in your home, robberies can happen anywhere.

Something as basic as a hard drive crash can cripple your home business indefinitely. I recently spoke with two people in the last month that with this very distrupting experience.

When you think of how much time, money & effort you have invested in your home businesses, it only makes sense to make sure it is protected and can survive an emergency.

A solid business plan, a strategic marketing and a complete continuity plan are essential elements to your long-term success and peace of mind.