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
 |
Related Businesses - Evan Elite Authors |
|
The Evan Elite Authors program is currently in beta phase. For details please contact us.
|
|
|
Stephanie Calahan
(Visit Stephanie's Website)
Stephanie L.H. Calahan (www.Step
hanieCalahan.com) of Calahan
Solutions, Inc. is a dynamic entrepreneur,
nationally known exper 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 (w
ww.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.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|