A Dawgen RISE-360™ guide for Jamaica and the Caribbean

Executive Summary

Small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) don’t have the luxury of complex continuity manuals or large crisis teams—yet they face the same hurricanes, floods, and utility failures as large organisations. This RISE-360™ SME Edition delivers a lean, evidence-based operating system that an owner-manager can deploy in hours, not weeks: a one-page command model, WhatsApp-first checklists, a micro 13-week cash planner, a two-tier spend rule, vendor and customer scripts, and a claims pack that wins fast advances. The goal is simple: reopen quickly, protect cash, and convert proof into liquidity while staying compliant and audit-ready.

1) What “Good” Looks Like in 30 Days (SME Version)

• Open for business at core site(s) or pop-up alternatives within 72 hours.

• Cash visibility with a micro 13-week plan (Base/Downside) updated daily in Week 1, then 2–3×/week.

• Two-tier spend discipline in force; exception log maintained.

• AR/Collections cadence documented; DSO stabilised with top 20 customers on plans.

• Vendor terms extended +14–30 days for non-critical suppliers; fuel/logistics secured.

• Claims Dossier created; advance request submitted by Day 6–10.

• Customer communications live (status hub card + social + WhatsApp templates).

2) The RISE-360™ SME Model (One-Page Command)

• R — Readiness (Before the Event): Save this guide; store policy PDFs, contact trees, and rate cards in your cloud drive; pre-draft WhatsApp message bank; prepare photo naming convention and folder tree.

• I — Impact (0–72h): Safety check; SITREP v1; freeze non-essential spend; capture photos; notify insurer; publish customer status; switch to pop-up or curbside if needed.

• S — Stabilisation (Days 3–30): Lock vendor terms; collections cadence; micro cash plan; submit claims advance; reopen more channels; start first-fix repairs.

• E — Elevation (31–90+): Insurance optimisation (wordings, deductibles, parametric); supplier re-tenders; customer win-back offers; staff cross-training.

3) Command & Roles (Owner-Manager Reality)

• Gold (Incident Lead): Owner/GM—decisions, spend approvals, external comms.

• Silver (Ops/Finance Lead): Daily cash, vendors, repairs, bank/insurer calls.

• Bronze (Field Leads): Photo capture, site checks, deliveries, pop-ups.
  Rule: if you have <10 staff, Gold and Silver can be the same person—use 30-minute daily huddles.

Daily Huddle (15 min)

1. Safety & site status (R/A/G).

2. Cash today vs. floor; expected receipts; must-pay list.

3. Exceptions to spend rules; approve/deny.

4. Claims/insurer & vendor updates.

5. Customer issues & messages going out.

4) Micro 13-Week Cash Plan (SME Template)

Tabs:

1. Summary/Scenarios: Base (sales –15%, DSO +5 days), Downside (sales –35%, DSO +10).

2. Receipts: cash/card T+1; AR buckets (current/30/60).

3. Payments: payroll, rent, utilities/fuel, COGS, repairs/temporary costs, loan interest.

4. One-offs: insurance advances, relief grants/deferrals, VAT/GCT timing.

5. Assumptions: price/volume, DSO, AP terms, claim timing.

Guardrails

• Minimum Cash Floor (MCF): 4 weeks payroll + fuel/logistics + rent.

• Draw ladder: internal cash → claim advance → overdraft → supplier credit.

• Decision Gate: Unfreeze non-essential spend only when MCF ≥ 4 weeks and claim advance approved.

5) Two-Tier Spend Rules (SME-Sized)

Payment Control: No photo/log, no payment for any claim-linked spend.

6) Vendor Terms & Securing Capacity

Email script (copy/paste):
Subject: Temporary Terms Adjustment — [Company] Hurricane Recovery
Dear [Vendor], we are reopening under a board-approved plan. To keep volume with you as a preferred supplier, we request a temporary extension to Net [X]+30 for invoices dated [period], paid in weekly tranches. In return, we commit to weekly order visibility, evidence-clean POs, and priority to you on resumed volumes. Please confirm by [date].

Call points: continuity, weekly tranches, quick end-date, future volume priority.

Tools: simple AP ladder—Mon fuel/logistics; Wed critical parts; Fri others.

