It is often after a hurricane, a tornado, a flood or earthquake, when businesses realize that they were not prepared for a natural disaster. And, then it is too late.

This is true for many entrepreneurial companies -- especially virtual companies. However, with a little planning and taking some precautionary steps, entrepreneurs can continue operating their businesses during any disaster.

Following are 10 things to do before disaster strikes you or your team:

1. Make sure your cell phone is charged and working well. If phone lines are down, it could be your only line of communication. This means calling and texting. And, find the location of the nearest cell tower -- after a hurricane a colleague of mine could only get a signal when she was close to the cell tower itself. Your cell phone provider can gave you this information for your surrounding area. An additional cell phone battery and portable charger are tools you will want to have on hand.
2. Check with your hosting company to make sure that your servers are backed up in different geographic locations. This is when redundancy is necessary.
3. As you build your team, make sure virtual team members are from diversified geographic locations. If one is hit by disaster, other team members can keep the business functioning.
4. Store your pass words online or on a flash drive that you can take with you if you must leave your office or evacuate from your area.
5. A laptop is an absolute necessity. With a bit of planning, your entire business can be run from your laptop anywhere you go.
6. Always have a reading file ready to pick up and take with you. This is the perfect time to read those books and special reports you have been stacking up to read but just have had time. And, a side effect is that you will learn new things that you can share with your clients. Now, that's an investment in you and your business.
7. Stock up on business supplies, school supplies, postage stamps, snacks and water - retail stores may be closed for days or weeks after a major disaster.
8. If you do not have to leave your office or evacuate, catch up on those tasks that you have been putting off - filing, cleaning the desk, organizing, bookkeeping, etc.
9. Use this time to write, write, write... articles, email (offline), proposals, letters, cards, auto-responders, special reports, curriculum, e-book, etc. There is nothing like having a chunk of time without normal interruptions to get a lot of writing done.
10. You are disaster-ready when you can answer yes to the following question: "If you are forced to evacuate your office and home, can you operate your business without interruption?"

If your answer is no to point 10, it is time to develop a mini disaster readiness plan. Having a disaster plan in place provides confidence and calm should you ever face a natural disaster.