6.12.1 - Foundations: The E-commerce “Hit by a Bus” Continuity Plan (Difficulty: Advanced | Path: Scale)

What is Business Continuity vs. Disaster Recovery? (Advanced)

What is it?

This is a simple but critical distinction. Think of it this way: Disaster Recovery (DR) is your fire extinguisher—it's a technical plan to fix one specific, catastrophic event (e.g., 'Our theme is broken, how do we restore the backup?'). Business Continuity (BC) is the fire drill, the evacuation plan, and the blueprint for the new building—it's the *holistic* plan to keep your business *operating* during and after the crisis (e.g., 'Our founder is in the hospital. Who pays the ad bill? Who answers emails?').

Why is it important?

DR just gets your data back. BC keeps you *in business*. As a solo founder, you are the biggest risk. A 'disaster' isn't just a fire; it's you getting locked out of your email, your main supplier going bankrupt, or you taking a 2-week emergency vacation. A BC plan ensures your business continues to make money even when you're not there.

Key Differences:

Disaster Recovery (DR)	Business Continuity (BC)
✅ Focus: Data & Technology (e.g., backups, site uptime)	✅ Focus: People & Process (e.g., who pays, who decides)
✅ Goal: Restore lost data or services after an event.	✅ Goal: Maintain essential business functions *during* an event.
✅ Example: Restoring your product CSV from a backup.	✅ Example: A plan for your VA to fulfill orders if you are in the hospital.

✅ Do's and ❌ Don'ts

• Do: Focus on Business Continuity first. Backups don't matter if no one can access them.
• Don't: Assume a data backup is a 'continuity plan.' It's not.