The Business Without You
I thought a business without me was a business that ended.
Picture a man named Lyle, 66. He owns three rental apartments in a city abroad and a small shop that sells coffee beans online. He has spent twenty years building both. Everything runs well because he is the one who answers the phone.
A friend asked Lyle the shower question. "If you slipped tomorrow and could not get up, what would happen to the apartments?"
Lyle thought about it. His property manager took orders from him only. The tenants paid into an account that only he could open. The bean shop's supplier sent invoices to his email.
"The rent would come in," he said. "I just would not be able to get to it."
"For how long?"
"I do not know," Lyle said. "Until somebody figured it out."
He made a list of what stopped when he stopped. There were seven items. Three of them involved money that could not be reached. Two involved a promise to a person. One was a license in his name. The last was a lawyer's number that he kept in his head.
| If I could not act for ninety days... | Who could do it today | What would help |
|---|---|---|
| Collect and bank the rent | No one | A second person with access, agreed in writing |
| Pay the property manager and taxes | No one | A named person and a limit on what they can pay |
| Answer tenants in their language | The manager | A short note on the manager's role |
| Run the coffee shop | No one | A list of suppliers, and a friend with a key |
| Decide whether to sell or keep going | No one | A letter of wishes and a lawyer who knows |
Lyle did not solve all of it in one week. He picked one row, the rent, and asked his sister to be a second person on the account. A lawyer who worked with Americans abroad could tell him what the bank would let her do, and what papers each country would want.
Lyle said later, "I thought a business without me was a business that ended. Now I see it as a business that needs a plan for the days I am out."
You could…
-
List what stops if you stop, and mark each item with who could do it now.
-
Ask a local lawyer or accountant what power of attorney, shared access, or other tools each country offers.
-
Tell one person where to find the list.
What would stop in your business tomorrow? Share it here. Someone reading may find the same gap in theirs.
Tell us in the comments