Every company, no matter its size, needs a Vice President of Ridiculous Scenarios.
Smart businesses have someone — or several someones — responsible for thinking ahead and being prepared for … whatever.
A Business Continuity Plan is a good start. At its minimum, it provides guidance for events such as technology failures, cyberattacks, and natural disasters. With a basic BCP in place, you’re ready for an operational disruption. But what about strategic shocks?
Sudden loss of your largest customer
Maybe they churn because they’re dissatisfied with your service; maybe they churn because they’re acquired by another company. Either way, are you prepared for a big minus sign after your top line?
Seismic shift in business models
This has been especially stark in the news industry. In 1995, the prevailing wisdom was, “Oh, there’ll always be a print newspaper, local TV news at 6, radio newscasts at the top of the hour.” In 2026, we know beyond the shadow of a doubt that’s not the case. Smart companies that serve the industry were prepared for that.
Or take the American auto industry. In 1979, American car companies were still trying to sell six-passenger, body-on-frame sedans that were such great money-makers in the previous 30 years. By that time, though, the market wanted smaller, more fuel-efficient cars. It took years for Detroit to react, and by the time it did, it had already been lapped by the competition.
How are you balancing service to current customers and innovating for the future?
Succession planning
It’s not just for executives. What about that one person that would take a crippling amount of knowledge out the door if they leave? Are you encouraging and creating time for proper documentation and knowledge sharing? If that person left, do you know right now who would take on their role? Hint: If you’re planning to hire for it rather than identifying talent you already have, you’re risking the time and continuity that protect both revenue and customer satisfaction.
Global conflict
The world has always been a volatile place, but many of us have been sheltered from that volatility for most of our lives. Are you prepared for an interruption in your overseas infrastructure? Are you checking in on your distributed teams and doing what you can to keep them safe? Is your infrastructure prepared to keep your customers in danger zones up and running?
Reputation monitoring
It’s not just Yelp or Glassdoor. Are you keeping an eye on blogs, forums, and trade publications for people taking your brand name in vain? Do you have a simple Google alert set up for your business? What comes up when someone asks ChatGPT or Claude or Gemini about you? It matters, and it needs to be faced head-on.
If any of these make you say, “Wow, I never thought of that,” book a free conversation to go over your business’s ridiculous scenarios. We can talk doom. Then we can build a plan — one that keeps the ridiculous from happening, and helps your business come out the other side if it does.
