Business Break-In

Hi All

On Saturday morning my Opticians Practice in Brookmans Park was broken into and virtually everything that I need was stolen, high-end glasses and sunglasses, till, laptop, keys, display cabinets etc etc

What do you do when you feel its one step forwards and two back?

I had virtually no sleep last night, worried sick that we will get turned over again. and am constantly visiting the Practice, which is 45 mins drive to check that its still standing!

Not sure I can recover from this one, although I am normally a VERY optimistic person. although that makes me feel bad because its not as though anyone was hurt and its not really the end of the world, it just feels it right now

How has anyone else managed to cope in these situations?

Richard

Hi Richard,

Had a very similar situation a couple of years ago when a malignant giant of a company conned me out of a £250,000.At the time it seemed disastrous.

After sleepless nights and much worry I tried to put it into perspective of whole nations that just get obliterated overnight.

I also worked from the adage "Nothing good lasts forever,but nothing bad lasts for ever either" .

If you need to chat give me a shout on 07966 103411.

I wish you all the very best ,

Kindest ,

Baz

Dear Richard

I am so sorry for what has happened. It is a dreadful shock and you wonder why such tough challenges just keep on hitting you sometimes and you can never see the end of it. Baz's comments, yes! WHS! At times like this you just have to be VERY determined that you will make it through. Of course you are not sleeping and that will make matters worse as you'll get yourself all wrung out. Try to chunk it up and just deal with the immediate. Have you any friends or family nearby who can also check the premises and help clear up; make a list of what needs to be done and just sort the priorities, even if you only tick off one thing on the list praise yourself for achieving that and keep focused on the positive, (not all the things you haven't done). Are you insured - make a list of stock inventory, obviously get the police incident number. Were any items security marked etc. Post up on forums and blogs and ask local shopkeepers for their CCTV imagery or ask the police - may be car was seen if large items stolen. Are there any other opticians within your professional groups you belong to, who you could post on a forum or email and ask if they have spare stock they can loan you to get going again? When you get the shop sorted you can now get "Smart Water" which sprays intruders who return. I saw it on Crimewatch and jewellers are using it to great effect as thieves were returning. Your current patients - can you call them all and find an optician friend who can help you with the appointments so you can keep the goodwill generated from your current business. Are there any other 4Nrs who can help you with security and replacing locks etc. Gareth Jones runs http://www.zodiacsecurity.co.uk although based in Somerset. If you PM him he may be able to offer advice or assistance through other people he knows, for example?

I hope this helps and look forward to hearing of progress, please let us all know how you are getting on and hopefully we can at least offer moral support.

Good luck with today,

Sarah

I'm really sorry to hear this, it must be a gutting experience for you. I know a litlte of what it feels like - I used to run a large VW dealership in central Birmingham, which was a prime target for break-ins, sometimes up to several times a week. I spent more time there in the middle of the night answering alarm calls than I care to remember. I even came in one morning to find the window behind my desk peppered with gunshots and glass all over my desk.

Thinking forward - you WILL pick yourself and move forward, because you're not going to let some loser get in the way of what you've worked so hard to achieve, will you? Very sadly, retail premises are vulnerable to break-ins and whilst it's a horrible thing to swallow, it's one of those things you just have to accept is part of the package. However - you can do everything you can to make your business less attractive to thieves and safeguard your investment. Try speaking to some of your local businesses to see if you can club together on the cost of manned security patrols; get a good alarm system which is linked through to an alarm centre for immediate response; also have a look at the cost of metal pull-down grills. All these will help to make your business less vulnerable, and whilst there isn't a magic answer, if you make it more difficult for thieves, then the chances are they'll try their luck somewhere where it's not as much hassle for them.

I'm so sorry again that this has happened to you and I can only imagine how you must feel. But, remember these things they've taken is just stuff. They can't take your business away from you, because a business is made up of people, expertise and determination.

Hello Richard,

I'm dreadfully sorry to learn of your plight.

To gain some perspective, the first thing to acknowledge is how many times this has happened to your practice over all the years you have been operating: that will take some of the sting away. It's unfortunate but thankfully rare.

I trust you are insured, which is good planning on your part.

Third, it might provide an opportunity to refresh the look of your practice - perhaps a modest refurbishment; make a couple of changes you thought about but never quite got around to; that will constructively distract you from those unhelpful despairing thoughts.

What I am suggesting is, this awful event actually offers an opportunity to regroup, refresh and relaunch, should you prefer to view it that way.

Do what's right for you.

Best wishes.

Mark Gosbee

Master Clinical Hypnotist and occasional copywriter to the rich and famous

0777 337 1747

Richard, sorry to hear about the break in, its a nasty thing to have to deal with,

firstly check with your insurance to make sure you can get operational asap, secondly try not to take it personally - a lot of people do

i will PM you with some pointers and ideas,

p.s, Sarah, thank you for thinking of me

+1 for Gareth and sorry to hear your news Richard. Burglaries suck.

Hi Richard, I had my home broken into on the 3rd Jan, they trashed the house, stole most of our possessions and to top it all off, loaded it into one of our own cars to carry it all away. Like you I was gutted and my partner is a wreck but, I see it that we were unlucky as it doesn't happen to that many people, we were lucky because we were out so no one was hurt, most things can be replaced and it has given us a kick to tighten up security. Upgraded alarm, more security lights, so in a strange way I see us as being lucky because no one was killed/hurt and we have had the kick to tighten security so they don't come back when we are in where someone could be hurt. Plus, I am still around to get my hands on them if the police ever find them :)