Continuity · 8 min read

The 'if I get hit by a bus' plan for solo owners.

Morbid but necessary. Every solo business owner should have a documented plan for what happens if they're suddenly unreachable for 30 days or more — death, hospitalization, accident. Most don't. Here's the minimum viable version.

Quick answer

Three documents: (1) The Sealed Envelope — passwords, credentials, key contacts, kept somewhere your spouse or executor can find; (2) The Operations Manual — recurring tasks, vendor list, decision thresholds; (3) The Authority Letter — names a successor with legal authority to act in your name during incapacity. Drafting all three takes a weekend. Failing to have them costs your family or business everything.

Why this matters more for solo owners

Big businesses have boards, succession plans, formal authorities. Solo businesses have you. If you're unreachable, the business becomes a smoldering crater within 30 days — bills unpaid, clients unsupported, vendors confused, family unable to access accounts.

The good news: a basic plan takes a weekend to build. The bad news: most solo owners never build it, because thinking about it is uncomfortable. Just do it.

Document 1: The Sealed Envelope

Update annually. Date the envelope. Tell exactly one person it exists and where it is.

Master password manager password (not the manager itself — just the password to access it).
Bank account numbers and online banking access info.
Domain registrar login.
Email service login.
Phone account login (so they can change voicemail).
Software subscriptions and how to cancel them.
Top 10 vendor contacts.
Top 10 client/tenant contacts and their account context.
Your CPA, attorney, and insurance agent contact info.

Document 2: The Operations Manual

A google doc your designated successor can read in 60 minutes and act on. It should answer:

What does the business do, in 2 sentences?
What recurring tasks happen monthly? Quarterly? Annually?
What income comes in and from whom?
What expenses go out and to whom?
What are the urgent-inbound categories and who handles each?
What decision thresholds exist? ('Anything under $X, just authorize.')
Who are the top 3 'never lose' clients/tenants and what do they need?
What's the wind-down plan if the successor decides to close the business?

Document 3: The Authority Letter

A legal document (talk to your attorney) that designates someone to act on your behalf in the event of incapacity. Usually a Durable Power of Attorney for financial matters and a separate Healthcare Power of Attorney for medical decisions.

Without this document, your spouse or family may not have legal authority to access business accounts or make decisions for the business — even if you're alive but in a coma.

Cost: $300–500 with an estate attorney. Time: about 2 hours. Importance: catastrophic if missing.

The 'mini test' for your plan

Hand the documents to your designated successor. Ask them to spend 30 minutes reading. Then ask: 'Could you keep my business alive for 30 days based on this?'

Their honest answer tells you what gaps to fill. Most owners discover their first draft is missing 2–3 critical things — easier to find out in a hypothetical than a real emergency.

// Continuity from day 1

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