7) AR Acceleration (Top-20 Customers)

• Segment: Tier-A (top 20) → owner-assigned; Tier-B → staff assigned.

• Five moves: pro-forma deposits; instant-pay links; small time-boxed credits for immediate settlement; re-issue invoices with “disaster terms” and QR payment; escalation ladder Owner → CFO (if separate).

• KPI: Collections ≥ 90–95% of plan; promises-kept % published daily in Week 1.

8) Pop-Up & Channel Triage (Retail, F&B, Services)

• Curbside/delivery clusters at Green sites; WhatsApp order forms.

• Menu/SKU compression to fast movers; transparent recovery fee (dated, not surge).

• Comms & power: LTE kits, portable POS, shared gensets in plaza/complex.

RISE-360™ SME Pack — Evidence, SITREP & Tools

This pack provides a minimum-viable evidence structure, a copy/paste SITREP v1 template, a 10‑day claims timeline, and simple tools (Micro Cash, AR Call Sheet, AP Ladder) to secure fast advances and maintain cash discipline in the first month.

9) Evidence That Wins Fast Advances (SME Pack)

9.1 Minimum‑Viable Folder Tree

Use a standard, repeatable structure so adjusters and lenders can audit quickly.

/Claims_Dossier_[Event]/
01_Policies/
02_Notifications/
03_Damage_Assessment/
photos_geo/
videos/
04_Invoices_Asset_Registers/
05_BI/
sales_history/
margin_schedules/
lost_sales_calc/
06_Repairs_TemporaryCosts/
POs/
vendor_invoices/
timesheets/
07_Relief/
filings/
approvals/
08_AuditTrail/
SITREPs/
decisions/

File naming standard: [Site]_[Asset/Area]_[YYYYMMDD-HHMM]_[Initials]_[WIDE/CLOSE/SERIAL].jpg

9.2 Day 5–10 “Advance Request” Pack (include):

• Cover letter (PD/EE) — short, factual, signed
• PD skeleton + quotes / rate cards — scope, start-by dates, milestone gates
• BI baseline & run-rate — 12-month baseline, avoided costs, waiting period
• EE items that reduce BI — show $ of gross profit protected per day
• SITREPs — timestamped operational status
• Relief filings & approvals — duty waivers, tax/utility credits
• Milestones — materials onsite • 50% progress • completion

Payment control policy: “No photo/log, no payment” for any claim‑linked spend.

10) SITREP v1 (≤200 words) — Copy/Paste

Header & Body (copy/paste into email or your status hub):

[Company] — SITREP v1 — [Event] — [Date/Time, Jamaica]

People: SAFE [X%], AID [Y%], UNREACHABLE [Z%]; welfare actions in progress.

Sites: GREEN [n], AMBER [n], RED [n]; top hazards: [list].

Systems: POS/email/phones status; evidence repo online.

Channels: curbside/delivery/pop-ups at [sites]; outreach status.

Supply/Facilities: gensets & LTE at [sites]; first-fix [roof/drainage/comms] in progress.

Cash/Claims: opening cash [X]; undrawn line [Y]; Tier-B spend frozen; claim notices filed; adjuster ETA [time/day].

Next Update: [time] at [status URL].

11) Day-by-Day (First 10 Days — SME View)

1. Day 1–2 — Safety, SITREP v1, freeze Tier-B, notify insurer, heavy photo capture, WhatsApp status to customers, secure fuel/logistics.
2. Day 3–4 — Collections push; vendor terms outreach; PD schedule skeleton; BI baseline; micro cash plan v1.
3. Day 5–6 — Submit Advance Request; lock AP ladder; publish delivery/pick-up hours; schedule inspections.
4. Day 7–8 — Reconcile BI run-rate; confirm relief filings; agree milestone dates for advances.
5. Day 9–10 — Follow-up inspections; close evidence gaps; update cash plan; evaluate re-opening CAPEX ROI.

