In November 2004 my home was destroyed by a fire. Being a small business owner this was a devastating event that could have ruined my family. What made it even more devastating was when my insurance adjuster asked, "Did I have an inventory of what was lost?" I did not! The irony was, I had been nominated one of the "Top 25 Pros to Know" in the Supply Chain and Logistics industry and specifically on inventory control. However, my experience was in the warehouse and not the living room.
My wife (who was 6 months pregnant with our second son) and I, along with my 4 year old son were forced to stay in a hotel. Because I traveled extensively with my job, often my wife and son would travel with me. It was always a joy for my son to stay in hotels, he felt he was always on vacation. However, this time, after about 2 weeks, my son Gabriel came to me and said, "Daddy I am ready to go home!" But we did not have a home we could return to. He said, "He missed our two dogs Shaka and Baby", who were left at the burnt out home because the hotel would not accept pets. After he walked away I cried and could not stop crying. Months went by, my son was born premature with serious complications, and I was not able to think about anything as I continuously blamed myself for not being prepared. Later I learned I was going to get burned twice because I did not have that inventory, which was crucial to complete my insurance claim.
I decided to take my inventory knowledge and move it from the warehouse to the living room. I spent my time rebuilding my house, because we could not find a contractor to take such a small job, and developing a program named, "Cover Your Assets".
CYA is inventory software for homeowners. It allows a homeowner to inventory their homes contents room by room. However, knowing that most homeowners do not have an inventory of their homes contents because of the amount of time it takes, I also developed "Home Inventory Specialists" that will perform the inventory for the homeowner, input the data into the software and teach the homeowner how to use the software. The last aspect of the program allows the homeowner to store the inventory on our servers, in cyberspace, out of harm's way.
This is a simple concept I know, but after the 2007 fires in California less than 20% of the homes have been rebuilt and most homeowners have cited problems developing their inventory to complete their claims. Others found out after the fire they were underinsured. My goal is to eventually create legislation that will require homeowners to inventory their homes contents within 3 months of purchasing their home.
This will help prevent them from hearing, "Daddy or Mommy I want to go home" Rene' Jones - Home Inventory Specialist
My business [Cover Your Assets] has been nominated for an opportunity to win $100,000 in grant and marketing support from American Express.
Go to http://shinealight.ivillage.com/sbo-profile/?ProfileID=1081 and read the nomination for [Cover Your Assets]. If you are inspired by what you read, you can lend your support by registering and submitting an endorsement for this nomination.
In order for [Cover Your Assets] to be eligible to become a Shine a Light finalist, the nomination must receive 50 endorsements by September 13, 2009.
Thank you for your support.
Rene Jones
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