--- title: How to Create a Business Continuity Plan for Your Small Business description: Learn how to create a business continuity plan for your small business, identify critical operations, plan for disruptions, and build greater resilience. image: https://mightygrc.com/hubfs/How%20to%20create%20a%20Business%20Continuity%20Plan%20for%20Small%20Business.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png --- [Skip to content](https://mightygrc.com/mighty-blog/small-business-continuity-plan#main-content) [![MIGHTY GRC company logo M](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-05-20%20at%2010.52.57%20AM.png?width=372&height=420&name=Screenshot%202026-05-20%20at%2010.52.57%20AM.png)Homepage](https://mightygrc.com/) - [Home](https://mightygrc.com) - Products - [PolicyPilot](https://mightygrc.com/products/policypilot) - RiskSnap (Coming Soon) - BudgetLens (Coming Soon) - Pricing - [SMB Pricing](https://mightygrc.com/policypilot-pricing) - [Partner Program](https://mightygrc.com/policypilot-partner-pricing) - Resources - [MIGHTY Blog](https://mightygrc.com/mighty-blog) - [SMB Policy Guide](https://mightygrc.com/small-business-policy-guide) - Company - [The MIGHTY Mission](https://mightygrc.com/about-mighty-grc) - [Contact](https://mightygrc.com/contact) - [Product Demo](https://mightygrc.com/policypilot-demo) - [GET A DEMO](https://mightygrc.com/policypilot-demo) LOG IN - [Home](https://mightygrc.com) - Products - [PolicyPilot](https://mightygrc.com/products/policypilot) - RiskSnap (Coming Soon) - BudgetLens (Coming Soon) - Pricing - [SMB Pricing](https://mightygrc.com/policypilot-pricing) - [Partner Program](https://mightygrc.com/policypilot-partner-pricing) - Resources - [MIGHTY Blog](https://mightygrc.com/mighty-blog) - [SMB Policy Guide](https://mightygrc.com/small-business-policy-guide) - Company - [The MIGHTY Mission](https://mightygrc.com/about-mighty-grc) - [Contact](https://mightygrc.com/contact) - [Product Demo](https://mightygrc.com/policypilot-demo) - [GET A DEMO](https://mightygrc.com/policypilot-demo) LOG IN ![How to write an SMB Business Continuity plan for small business resilience](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/How%20to%20create%20a%20Business%20Continuity%20Plan%20for%20Small%20Business.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=1774&height=998&name=How%20to%20create%20a%20Business%20Continuity%20Plan%20for%20Small%20Business.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) Small Business Policies DIY Policy Programs Business Continuity Plan # How to Create a Business Continuity Plan for Your Small Business ![Michael Wallace, MIGHTY CoFounder & CEO](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Michael%20Wallace%20Author%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=48&height=48&name=Michael%20Wallace%20Author%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) Michael Wallace, MIGHTY CoFounder & CEO October 14, 2026 Running a small business means accepting and dealing with the unexpected. A major vendor could experience an outage. Severe weather could close your workplace. A cyber incident might make an important system temporarily inaccessible. Or a technology failure could interrupt the tools your team relies on every day. You can't predict every disruption your business might face. But you *can* decide how you'll respond when normal operations aren't possible. That's the purpose of a business continuity plan. A business continuity plan helps you identify the essential functions your business relies on to serve customers and operate day to day, understand the people, technology, information, and vendors those functions depend on, and determine how your team will keep the business moving when something goes wrong. ![MIGHTY GRC Quote for Small Business: Business continuity planning can become complex but small businesses can do a surprising amount of the foundational work themselves.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=42&height=32&name=Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)   **Business continuity planning can become complex but small businesses can do a surprising amount of the foundational work themselves.** And while business continuity planning can become complex, particularly when technology and disaster recovery are involved, small businesses can do a surprising amount of the foundational work themselves. In fact, even if you ultimately work with an expert, understanding your own business is one of the most valuable things you can bring to the process. Let's build that understanding, together. ## What is a Business Continuity Plan? A business continuity plan, often called a **BCP**, documents how your organization will maintain or quickly resume its most important business operations during a disruption. The key word is ***business***. Your plan isn't only about servers, backups, or cybersecurity. It's about what your organization needs in order to continue serving customers and operating when normal resources, people, technology, vendors, or locations aren't available. ![MIGHTY GRC Quote for Small Business: It's about what your organization needs in order to continue serving customers and operating when normal resources aren't available.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=42&height=32&name=Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)   **It's about what your organization needs in order to continue serving customers and operating when normal resources aren't available.