A discussion about protecting an enterprise against both the predictable and the unpredictable.

1. “A wise man puts all his eggs in one basket, and watches the basket”
Andrew Carnegie, 20th Century Industrialist
Managing an enterprise may seem straightforward. While none of it is easy, the fundamentals do seem
simple:
§ Provide value to customers, clients, investors and possibly volunteers;
§ Buy low, sell high;
§ Watch the cash flow;
§ Attract and hire the people you need;
§ Meet objectives; grow the numbers; and,
§ Keep all the stakeholders interested and committed.
If these are all working, it can be fun, satisfying and rewarding. This is true for large businesses, small
businesses, non-profits and even volunteer organizations.
But, the economy, especially the current economy, is littered with failed dreams and shuttered good ideas.
We can all find examples of businesses and other enterprises that were blindsided by the unexpected and
caught flat-footed. We can also find examples of non-profits and volunteer organizations that are withering
because they are not meeting the expectations of their stakeholders.
There must be some additional dimensions of the enterprise necessary to achieve success that are not
included in the list above. Maybe it is worth the time to look at the enterprise in a different way, if only to
see if all bases are truly covered.
What could hurt your enterprise?
There are things that we try to anticipate such as difficult customers or clients, insufficient cash flow,
schedule conflicts, and the vagaries of an unforgiving market and a cyclic economy.
There are also the possibilities we typically insure against to some degree: liability, Worker’s Compensation,
burglary, fire, hurricane, etc.
But, there are also totally unexpected challenges. These might be:
§ Risks that we don’t pay attention to;
§ Assumptions that turn out to be wrong;
§ Rapid growth without the necessary procedures and controls;
§ Initiatives that don’t achieve their objectives in the expected timeframe; and,
§ Even misplaced trust in others.
This last category typically gets much less attention than it deserves. And, these are the causes for a very
common problem – one step forward with one or two steps backward. Obviously, this is not a sustainable
model for any enterprise.
What Kinds of Pain?
“One or two steps backward” might seem like a fairly benign issue at first glance. But, consider for a
moment the kinds of pain the backward steps might inflict.
§ Tarnished reputation in the eyes of observers;

2. April 23, 2012
§ Disruption in planned cash flow;
§ Loss of assets;
§ Loss of stakeholder confidence and interest;
§ Lost benefits from delayed or failed initiatives that easily translate into the financials;
§ Lost time devoted to solving problems and minimizing damages - instead of moving forward; and,
§ Lost opportunities.
Obviously, these inflictions are not benign. They can in fact “snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.”
Certainly, no one would choose to experience these types of pain if they could be avoided. And, even if
they cannot be completely avoided, some “what if” thinking can minimize them and avoid the enterprise
from being caught flat-footed.
How to protect your enterprise
The fundamental principles necessary to protect against these pains are, in fact, straightforward.
§ Know your risks and keep them in front of you;
§ Question your assumptions;
§ Anticipate with “what if” thinking;
§ Get your partners and employees to help manage these risks; and
§ Write it all down and review this perspective of the business at least monthly.
These principles can be applied in a direct manner with a little structure and guidance.
Plan-Protectsm and Protect-Biz®
Salt Marsh Solutions, Inc. of Georgia has the proven process and professional guidance for applying these
principles and helping you to create and maintain a new management tool. This tool can address all
categories of the things that can hurt your enterprise.
We have all heard of Murphy’s Law – “if it can go wrong, it will.” Well, the consulting services we call Plan-
Protectsm and Protect-Biz® were developed and used in helping enterprises successfully prepare for the
Year 2000 Problem. In that situation, there was no tolerance for Murphy’s Law because the deadline could
not be changed.
Would you like to take advantage of such an approach to zero tolerance for things going wrong? Would you
like to stop taking those backward steps as you try to move forward? Plan-Protectsm and Protect-Bizsm can
help you add a whole new and effective management tool to your management toolkit.
Plan-Protectsm is about protecting your major initiatives and significant plans. Protect-Biz® addresses every
aspect of your enterprise. While the items addressed by the two services are different, the processes and
the structure are the same. These are accomplished in a workshop environment with your key people and a
Salt Marsh Solutions, Inc. facilitator. These consulting processes:
§ Are proven;
§ Are efficient and direct;
§ Require a minimal investment of your time;
§ Are low cost, especially when you consider the potential “pain”;
§ Are totally scalable from a very large enterprise to a very small enterprise; and,
§ Include a lifetime license with the initial fee.
Plan-Protectsm and Protect-Biz® can offer significant new protections for those eggs described by Mr.
Carnegie.
Contact information:
Tom O’Connor, CEO & Principal Consultant; Salt Marsh Solutions, Inc.
912.638.3868; tomo@sms-ga.com; www.sms-ga.com; www.facebook.com/saltmarshsolutions
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