I’ve run into a disturbing situation after many years of having my own business. One of my key employees my right-hand person, actually has suffered a personal tragedy. This has been very traumatic for me as well as others in the firm. We care a lot about this individual. My question is simple: What do you do when something bad happens to a good person?

Unfortunately, you’re going to get your first lesson in crisis management. First and foremost, you can’t ignore when something bad happens to one of your employees. Here are some basic suggestions:

– You must take care of the individual. Find out what they need and help provide it. This may be as simple as moral support and advice. Or it could involve providing transportation, food or other basics.

– Involve other employees. Get everyone together and give them a heads-up about what’s going on. Of course, there is a fine line between confidentiality and communication that you must carefully walk.

– Inform customers and vendors. Again this needs to be done as discreetly as possible. But it can provide additional moral support from people who care about the person affected.

– Create a smooth transition back to work. Of course, no one knows exactly how to treat someone who has suffered a loss. It’s important that you help that person ease back into their daily routine. Throughout this phase, patience and understanding are critical among everyone involved.

I’m such a procrastinator. I promised myself that by the first quarter of 2000 I’d have a business plan drafted. But we’re already into the second month of the year and nothing! Nada! What can I do to get myself off the dime?

There is an old saying (I believe it’s a quote from a Roman poet, actually) that is very appropriate: “To begin is to be half done.”

Maybe you need someone to encourage you. If you have a significant other, give him or her permission to nag the heck out of you. That should motivate you.

In addition, discover the 80/20 principle. It’s simple: 80 percent of your results are achieved by 20 percent of your activities. So try and stay focused on what’s important and don’t allow yourself to feel guilty if you’re not doing everything.

Give yourself a break. Maybe you are pressuring yourself too much to perform, and it’s inhibiting you from beginning.

Finally, I’ll offer another famous quote (albeit not from ancient times): Just do it.

Then write back after you’ve put some ideas on paper.

With Y2K fears behind us, I’ve been gradually upgrading my small business for the 21st century. I’ve read a little bit about fax-over-Internet services and thought that would be an interesting area to investigate. Any leads?

Well, first the bad news. Two of the backbones of this service are phasing out of this business GTE Internetworking and PSINet. The good news is, BellSouth and U.S. West have recommitted themselves through contracts with an e-mail outsource provider, Critical Path.

Critical Path is a San Francisco-based firm that will be offering fax-over-Internet technology. Both BellSouth and U.S. West have signed contracts for extended periods of time, so it seems this service will be around for at least the next few years.

Pricing is on average 15 cents per page for basic service, and a flat fee of about $7 a month and 10 cents per page for advanced service with features such as fax redirection.

I’ve put all of my own money into my database marketing firm. What I’ve discovered, however, is that in order to grow the business, I need more money than just what I’m getting from cash flow. One of my fraternity brothers suggested I borrow from my American Express credit card to fund my short- term cash needs. What do you think?

It sounds pretty scary to me. Of course, are we talking hundreds of dollars or thousands of dollars? If it’s just for minor items costing hundreds of dollars, then I’m probably OK with the credit card program.

But if you are talking four digits, I would seriously consider another method that is more cost-effective.

Obviously, if you don’t want to sell equity (you’d have to tell me why not in this marketplace), you could get a bank loan. And if your business qualifies, you can probably get a loan through the Small Business Administration with good terms.

You can also find a strategic partner who might make a loan or an equity investment in your business. That might be an even better idea for the long-term development of your operation.

A few years ago, lots of deals were done that were highly publicized. Known as direct public offerings, or DPOs, owners sold securities in their businesses directly, without an investment banking firm. I would definitely do some research into that option as well if not for your current needs, then for the future.

With money so freely available today in the capital markets, the last place I’d be financing needs would be through my credit card. You would be better served to call American Express Small Business Services, which has a very efficient operation to lend money to small firms.

Lorraine Spurge is a personal finance advisor, author of “Money Clips: 365 Tips That Will Pay One Day at a Time,” and business news commentator. She can be reached at (818) 705-3740 or by e-mail at [email protected].