** A useful business continuity plan should help answer questions such as: - Which business functions are most critical? - How long could each one be unavailable before the impact becomes significant? - What people, technology, information, vendors, and facilities do those functions depend on? - What could your team do temporarily if those resources weren't available? - Which operations should be restored first? - Who makes decisions during a disruption? - How will employees, customers, vendors, and other stakeholders communicate? - How will your business return to normal operations? Your answers don't need to account for every possible disaster. They need to give your team a practical way forward when something unexpected happens. ![MIGHTY Mindset: You don't need to predict every possible disruption. You need to understand what keeps your business up and running.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MIGHTY%20Mindset%20Letter%20Icon%20from%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=791&height=397&name=MIGHTY%20Mindset%20Letter%20Icon%20from%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) ### You don't need to predict every possible disruption. **You need to understand what keeps your business up and running.** Good continuity planning focuses less on imagining every possible thing that could go wrong and more on understanding what your business depends on—and what you'll do when those things aren't available. **That’s what resilience looks like in practice: having a Plan B, and sometimes a Plan C, *before* you need one.** Those backup plans may not keep everything running exactly as usual, but they give your team options, reduce dependence on any single resource, and make it easier to adapt and keep moving when circumstances change.   ## Business Continuity vs. Disaster Recovery: What's the difference? You'll often see business continuity and disaster recovery discussed together as **BCDR: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery**. They're closely related, but they aren't exactly the same. **Business continuity** focuses on keeping critical business operations functioning during a disruption. **Disaster recovery** focuses more specifically on restoring technology, systems, infrastructure, and data following a disruption. Imagine your primary business system, like your booking and scheduling system, your CRM, your point-of-sale system, or your cloud productivity environment suddenly becomes unavailable. Your **business continuity plan** might explain how employees will continue serving customers while that system is down. Your **disaster recovery plan** addresses how the system and its data will actually be restored. You need both perspectives. For this guide, we're concentrating on the **business continuity side**: understanding what your business needs to keep operating and building a plan around those needs. We explore disaster recovery in more detail in our article [*How to Create a Disaster Recovery Plan for Your Small Business*](https://mightygrc.com/mighty-blog/small-business-disaster-recovery-plan) ## How to create a Business Continuity Plan A genuinely useful continuity plan starts with understanding your business, not filling out a template. Before worrying about formatting the final document, work through the decisions your plan needs to capture. Think of the steps below as a guided tour through your business: what matters most, what it depends on, what could happen if it becomes unavailable, and what your team could do instead. By answering those questions first, the plan itself becomes much easier to build and far more useful when you actually need it. ### 1. Identify your critical business functions... ![Identify your critical business functions that your small business needs a backup plan for in a BCDR plan.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Identify%20critical%20business%20functions%20for%20BCDR%20Plan%20Icon.%20MightyGRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Identify%20critical%20business%20functions%20for%20BCDR%20Plan%20Icon.%20MightyGRC.png)Start by asking a deceptively simple question: **What does our business absolutely need to be able to do?** Don't start with technology. Start with the work. Because technology supports the business, not the other way around. Identify the work your business needs to accomplish to serve customers, support employees, generate revenue, and meet its obligations. Then work backward to understand the people, technology, information, vendors, and other resources that make that work possible. When you start with the work, your continuity plan reflects what your business actually needs, not just the technology it happens to use. ![MIGHTY GRC Quote for Small Business: Don't start with technology. Start with the work.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=42&height=32&name=Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)   **Don't start with technology. Start with the work.** Depending on your business, critical functions might include: - Serving customers - Processing orders - Delivering products or services - Communicating with customers - Paying employees - Receiving payments - Accessing customer records - Scheduling employees or appointments - Managing inventory - Communicating internally - Fulfilling contractual obligations Now ask: **What would happen if we couldn't do this for an hour? A day? Three days? A week?** Some activities can pause with relatively little impact. Others become serious very quickly. That's how you begin distinguishing what's merely important from what's truly **critical**. #### ... but don't assume *everything* is critical When everything is labeled *Priority 1*, nothing really is. One of the most valuable parts of continuity planning is forcing yourself to make choices about what needs attention first should a disruption occur. Think about what your business needs to: **Keep operating → Serve customers → Protect people and information → Meet important obligations → Generate revenue** Your exact priorities will depend on your business. And that's how you begin to write an actionable Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan. ### 2. Understand the impact of an interruption ![Understand what the impact of an interruption will be on your small business or SMB for your BCDR Plan.