Volcano’s eruption strands business owners, forces them to find alternative ways of working

Volcano strands some small business owners

NEW YORK — Something as remote as a volcano can make life difficult for a small business owner.

Among the millions of passengers stranded by the eruption of a volcano in Iceland during the past week were company owners and employees who were on business trips. They couldn’t get home, or to the meetings they planned to attend. And they were forced to carry on business as best as they could even though they were hundreds or thousands of miles away from their destinations.

Hal Rood was supposed to be in Finland for two days and then fly back home to Boston. But he was grounded in Helsinki, the Finnish capital, after the Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano erupted on April 14. The eruption spread ash across Europe and halted air travel to and from the continent. Instead of business, Rood had to focus on how to get back to the U.S.

He decided to go Frankfurt, Germany. It took a ferry, a nine hour bus ride and then four train trips. He didn’t sleep in a bed for two nights. Finally, he got a flight out of Frankfurt Tuesday afternoon and was home that night.

The experience shook Rood a bit. He estimated that he travels between 20 and 25 weeks each year for his company, Strategic Radio Solutions, a radio marketing consulting firm where he’s the executive vice president. Personal contact with clients is a critical part of the business. And his staff is on the road much of the time too.

“If I can’t go back and forth quickly, it’s going to be a problem,” Rood said.

It was first feared that flights would be canceled for weeks because clouds of ash could damage airplane engines. That brought back memories for Rood of the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, when flights were grounded.

It also reminded business owners of what happened to small businesses in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. Some companies couldn’t reopen for weeks, even months. Some had to relocate permanently to other cities.

Rood’s experience got him to thinking about worst-case scenarios. For example, if travel to and from Europe were severely limited, Strategic Radio Solutions would have to realign work assignments, including giving more duties to a staffer in Britain.

“It’s going to hurt our productivity,” Rood said.

While a volcanic eruption that strands business travelers is extremely rare, the impact it has on a business really isn’t that different from the effects of flooding, wild fires or anything else that can disrupt a business. And companies that are prepared for business interruptions, especially those that know how to take advantage of the latest technology, are the ones most likely to be keep themselves operating.

Marco Scognamiglio, CEO for Britain of Rapp UK, a London-based direct marketing agency, was stranded in New York along with six of his employees. That could have meant a lot of down time, but the group carried on business with their home office using videoconferencing, cell phones and other technology.

“I would argue we’ve gotten as much done since we’ve been here as we would in the office,” Scognamiglio said.

One reason why is the pressure of holding meetings with a five-hour time difference. The work has to get done while everyone in London is still in the office, and Rapp UK tends to hold a lot of meetings.

Scognamiglio prefers to use video technology because it’s easier to hold a meeting when participants can see one another.

“When you can see people, there’s a bit more engagement,” he said.

Scognamiglio had to set up this long-distance connection quickly, as he never expected to be stranded in New York. Any small business owner can probably do the same in a pinch, but you should be familiar with all your high-tech options, and whether you’ll be able to use them with the phone or laptop you have now. And you should know how to get yourself connected via Internet videoconferencing services.

That way, you can keep operating even if you’re miles away from the office.