7 Tips to Winterize Your Small Business

Being prepared is always better than not being prepared, especially for a small business. Whether you are in a state that doesn’t get too cold or one where winter feels like it lasts forever, it is important to prepare. Here are 7 tips to winterize your small business.

• Protect your pipes from freezing. If you have pipes in unheated rooms, consider hiring an insulation contractor to evaluate the situation. It’s important to keep the pipes warm—especially if these rooms contain fire sprinkler valves or pumps. For short term extreme temperature drops, leaving the door open during that time period may be enough to keep your pipes safe but be sure that you are not creating an additional hazard with an open door. You don’t want your customers or unauthorized employees to have access to your equipment. 
• Check your roof and gutters. Remove any leaves or clogs in the gutters as these can trap snow and lead to ice dams. Also, it’s a good idea to have your roof inspected annually to ensure your roof can handle the weight of snow and ice that may accumulate throughout the season.
• Have a snow and ice removal plan. Whether you are planning to hire a qualified snow removal contractor or have your staff do it, don’t wait until the first snowfall to act. Meet with your employees to review snow removal safety including proper documentation, the proper shoes to wear, and the proper techniques to reduce the risk of injury. Also, be sure to stock up on salt and other ice-melting solutions in advance.
• Ensure your heating system is working properly. Have an HVAC specialist look at your heating system to make sure it will keep your building warm and is operating efficiently to prevent high energy bills.
• Stock up on inventory to lessen any impact of holiday shortages or severe weather delays. This is especially important for restaurants and retail stores as foot traffic often increases during this time of year.
• If you need seasonal staff, hire early and train them well.  The more selective you can be with your hiring, the better.  If you can’t find quality seasonal workers, offering additional work hours to current employees might be the only solution. But be considerate and reasonable with your expectation for overtime – not all employees can work overtime, and increasing their stress is not going to help your situation or theirs.  

 References:

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/12/07/how-to-winterize-your-small-business/?sh=21aa631a4db5
• https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/09/winterize-your-business.html