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Impact%20of%20a%20Disruption%20for%20SMB.%20MIGHTY%20GRC..png?width=150&height=150&name=Impact%20of%20a%20Disruption%20for%20SMB.%20MIGHTY%20GRC..png)Once you've identified your critical functions, consider what happens when each one becomes unavailable. This process is often called a **Business Impact Analysis**, or **BIA**. That name can make it sound more complicated than it needs to be. At its core, you're asking: **If we can't do this, what happens next?** Consider potential impacts on: **Customers.** Would customers lose access to a service? Would orders or support requests go unanswered? **Revenue.** Would the disruption prevent you from selling, billing, collecting payment, or delivering work? **Employees.** Would people be unable to work or access the information they need? **Operations.** Would another important process stop because it depends on this one? **Contractual or regulatory obligations.** Could the interruption cause you to miss an important requirement or deadline? **Trust and reputation.** Could a prolonged disruption affect customer or partner confidence? The goal isn't to assign an elaborate score to everything. It's to understand where downtime starts becoming a meaningful business problem.   Save and share this infographic with your team!  # ![A business continuity planning worksheet designed for small businesses and SMBs to DIY a BCDR Plan.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Business%20Continuity%20Planning%20Worksheet%20for%20SMBs.%20MightyGRC..png?width=600&height=789&name=Business%20Continuity%20Planning%20Worksheet%20for%20SMBs.%20MightyGRC..png) ### 3. Map what each critical function depends on ![Map the dependencies of each critical function for your small business continuity plan.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Map%20Dependencies%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Map%20Dependencies%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)Now comes one of the most valuable exercises in the entire process. For every critical business function, ask: **What do we need for this to work?** For each critical function, look across several categories of dependencies. Think about everything that needs to be available for that function to work as expected. Most business activities depend on more than one thing, and some of those dependencies may not be obvious until you deliberately map them out. Look beyond the software or equipment involved and consider the people, technology, information, vendors, facilities, and other business processes that make the work possible. The goal is to understand the full chain behind each critical function. ![MIGHTY GRC Quote for Small Business: This exercise often reveals risks that aren't obvious during normal operations.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=42&height=32&name=Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)   **This exercise often reveals risks that aren't obvious during normal operations.** If one link in that chain becomes unavailable, could the work still get done? If not, you've identified something your continuity plan needs to address. #### People Who knows how to perform this function? Is that knowledge shared? Could someone else take over? #### Technology Which applications, systems, devices, accounts, and internet connections are required? #### Information What records, documents, customer information, credentials, or other data are needed? #### Vendors Does the process depend on a cloud provider, payment processor, software company, supplier, shipping company, payroll provider, MSP, or another third party? #### Facilities Does the work require access to an office, warehouse, storefront, equipment, or another physical location? #### Other business processes Does this function depend on something else happening first? This exercise often reveals risks that aren't obvious during normal operations. You might discover that only one person knows how to complete a critical process. Or that several operations rely on the same vendor. Or that an essential document is only accessible from one system. Those discoveries aren't failures. They're useful information. They show you where your business can become stronger. ![MIGHTY Mindset: A gap isn't a failure. It's information.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MIGHTY%20Mindset%20Letter%20Icon%20from%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=791&height=397&name=MIGHTY%20Mindset%20Letter%20Icon%20from%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) ### A gap isn't a failure. **It's information.** Continuity planning isn't about proving your business is perfectly prepared. It's about discovering where you're dependent, where you're vulnerable, and where a relatively small improvement could make your business significantly more resilient. **That mindset is also part of building a security-first culture.** When your team learns to spot dependencies, talk openly about gaps, and look for ways to strengthen them, risk becomes part of everyday decision-making. **The goal isn't to eliminate every vulnerability. It's to build a team that notices them, learns from them, and takes action to make the business stronger.** ### 4. Decide how long you can operate without each function ![How long can you go without a function before it introduces risk to your small business and impacts business continuity?](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Time%20of%20Interruption%20Increases%20Risk%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Time%20of%20Interruption%20Increases%20Risk%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)Now you can start thinking about time. Ask: **How long could this function realistically be unavailable before the impact becomes unacceptable?