When I was a kid, I used to run around the garden with a tea towel on my head, pretending to be a pirate.

I had a plastic sword, a rolled-up treasure map, and a shovel that I definitely wasn’t allowed to dig with. I’d bury random bits of junk in biscuit tins and mark the spot with a big ‘X’. I was convinced the next storm would uncover some hidden loot from centuries past… Sadly, it did not… 

But that’s not the case for every treasure hunting wannabe!  Just last week I saw a story about real treasure turning up off the coast of Florida. Over 1,000 gold and silver coins, recovered by divers along a stretch they call the “Treasure Coast.”  Turns out, it was from a Spanish fleet wrecked in 1715 by a hurricane – on its way back to Europe, loaded with riches. What made this find special? Some of the coins still had visible dates and mint marks. Proper museum-quality stuff.

But it got me thinking… Three hundred years later, and we’re still at the mercy of the sea. Yes, ships have come a long way – bigger, smarter, safer.  But still susceptible to a hurricane, typhoon or unforgiving storm.  In fact, in 2024, 576 containers were lost at sea. That’s real cargo. Real businesses. Real people losing shipments they were relying on. And that’s not counting the delays, the damage, the paperwork chaos that comes when something goes sideways on the water.

Here’s the thing… You can have the best tech, the tightest plan, the most experienced people – but there are always going to be things outside your control. Weather. People. Politics. Pandemics. Unexpected disruption doesn’t ask for permission. And when it hits, it’s not about what you planned, it’s about how you respond. Do you have a buffer? Can your systems flex? Are your people clear on what to do? Because the difference between companies that survive storms and the ones that go under? It’s not luck. It’s preparation. You don’t need to plan for everything – but you do need to expect that something will go wrong eventually. Build for resilience, not perfection. Because if that Spanish fleet had planned for bad weather – maybe those coins wouldn’t be lying on the sea floor, 300 years later, waiting to be found.

So here’s a thought for this week… What part of your business is one storm away from turning into someone else’s treasure? I’d love to hear how you’re stormproofing your business?