Would you feel comfortable running your business without a working alarm system? Regardless of what time of the year that question is asked, the answer should always be, "No!"

The holiday season makes it even more important to have optimal physical and electronic security in place to keep your business protected. It's no secret that jewelers hold more inventory during this time of the year, so criminals have even more reason to increase their activity.

Whether you have new employees joining your business for the holidays or have a crew of seasoned veterans, a complete review of your security procedures is essential this time of the year.

With jewelry in high demand during the gift-giving season, the risk of loss also increases. To minimize the risk, it's important that your entire staff knows how to sell with security before customer traffic increases.

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season is one of the most active in recent memory — and there's still over two months to go. November 30 is when hurricane season officially ends and in addition to preparing for hurricanes, jewelers in coastal states need to be prepared for what to do after a storm strikes.

After many quiet years of minor tropical storms, 2017 is shaping up to be one of the most destructive years in recent memory.

Without much delay after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma is already a Category 5 storm with a path projected to impact Florida and potentially the Gulf or East Coasts. Unfortunately, the bad news only gets worse as September has historically been the most active month for hurricanes and Tropical Storm Jose has already developed in the Eastern Atlantic.

Even if you're not in an area that has the potential to be impacted by extreme natural disasters, storms of lesser severity can still cause major problems.

But what about water damage that is a result of neglecting the maintenance of your building? 

Even though the cause is different, the results can be just as costly. That's why regardless of being in a hurricane state or a desert climate, every jeweler should know how to prevent water damage.