** The answer might be: - Minutes - A few hours - One business day - Several days - A week Different functions will have very different answers. ![MIGHTY GRC Quote for Small Business: This is where continuity planning starts creating priorities instead of assumptions.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=42&height=32&name=Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)   **This is where continuity planning starts creating *priorities* instead of *assumptions.*** Your customer communication platform might need to return quickly, while another internal system could remain unavailable for several days without significantly affecting operations. This is where continuity planning starts creating ***priorities* instead of *assumptions****.* You'll eventually encounter technical concepts such as **Recovery Time Objective (RTO)** and **Recovery Point Objective (RPO)** when you move into [disaster recovery planning](https://mightygrc.com/mighty-blog/small-business-disaster-recovery-plan). For now, focus on the business question: How long can we reasonably operate without this? Your answer will help determine what recovery capabilities your business actually needs. ### 5. Create a temporary way to keep working ![Identify how to keep working, or business continuity strategies, for your small business.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Continuity%20Strategies%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Continuity%20Strategies%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)Recovery doesn't always happen immediately. That's why continuity planning isn't just about getting everything back online. It's also about answering: **What can we do in the meantime?** Suppose an important system is unavailable. Could your team: - Use a temporary manual process? - Work from a different location? - Communicate through another channel? - Access an alternate system? - Use securely maintained offline information? - Redirect calls or customer inquiries? - Switch temporarily to another supplier? - Change how orders or requests are recorded? These aren't necessarily permanent solutions. They're continuity strategies designed to keep the business moving while normal operations are being restored. This kind of planning isn't theoretical. Small businesses are already using contingency strategies to respond to disruptions they've experienced. Gallagher's [2025 U.S. small-business survey](https://www.gallaghersmallbusiness.com/small-business-expertise/protecting-your-business/safety-and-loss-control/small-business-owners-survey-2025/) found that **73% of respondents had been affected by supply-chain disruptions in 2023 or 2024, and 71% reported having contingency suppliers in place in case another disruption occurred.** **That's business continuity in practice.** The goal isn't necessarily to prevent your primary supplier, system, location, or process from becoming unavailable. Some disruptions will always be outside your control. The goal is to think through what you'll do next *before* you're forced to make that decision under pressure. A backup supplier is one example. Your Plan B might instead be a manual process, an alternate system, another location, a different communication channel, or a temporary way of delivering your product or service. ![MIGHTY GRC Quote for Small Business: Resilience comes from having options, even ones that would be inefficient in the long run.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=42&height=32&name=Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)   **Resilience comes from having options, even ones that would be inefficient in the long run.** Resilience comes from having options. The more clearly you understand where your business depends on a single person, vendor, system, location, or process, the more intentionally you can decide where another path would make your business stronger. And sometimes the best workaround is surprisingly simple, even if it would be inefficient in the long run. ### 6. Establish your recovery priorities ![Identify what your recovery priorities would be for your business continuity and disaster recovery BCDR Plan.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Recovery%20and%20Continuity%20Priorities%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Recovery%20and%20Continuity%20Priorities%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) You probably won't be able to restore everything at once. During a disruption, your people, time, and resources may all be limited. Trying to bring every system, process, and service back at the same time can create confusion and pull attention away from the things your business needs most. Your plan should make clear what needs attention first, based on the impact each function has on your customers, employees, revenue, and ability to keep operating. The goal is to restore what matters most first, then work through the rest in a thoughtful order. ![MIGHTY GRC Quote for Small Business: Having those priorities established before something goes wrong gives your team a calm and clear path forward when tensions are high.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=42&height=32&name=Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)   **Having those priorities established *before* something goes wrong gives your team a calm and clear path forward when tensions are high.** Having those priorities established *before* something goes wrong gives your team a calm and clear path forward when time and resources matter most, and tensions are high. A simple prioritization system might look like: > **Priority 1:** Needed *immediately* to maintain critical operations > > **Priority 2:** Needed within the first business day > > **Priority 3:** Can reasonably wait while higher-priority functions are restored Your priorities should come directly from the work you've already done. If you've identified your critical functions, understood their impact, mapped their dependencies, and determined how long they can be unavailable, recovery priorities become much easier to establish. You're no longer guessing. You're making a business decision. ### 7. Decide who does what ![Determine who will be responsible for what in a BCDR plan for your small business.