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BBP 134: Building Your Business ICE Plan with Danielle Levy

Shownotes:

In this episode of the Blogger Breakthrough Summit, host Liz Stapleton converses with Danielle Levy about the often-overlooked but crucial concept of the ICE plan—”In Case of Emergency.” They explore how having an ICE plan not only prepares businesses for unexpected challenges but also offers a sense of freedom and flexibility. They delve into the components of an ICE plan and share strategies for seamlessly integrating it into your business routine. This discussion emphasizes the importance of proactive planning in fostering resilience and adaptability in the ever-changing landscape of entrepreneurship.

About Danielle

Sought-after business consultant, Danielle Levy, helps online business owners expand with clarity and efficiency. After her experience in the traditional business world, Danielle took her marketing expertise and systems acumen to consulting, guiding entrepreneurs toward becoming the CEOs they were meant to be. Danielle is also the founder of The Boardroom League™, a team of experts providing bespoke business consulting and implementation services for entrepreneurs.

Visit Danielle’s Website

What is an ICE Plan?

ICE stands for In Case of Emergency

Danielle Levy explains that every business, and even households, need an ICE plan. It’s not just about preparing for emergencies; it’s about having flexible plans for unexpected situations that can arise—such as sudden illness or unforeseen interruptions.

The idea is to outline strategies to ensure the business can continue to operate smoothly during challenging times.

Getting Started with Your ICE Plan

Creating an ICE plan can seem overwhelming, especially when you’re busy running your business. Here are some straightforward steps to help you begin:

  • Create a dedicated folder in your inbox for ICE-related information. Whenever you receive documents or emails related to your plan, store them there for easy access.
  • Consider routine reviews. Set a monthly reminder during your budget reviews to also check your ICE plan. This makes it a natural part of your business processes.
  • Use downtime wisely. If there’s a long weekend coming up, dedicate time to reflect and organize your ICE plan without the usual business pressures.

Components of an ICE Plan

Danielle describes her approach to structuring an ICE plan by dividing her business into three main components:

  1. Front of House: This includes sales, marketing, and visibility efforts like social media.
  2. The House: These are your core offers and revenue-generating activities.
  3. Back of House: This encompasses operations, legal, finance, and team management.

By assessing potential blind spots within each component, you can prepare for unexpected events more effectively.

Bottom Line

In summary, having an ICE plan is about empowering yourself and your business to handle whatever comes your way. It’s not about fearing the worst, but instead about preparing for anything and allowing yourself the freedom to focus on what really matters.

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Transcript

Liz Stapleton [00:00:07]:

Welcome back to another episode of the Blogger Breakthrough Summit Podcast. I’m your host, Liz Stapleton, here to help you get the most out of your blogging journey with tips, tricks, and a bit of fun along the way. Today, we’re diving into something that might sound a bit scary at first, but trust me, it’s all about giving you the freedom and flexibility you deserve in your business. We’re talking about the ICE plan in case of emergency. And to help us break it all down, we’ve got the brilliant Danielle Levy. I’m gonna let her take over.

Danielle Levy [00:00:30]:

So ICE stands for in case of emergency. Mhmm. And I would give the additional context. Not only does every business need an ICE plan, every household needs an ICE plan also. But, yes, we will have this conversation in the context of businesses. And I would also elaborate on that. Even though it’s, you know, ICE’s emergency Yeah. It’s a vacation plan.

Danielle Levy [00:00:53]:

It’s a what if this happens plans. It’s a this if I have this in place, it’ll give me more flexibility later plan.

Liz Stapleton [00:01:01]:

I’m sick when I’m not planning to be plan.

Danielle Levy [00:01:04]:

Exactly. So, the I think the the connotation with this conversation is that something scary is gonna happen and, like, it it gets people’s adrenaline going and people don’t wanna think about it and all that sort of stuff. But, also, I would really encourage people to think about the possibility and the freedom that comes with just taking the time to get this stuff in order.

Liz Stapleton [00:01:26]:

Yes. Okay. So how because I feel like it can encompass so much. How do you even go about starting to create one and figuring out what one looks like for you and your business?

