Feedback Form
Home Features Mastermind Forums About Advertise Blog Network Contact Be An Author

Inventories are for More than Your Warehouse!

Inventories are for More than Your Warehouse!

If you had an emergency, would you know where your important documents were? If your business had a fire, would you be able to tell your insurance agent all of the things that you own? What would you remember and what would you forget? Could you list the brand, serial number, model and cost? No? Neither could I if I relied on my memory! Read on for more reasons an inventory is important and what you can do right now.
If you had an emergency, would you know where your important documents were? If your business had a fire, would you be able to tell your insurance agent all of the things that you own? What would you remember and what would you forget? Could you list the brand, serial number, model and cost? No? Neither could I if I relied on my memory! Read on for more reasons an inventory is important and what you can do right now.

If you have a well prepared inventory, you will be able to answer the insurance adjuster's questions easily. Even FEMA suggests that you have an inventory. So, why do they do this? A complete inventory is the only solid way of providing evidence that you need to justify your claim. Is that the only reason to have an inventory? Nope! Inventories also help with preparing for estate planning, assisting in moving and storage projects, and making sure you have adequate insurance coverage. The listing is also really beneficial if you have a theft. The police department can take your listing and help to identify your stolen items to facilitate recovery of the items.

So, what is an inventory?

It is a detailed list (with pictures) of your belongings for your home and/or business. It is not as hard as it might seem to create one. Here are the things you can do:

1. Create a video recording of the outside of your building.

2. Create a video recording of each room in your house/building.

3. Make sure to have pictures of one-of-a-kind items as well as collectibles and antiques.

4. Create a written listing of every item including the item name, model number, serial number, manufacturer of all of your electronic equipment and appliances.

5. Create a written listing of other items in your home of great value such as furniture, software, etc.

6. Create a written listing of average numbers. For example, "6 pairs of men's dress pants."

Where to store

Make sure that you think through where you will store the video and documentation. At a minimum, it should be in a fire-proof box. The safest location is to have it in a safe-deposit box. You might also consider making a copy and having that copy at a family member's or friend's home.

Tools you could use

There are a number of tools out on the market to create your inventory. A simple excel or word file can work if you do not want to do any complex searching or sorting of the information. I personally like Paper Tiger . I use Paper Tiger for my filing and other inventory, so it just makes sense to use the same tool for my home and office inventory too.

There are a number of qualified consultants that help business owners develop quality and easy-to-use inventories.

So what does that have to do with productivity?

Yes, it takes time to develop this type of documentation, however, it takes even longer to recover from a disaster if you don't have this information available. Surviving a disaster quickly is important for business owners to allow for quick "back to business."





Inventories are for More than Your Warehouse - To learn more about this author, visit Stephanie Calahan's Website.

Like this article? Share it with your friends

Article Feedback
 Article Feedback No article feedback found.
  Leave Your Feedback
article feedback

Article Feedback

To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us.

About The Author


Stephanie Calahan
(Visit Stephanie's Website) Stephanie L.H. Calahan (www.StephanieCalahan.com) of Calahan Solutions, Inc. is a dynamic entrepreneur, nationally known expert and speaker, media personality, author, publisher, productivity/ organization consultant, & business start-up coach. She focuses on conducting presentations, personal coaching, productivity assessments & organizing services. She believes that diversity of thought, communication styles, backgrounds, & experiences lead to more innovative, longer-lasting solutions. Steph has worked with hundreds of clients, and understands that every person is unique & requires systems that work for them. As such, she has been featured on/in numerous venues (http://www.calahansolutions.net) She is an active member in many professional organizations & is an active community leader. As such, she has received many awards recognizing her for her contributions. Her corporate and small business expertise as well as her Computer Science & HR backgrounds give her a unique perspective of what works at work. As a wife & mother, she knows family & leisure time is more important than ever.

Stephanie Calahan is a Platinum author on EvanCarmichael.com
About The Author

View Author Blog
Productive and Organized - Stephanie is a nationally known speaker, productivity consultant and founder of Calahan Solutions, Inc. She has worked with hundreds of clients, and understands that every person is unique and requires systems that work for them.
Productive and Organized
View Author Blog

View Author Video
View Author Video

Free Downloads


Stephanie Calahan's

Complete
List Of
Productivity
Articles

Name
Email
If you enjoyed this article, get Stephanie Calahan's Complete List of Productivity Articles For FREE!

More Stephanie Calahan
Help Others Manage Their Daily Baragge of Email and Save Time Too
Shrink Your Reading Pile Down with a 510 Minute Reading Folder
Just Say No
EMail Formatting and spacing make a difference
GREEN Business Practices
Delegate Today
Managing Your Daily Barrage of EMail
Your Sanity Savers Have Time for the Good Life Part One
Are You a Control Freak Be Careful It Can Derail Your Success
Schedule Your Day to Reflect Goals and Priorities Part 1 What Are Your Priorities
Free Downloads


 
 
 


Evan Elite Authors
Dave Kurlan  
David Barr  
Linda Richardson  
Evan Elite Authors

Become An Author
Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details.
Become An Author

Evan's Latest Video
Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media
Evan's Latest Video

Business Opportunities
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"

How to Start An Online Business

Click Here To Learn More
Business Opportunities



Evan's Newsletter
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Evan`s Newsletter

Free Downloads
Venture Capital Guide Icon Venture Capital Guide
The $1000 Show Icon The $1000 Show
Eneterprise Readiness Icon Eneterprise Readiness
Intentional Leadership Integrity Icon Intentional Leadership Integrity
Managing Customer Relationships Icon Managing Customer Relationships
Free Downloads - Complete List

Entrepreneur Tools and Guides
Top 50 Productivity Blogs To Watch In 2008
Top 50 Productivity Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008
 
Write The Press Release
Write The PR
Press Release Builder
 
Entrepreneur Tools and Guides

SEO For Africa
SEO For Africa
Foster Odei Nkawkaw, Ghana,
Foster Odei
Nkawkaw, Ghana
SEO For Africa

If I Were A Startup...
Robert Iachetta, $372k to $921k in 2 years
Robert Iachetta
$372k to $921k in 2 years
Chris Nguyen, 30+ national clients on $0
Chris Nguyen
30+ national clients on $0
If I Were A Startup... - Complete List

Famous Entrepreneurs
Vera Wang, Vera Wang
Vera Wang
Vera Wang
Milton Hershey, Hershey Foods
Milton Hershey
Hershey Foods
Famous Entrepreneurs - Complete List

Entrepreneur Advice
T. Harv Eker, Millionaire Mind
T. Harv Eker
Millionaire Mind
Timothy Ferriss, 4 Hour Work Week
Timothy Ferriss
4 Hour Work Week
Entrepreneur Advice - Complete List

Popular Articles
(Premium Authors)

     Here's why you should build creativity in the workplace.
By Donna Williams
     Make your meetings more productive with these three simple steps.
By Donna Williams
     How should you handle advertising in a recession?
By Donna Williams

Have A Suggestion?
Toronto Salsa Classes / Toronto Salsa Lessons Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
Have A Suggestion?

More Evan Carmichael
More popular articles
- Contracts Management Software
More Information