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Assign%20Roles%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Assign%20Roles%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)A continuity plan isn't particularly useful if everyone opens it during a disruption and asks: **So... who's in charge?** Assign roles and responsibilities before a disruption occurs. Your plan should identify who is responsible for things like: - Assessing the disruption - Activating the continuity plan - Making business decisions - Coordinating the response - Communicating with employees - Communicating with customers - Contacting vendors - Coordinating technology recovery - Documenting important decisions - Determining when normal operations can resume For every important role, consider identifying a backup person too. Small businesses can be particularly dependent on individual people. If the only person who knows what to do is unavailable during the disruption, the plan hasn't solved the problem.   ![MIGHTY Mindset: Shared knowledge creates resilience.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MIGHTY%20Mindset%20Letter%20Icon%20from%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=791&height=397&name=MIGHTY%20Mindset%20Letter%20Icon%20from%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) ### Shared knowledge creates resilience. The goal isn't to devalue or undermine the people your business relies on. It's to make sure their knowledge can help the organization even when they aren't immediately available. That's true resilience. ### 8. Build a communication plan ![Build a communication plan to support your SMB's business continuity and disaster recovery plan.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Communication%20plan%20for%20BCDR%20Plan%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Communication%20plan%20for%20BCDR%20Plan%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)During a disruption, uncertainty can become a problem of its own. People need to know what's happening, what's expected of them, and where they'll receive updates. There will still be questions and uncertainty, but your team won't have to make every decision from scratch. A clear plan gives everyone a shared path forward, so you can calmly move from one pre-agreed step to the next, make the decisions that still need to be made, and keep moving together with greater speed and confidence. Your plan should identify: **Who needs information?** Employees, customers, vendors, partners, leadership, insurers, or others depending on the situation. **Who communicates with them?** Assign responsibility rather than assuming someone will handle it. **How will you communicate?** Consider what happens if your normal communication system is the thing that's unavailable. **What information should be communicated?** The answer will vary by event, but having basic templates and expectations in advance can save valuable time. You don't need to prewrite every possible message. You need to make communication easier when your team is already dealing with something unexpected. ### 9. Determine how your technology and data will be recovered ![Decide how you plan to recover your data and technolgy via backups and other methods in your small business BCDR Plan.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Technology%20and%20Data%20Recovery%20Plan%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Technology%20and%20Data%20Recovery%20Plan%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)This is where business continuity and disaster recovery begin to intersect. Remember that business continuity defines what the business needs. Disaster recovery helps determine how the technology will support those needs when something goes wrong. By this point, you've identified: - Which business functions matter most - Which technology supports them - How long those functions can reasonably be unavailable - Which systems should be restored first - What temporary workarounds are possible Those are business requirements. Now someone needs to determine whether your technology and recovery capabilities can *actually* meet them. For example: If you determine that a critical system needs to be restored within four hours, can it actually be restored within four hours? Are the necessary backups available? How frequently is the data backed up? Where are backups stored? What credentials will be needed? Who has access? What other systems must be restored first? Has anyone actually tested the process? This is a great place in your Business Continuity Plan development to pause and consider if outside expertise would be valuable. #### DIY or time to get help? You know your business. An expert knows recovery. **An actionable plan may need both.** No outside expert knows your business quite like you do. ![MIGHTY GRC Quote for Small Business: You know your business. An expert knows recovery. An actionable plan may need both.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=42&height=32&name=Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)   **You know your business. An expert knows recovery. An actionable plan may need both.