Danielle Levy [00:01:38]:

Yeah. You know, I think there’s a couple of ways to do it. If if you’re in the throes of business and you’re like, I can’t even deal with this, and, you know, it’s, like, the last thing you wanna be thinking about, it can be as simple as creating a folder in your inbox of, oh, I know this has something to do with my ICE plan. I don’t really know what yet, but let me just store it there. Right? Or that this piece of mail came in, let me shove it in an envelope. Like, that’s, like, the bare bones, very passive approach to it, but at least you’re kinda, like, thinking about it. It’s aware. If you’re like me, every and and this is because it has to be routine for me, not because, I’m any more on top of it than anybody else.

Danielle Levy [00:02:26]:

I am freaking mess in all parts of my personal and business life. I work it in as part of my ritual. So every month, I do my, p and l for my business. And as part of that, it’s review your there’s literally a hyperlink that goes right to my ICE plan that says, did you review this? And then it’s just a very organic kind of process. I also take like, we have a long weekend coming up here. I will set aside, like, relaxing time, what else have I changed in my business that can I fold in, where it’s, like, low pressure, dedicated, uninterrupted client time to, like, really bring things together? So I would say it’s, I don’t think it’s anyone’s favorite thing to look forward to in a business, but think about past habits that you’ve had in your business. Like, oh, I have to file my taxes, or, oh, I have to, you know, go through this massive RFP or whatever that mindset is that you get in when you have to do the thing that seems so big and scary even if it’s not really, that’s where you wanna get yourself to.

Liz Stapleton [00:03:28]:

Okay. What so you say, like, you have a thing where it’s, like, review your ice plan. What is your ice plan? Like, give us some examples of what goes into an ice plan. Like, what does it look like?

Danielle Levy [00:03:38]:

Sure. And so, so first of all, on my website, there are ice plans. Okay. So the way that I think about it is, I take my business apart. There’s 3 parts to my business. There’s the front of the house, sales, marketing, visibility, my social media accounts, etcetera. There’s the house, which are my offers, anything that makes me money in the business. And then the back of the house is operations, legal, finance, team, all that stuff that keeps the business going.

Danielle Levy [00:04:12]:

And, that’s how I break my business apart. I think about my business in terms of what blind spots exist, that if this thing happened, what would be the follow-up? And the the example that I give and I I think this is a convenient example because you have a little friend there with you right now. Thank you. I was in a multimillion dollar launch for a client of mine, and our tech VA’s, furry friend passed away mid launch. I am a pet owner.

Liz Stapleton [00:04:46]:

Mhmm.

Danielle Levy [00:04:46]:

Like, my kids, my pets, like, they’re on that same wavelength.

Liz Stapleton [00:04:50]:

Yeah.

Danielle Levy [00:04:51]:

But the level of AWOL that this person took as a result of that loss was not anything like I had ever seen before and put the entire launch at risk. And the problem was this was the problem with the business. 1, the tech VA was the only person who had one set of login credentials that we needed because we had created it not too long ago. And 2, the owner of the business could not figure out how to log in to her website so that we could change a couple of things. Right? And I see the cringe that you’re making. Yeah. Had there been an ICE plan It happens. Yeah.

Danielle Levy [00:05:28]:

It happens. Right? Yeah. It would have been like, this is your host. Here’s how you get to the password. We would have thought about who else needs access other than this tech VA who again, I’m not meaning to sound cold. It was just like, go grieve your cat, but, by the way, this launch has to still happen.

Liz Stapleton [00:05:46]:

Mhmm.

Danielle Levy [00:05:48]:

And, like, a little bit had there been a little more planning in that situation, had we not realized there was a blind spot in the business of this particular tech VA that had a little bit too much control, a lot of the anxiety would have just been a non a nonissue. So it’s just an example that never has to happen again, but those are the kinds of things that, you know, when I think about putting together a nice plan, it’s, what’s the thing am I not planning for that if it happens like, what’s my risk tolerance for, if this thing happens, how am I gonna respond to it?

Liz Stapleton [00:06:21]:

It’s almost like a place to house all the information so that if something falls out, you can you have the information to give someone to pull in. Exactly.

Liz Stapleton [00:06:31]:

Alright. There you have it. Why every business needs to have an ice plan and how to start building 1 step by step. Huge thanks to Danielle for sharing her wisdom with us today. Remember, having an ice plan isn’t about fearing the worst. It’s about preparing for anything and giving yourself the freedom to breathe easy. Thanks for tuning in and we’ll catch you at the next episode.

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