12) Simple Tools (Ready to Use)

12.1 Micro Cash (CSV) — Columns

date, opening_cash, receipts_cash, receipts_card, receipts_AR, payroll, cogs, repairs_temp, fuel_utilities, rent, debt_service, other, closing_cash

Download: /mnt/data/SME_Micro_Cash_Template.csv

12.2 AR Call Sheet (CSV) — Columns

date, account, amount_due, bucket, promise_date, amount_promised, next_action, owner

Download: /mnt/data/SME_AR_Call_Sheet_Template.csv

12.3 AP Ladder (CSV) — Columns

vendor, criticality, terms_current, terms_requested, tranche_dates, tranche_amounts, status, owner

Download: /mnt/data/SME_AP_Ladder_Template.csv

12.4 WhatsApp Status (short)

“We’re open at [site/time]. Curbside & delivery available. Card/cash accepted. For orders: [link/number]. Thanks for supporting our recovery. — [Company]”

13) Health & Safety Minimums (Don’t Skip)

• First-fix permits: isolate power/water before roof/drain works.

• PPE & cordons for staff/contractors; toolbox talk notes (photo).

• Fuel safety: verified containers, ventilated storage, no indoor refuelling.

• Generator checklist: load-test record, hours run, maintenance log.

• Liability shield: signage for limited services during recovery.

14) Legal & Claims Essentials for SMEs

• Notification timing & content per policy; keep email receipts.

• Quotes vs. rate cards—two quotes where feasible.

• BI: use last 12 months sales; strip avoidable costs; document assumptions.

• EE: show how each expense reduces BI (“generators kept POS live; GP protected $X/day”).

• Privacy: redact customer/staff personal data in shared packs.

15) Insurance Optimisation (Next Season, SME Lens)

• Wording upgrades: denial of access, utilities, ingress/egress, expediting, claims preparation.

• Deductible engineering: raise for losses your Tier-A ops can handle; lower where cash pain is high.

• Parametric top-up: wind/rainfall trigger sized to 14–21 days Tier-A spend.

• Premium credits: document roof/drain fixes, genset tests, comms redundancy.

16) KPIs (Owner Dashboard)

• Runway (weeks) vs. MCF.

• Collections vs. plan (%); DSO trend (days).

• AP past due ($); terms gained (days).

• Claims: requested vs. approved advance ($); cycle time (days).

• Evidence completeness (% lines with photo/log/invoice).

• Customer reach: messages sent, open/click rate, order volume by channel.

Triggers:

• Runway < MCF + 1 week → escalate draw ladder.

• Collections < 90% of plan for 3 days → owner call block + win-back offers.

• No adjuster date by Day 5 → escalate to insurer + broker.

17) Common SME Failure Modes—And Fixes

• Waiting on “perfect” info → Launch minimal cash plan; iterate daily.

• Paying without proof → Enforce No photo/log, no payment.

• Silent social feeds → Pre-approved messages; post daily even if “no change.”

• Vendor frustration → Send payment ladder; pay tranches on time; communicate slips early.

• Over-optimistic BI → Use conservative baselines; disclose avoided costs.

• Claims pack sprawl → Use the folder tree; hyperlink an index; keep v1 short and auditable.

18) Sector Mini-Guides (SME Focus)

• Retail/F&B: menu/SKU compression; cold-chain fuel; shrink controls; curbside clusters.

• Trades/Services: mobile toolkits; site checklists; SMS/WhatsApp bookings; card readers.

• Light Manufacturing: bottleneck spares; toll manufacturing; QA after repairs; diesel/UPS for PLCs.

19) One-Page SME RISE-360™ (Print & Pin)

1. Safety first → SITREP v1.

2. Freeze Tier-B, open Tier-A with evidence.

3. Collections now (top 20); vendor terms ask.

4. Micro cash plan → runway ≥4 weeks.

5. Claims pack → advance request Day 5–10.

6. Pop-up/curbside to drive revenue.

7. Daily huddle + customer status posts.

8. Optimise program for next season.

SMEs need clarity and cadence, not bureaucracy. With a one-page command model, a micro cash plan, two-tier spend rules, and a lean claims pack, you can reopen fast, protect cash, and get liquidity earlier—while laying the groundwork for a stronger insurance programme next season. Dawgen’s RISE-360™ SME Edition is built for the realities of Jamaica and the Caribbean.

Next Step!

Let’s restore—and rise—together.
Dawgen Global’s RISE-360™ SME team can deploy your micro cash model, vendor terms plan, claims advance pack, and customer status hub within days.

Request a proposal: [email protected]
USA: 855-354-2447
Web: https://dawgen.global

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