** You know which customers can't be left waiting. You know which processes generate revenue. You know which vendors your team relies on. You know which activities can temporarily slow down and which absolutely cannot. That's valuable expertise. An IT, cybersecurity, business continuity, or disaster recovery professional can help translate those business needs into realistic technical recovery strategies. If you work with a Managed Service Provider, or MSP, they will be the ones to turn to help you finalize your recovery steps. If you say: "We need this system back within four hours of a disruption." An expert can help answer: **“Can your current technology, backups, vendors, access, and recovery procedures actually make that happen?”** Your team defines what the business needs. The right expert can help determine whether your recovery strategy can deliver it. ### 10. Write the actual Business Continuity Plan ![How to write the actual Business Continuity Plan for your small business or SMB.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Write%20the%20Business%20Continuity%20Plan%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Write%20the%20Business%20Continuity%20Plan%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)Now you're ready to turn all of this information into the plan itself. Your BCP doesn't need to be a book. It only needs to be long enough to capture the decisions, priorities, responsibilities, and backup plans you've worked through above. Focus on making it **practical, actionable, and easy to use** when something goes wrong. During a disruption, a clear plan that people can quickly understand is often far more useful than a 100-page document nobody knows how to navigate. Consider including: **Purpose and scope** What the plan covers and when it should be used. **Critical business functions** What needs to continue or recover first. **Business impact and recovery priorities** How quickly important functions need to resume. **Dependencies** The people, systems, information, vendors, and facilities each function requires. **Continuity strategies** How the business can continue operating while normal resources are unavailable. **Roles and responsibilities** Who makes decisions and coordinates different parts of the response. **Communication procedures** How employees and other stakeholders will receive information. **Key contacts** Employees, vendors, service providers, insurers, landlords, emergency contacts, and others relevant to your business. **Technology recovery requirements** The systems and data that need to be restored and their business priorities. **Return-to-normal procedures** How you'll transition from temporary operations back to normal business. **Plan review and testing information** When the plan was last reviewed or tested and when it should be revisited. Most importantly: **Write the plan as if someone is actually going to use it.** Because the reality of business today is that disruptions are a **when, not if, situation.** They may be small and manageable or significant enough to change how your business operates for days or weeks. Either way, your plan should be built for the moment when someone needs to open it, quickly understand what matters, and know what to do next. > A 2026 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Verizon [survey](https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/disasters/94-of-small-businesses-say-they-could-recover-from-a-disaster-but-only-31-have-a-plan) found that while 94% of small business leaders believed their business could recover from a disaster or major disruption, only 31% had a disaster plan in place. That's a significant gap between *feeling* prepared and *actually being* prepared. **Your goal isn't to create a perfect document. It's first to actually create one. And then to make sure it's actionable.**   ### 11. Test your Business Continuity Plan ![Test your BCDR Plan to ensure it is practical and actionable before your small business experiences a disruption.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Test%20Your%20Business%20Continuity%20Plan%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Test%20Your%20Business%20Continuity%20Plan%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)A written plan is a hypothesis. Testing your plan tells you whether or not it actually works. You don't necessarily need to simulate a full-scale disaster to learn something useful. Start with a simple tabletop exercise designed for a small business. Gather the people who would be involved in acting on your Business Continuity Plan and walk through a realistic scenario:   **![Run a tabletop exercise of a common small business disruption scenario.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AUP%20Best%20Practice%20address%20new%20technology%20without%20writing%20a%20new%20policy.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=85&height=85&name=AUP%20Best%20Practice%20address%20new%20technology%20without%20writing%20a%20new%20policy.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)It's 8:30 Monday morning. Your primary booking system is unavailable, which means so is the day's schedule. Your provider says they don't yet know when service will return. What do we do?**   Then work through it. Who notices first? Who gets contacted? Who makes the decision to activate the plan? How does the team keep working? Can people access the information they need? How do customers get updates? What happens after four hours? What happens tomorrow? You'll probably discover assumptions, missing information, unclear responsibilities, or dependencies you hadn't considered. That's exactly what testing is supposed to do. ![MIGHTY Mindset: Finding a problem during a test is a win.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MIGHTY%20Mindset%20Letter%20Icon%20from%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=791&height=397&name=MIGHTY%20Mindset%20Letter%20Icon%20from%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) ### Test. Identify. Update. **Finding a problem during a test is a win.** You found it when your customers weren't waiting, your employees weren't scrambling, and your business wasn't under pressure. Fix it. Update the plan. Test again. **Progress beats perfection.**   ### 12. Keep your plan current ![Ensure your BCDR Plan is always up-to-date with regular reviews and revisions.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Keep%20updating%20your%20plan%20icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=150&height=150&name=Keep%20updating%20your%20plan%20icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) Your business isn't standing still. Your team changes. You adopt new technology. Vendors come and go. Processes evolve. Customers have new expectations, and the things your business depends on today may look very different a year from now. Your continuity plan shouldn't stand still either. Review it at least yearly, or whenever something significant changes.  A continuity plan is only useful if it reflects your current operational needs, not the business you had when you wrote it. Ask: Does this BCP still reflect my critical functions, dependencies, priorities, workarounds, and responsibilities as my business actually operates *today*? If the answer is no, update the plan. Because a continuity plan describing the business you had two years ago won't be much help to the business you're running today. ## A simple Business Continuity Plan worksheet for SMBs You can begin your Business Continuity Plan with a table that's as simple as this: | Critical Function | Key Dependencies | How Long Can It Be Unavailable? | Temporary Workaround | Recovery Priority Level | Owner(s) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Customer communication** | Email, phones, CRM | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | | **Payroll** | Payroll system, bank access, employee records | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | | **Customer service delivery** | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | | **Billing & payments** | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | | **Order fulfillment** | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ | \_\_\_ |   Don't worry about being able to fill in every blank space on the first round. The value comes from beginning to have the conversation. ## Can a small business write its own Business Continuity Plan? **Absolutely.** In fact, there are parts of continuity planning that your team is uniquely qualified to do. You understand how work actually gets done in your business. You know which processes customers depend on. You know where knowledge lives, which vendors matter, which team members perform critical functions, and where interruptions would hurt the most. ![MIGHTY GRC Quote for Small Business: there are parts of continuity planning that your team is uniquely qualified to do.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=42&height=32&name=Quote%20Left%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)   **There are parts of continuity planning that your team is uniquely qualified to do. And if you eventually bring in an expert, *you've made that engagement significantly more valuable.*** Working through those questions yourself can give you a much clearer picture of your business. And if you eventually bring in an expert, you've made that engagement significantly more valuable. Instead of asking someone else to figure out your business from scratch, you can tell them: **Here's what matters. Here's what we depend on. Here's how long we think we can operate without it. Here's what we've already identified as a workaround.** ***Now help us determine whether our recovery strategy can actually support those needs.*** That's a very different conversation than you would have had before doing your own business continuity planning work. Your preparation allows an expert to spend less time discovering the basics and more time helping you validate assumptions, uncover gaps, and determine whether your recovery strategy can actually meet the needs of your business. The important distinction is that you need to verify how your business ***will actually*** recover, not simply document how you ***hope*** it will recover when, not if, a disruption occurs. That's where additional expertise can become especially valuable. Technical recovery, backup architecture, cybersecurity, complex infrastructure, regulatory requirements, and recovery testing may require security and technology expertise your team doesn't have internally. **Getting help isn't giving up ownership of your plan. It's fortifying it.** ## Your Business Continuity Plan is really a decision-making tool The real value of a Business Continuity Plan isn't as a document sitting in a folder. It's the thinking that goes into creating it. You learn what your business depends on. You identify where knowledge is concentrated. You uncover technology and vendor dependencies. You decide what really needs to happen first. You create alternatives before you desperately need them. And, you give your team an actionable and practical way to make decisions when circumstances aren't normal. That's resilience, for your team and your business. ![MIGHTY Mindset: Resilience isn't built during the disruption. It's built in the decisions you make before it happens.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/MIGHTY%20Mindset%20Letter%20Icon%20from%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=791&height=397&name=MIGHTY%20Mindset%20Letter%20Icon%20from%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) ### Resilience isn't built during the disruption. **It's built in the decisions you make *before* the disruption happens.** You don't need to prepare for every imaginable scenario. Understand what matters most. Build alternatives where you can. Share knowledge. Test your assumptions. Improve what you find. Then keep going. Because every improvement gives your business a little more ability to adapt, recover, and move forward. [Explore how to build a resilient business](https://mightygrc.com/mighty-blog/small-business-resilience-strategies)   ### Not sure where to start? ![Free PDF download to begin writing your Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20MIGHTY%20Guide%20to%20Seven%20Essential%20Policies%20for%20Small%20Business%20and%20Teams.png?width=955&height=745&name=The%20MIGHTY%20Guide%20to%20Seven%20Essential%20Policies%20for%20Small%20Business%20and%20Teams.png) ## The Mighty Guide to SMB Policies Get your free MIGHTY Guide to writing your first Business Continuity Plan, and take the first steps toward building a practical policy program that includes InfoSec, Acceptable Use, AI, Incident Response, and more. #### Start with a Business Continuity Plan. Build a stronger business. [Download the free MIGHTY Guide PDF now](https://mightygrc.com/small-business-policy-guide)   ## Ready to simplify policy management for your SMB? ![PolicyPilot automates Business Continuity Plan creation for SMBs](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Risk%20and%20Compliance%20Platform%20Dashboard%20by%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=1536&height=1024&name=Risk%20and%20Compliance%20Platform%20Dashboard%20by%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) ## Meet PolicyPilot [**PolicyPilot by MIGHTY GRC**](https://mightygrc.com/products/policypilot)helps small businesses turn complex policy requirements into clear, tailored policies built around how their business actually operates. Creating a business continuity plan doesn't have to begin with a blank document or an overwhelming list of possible disasters. **Start with your business.** Identify what matters. Understand what it depends on. Decide what you'll do when normal isn't available. Then bring in additional expertise where you need it. Answer a few straightforward questions, and in minutes you can:   Customize your Business Continuity Plan for your real world business.   Manage policy reviews and approvals in one place.  Use automated reminders to keep your BCDR Plan current. **Because the goal isn't simply to have a plan. It's to build a business that's better prepared to keep moving.**   ![PolicyPilot protects small business from avoidable risk.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Business%20Continuity%20Plan%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC%20for%20Small%20Business.png?width=500&height=235&name=Business%20Continuity%20Plan%20Icon.%20MIGHTY%20GRC%20for%20Small%20Business.png) **Your policies should be simple. They should be actionable.** **And they should actually get used.**   **![PolicyPilot: Policy Management Software for Small Businesses](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/PolicyPilot%20Winged%20Icon%20Logo.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=448&height=150&name=PolicyPilot%20Winged%20Icon%20Logo.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png)** **Explore PolicyPilot today and start building your BCDR in minutes.** [Explore PolicyPilot](https://mightygrc.com/products/policypilot)[Get a Free Product Demo](https://mightygrc.com/policypilot-demo)   #### **Thank you from [the MIGHTY team](https://mightygrc.com/about-mighty-grc). We are dedicated to offering learning resources for small and midsized businesses that are supportive, actionable, and will actually get used.** **Share your thoughts with us [HERE.](https://mightygrc.com/contact)** > **This article is provided for educational and informational purposes only.** It is intended to help small businesses better understand governance, risk, compliance, and policy management, but it is not legal, financial, cybersecurity, insurance, or other professional advice. > > **Use this content as a starting point for building a stronger, more resilient business—not as a substitute for professional advice tailored to your specific needs.** ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fmightygrc.com%2Fmighty-blog%2Fsmall-business-continuity-plan](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fmightygrc.com%2Fmighty-blog%2Fsmall-business-continuity-plan) ## Keep reading ### [![The benefits of an Acceptable Use Policy for Small Business Resilience](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Benefits%20of%20an%20AUP%20for%20Small%20Business.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=1838&height=1034&name=Benefits%20of%20an%20AUP%20for%20Small%20Business.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) Business Resilience Team Autonomy Scaling a Small Business The Benefits of an Acceptable Use Policy for Your Small Business](https://mightygrc.com/mighty-blog/acceptable-use-policy-benefits) ### [![Explore the benefits of vendor risk management for your small business, including secure, scalable growth.](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Benefits%20of%20Vendor%20Risk%20Management%20for%20Small%20Business.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png?width=2368&height=1332&name=The%20Benefits%20of%20Vendor%20Risk%20Management%20for%20Small%20Business.%20MIGHTY%20GRC.png) Business Resilience Scaling a Small Business Risk Mitigation The Benefits of Vendor Risk Management for Your Small Business](https://mightygrc.com/mighty-blog/vendor-risk-management-benefits) ![Screenshot 2026-06-16 at 4.49.38 AM](https://mightygrc.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-06-16%20at%204.49.38%20AM.png?width=3244&height=1258&name=Screenshot%202026-06-16%20at%204.49.38%20AM.png) ## MIGHTY GRC MIGHTY is GRC software custom built for small teams to simplify compliance and risk management. Generate policies, assess risk, and stay compliant in one streamlined platform designed for SMBs. - [Home](https://mightygrc.com) - Products - Pricing - Resources - Company - [GET A DEMO](https://mightygrc.com/policypilot-demo) --- Privacy Policy · Legal · © 2026. 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