Running a small business is empowering. For many, it’s also the realization of a personal dream, whether that’s achieving a role as an entrepreneur or entering an industry you’re passionate about.

As with any undertaking of that size, though, there’s a lot of work that has to be put in. Record management is one of those areas that operates largely under the radar, but everything from storing old documents to figuring out how to dispose new ones affects your daily operations, even if you’re still running things from a home office.

If you handle sensitive information of any kind (customer details, employee banking information, order forms, accounting scratch sheets), then know it’s important to protect those details from theft. In 2018, the average cost of a stolen or lost record was $148. That’s an expensive sheet of paper!

Entrepreneur, we’d like to introduce you to your new best friend: one-time shredding. We know it doesn’t look that interesting at first glance, but its got your back in ways you didn’t even know you needed.

Information Stays 100% Secure – Forever

Your customers trust you with some of their most personal information. Your employees trust that their payroll information will stay secure and confidential. However, whenever these details are printed off for internal work, they’ll have to be disposed at some point.

Tossing papers into the dumpster outside leaves them vulnerable to theft and possible reconstruction. When the information of a single credit card can be sold for up to $110 on the dark web, thieves are more than willing to spend a little extra time sifting through trash.

The one-time shredding process is quick, easy, and guarantees that the details on those papers can never be stolen or used by another party. Here’s how it works:

• A tracked, registered shredding truck arrives at the time and location you specify.
• The technician securely loads your documents into the automated shredding machine.
• Each paper is cross-cut into tiny pieces (smaller than generic confetti).
• All particles are securely transported to an access-controlled facility, where it will be directly sent to a trusted recycling plant.

Your documents will be thoroughly destroyed before they ever leave your sight, and speaking of which, you’ll be able to personally oversee the shredding in real time. Each shredding truck is equipped with a video camera, so you’ll be able to get a look inside as the process is taking place.

Not only will the pieces be small enough to prevent reconstruction, but they’ll never be accessible by anyone who hasn’t been certified and cleared.

Keep More of the Money You Earn

As a small business owner, you want to be sure that you’re making the smartest decisions to protect your company, your employees, and your profits. One-time shredding can save you money that would otherwise be wasted trying to perform professional-grade shredding on your own.

For example, a cross-cut shredder that will meet federal privacy regulations can run you a couple thousand dollars – and there’s no guarantee that a paper won’t be missed, or that the pieces will be securely discarded. That’s not even considering the cost of repairs for accidental breakage (we all forget to remove a paperclip at some point) or general maintenance.

We can’t neglect to talk about employee time, either. The time your employees spend at work adds up. How would that time be best spent: working to advance and improve your business, or hunched over a shredder, painstakingly shredding papers two sheets at once?

One-time shredding puts all that time and money right back into your pocket, and it’s perfect for small businesses who don’t need a full-blown, regularly scheduled shredding service.

Compliant with All State and Federal Privacy Laws

There are a myriad of federal and state laws that control how private information should be handled, stored, and disposed. They’re important to know, but realistically, if you’re already busy running the day-to-day operations of your business, how are you supposed to find the time to read (and understand, and implement) all 376 pages of FACTA, HIPAA, and GLBA?

A one-time shredding service has already done that work for you. You’ll want to make sure that the company has the proper compliance accreditation, of course, but if they do, that means they operate in a way that meets the standards for disposal of private information across a wide range of industries.

What’s all this mean for you? Instead of trying to wrap your head around a bunch of legalese, you’ve got experts on the case, removing the risk of liability from your shoulders while simultaneously making sure that every piece of information under your care is treated according to the rules laid out by all active legislation. That’s something you can be proud of.

Instant (and Effortless) Environmental Consideration

You might have caught it briefly mentioned earlier, but it’s worth mentioning again. One-time shredding automatically makes you – and your business – more environmentally friendly. After all the documents have been shredded, they’re transported to a qualified local recycling company and reintroduced to the marketplace as other paper products.

Now, it might not seem like a big deal to recycle a few sheets of paper here and there, but you’d be surprised at how quickly it adds up. Recycling a single ton of paper saves enough energy to power the average American household for six months.

The environmental impact doesn’t stop there, though. At Chesapeake, our destruction trucks run on Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) and B5 Bio-Diesel, reducing hydrocarbon emissions from combustion by 56% compared to regular petroleum-based diesel.

Certification of Destruction

At the end of your one-time shredding, you’ll receive a Certificate of Destruction. Aside from having a cool-sounding name, this document will also provide legal proof that you ensured the documents in your care were properly and securely disposed by the service providers. And it’s not a one-time deal. Even if you shred only once every year, you’ll still get a Certificate of Destruction at the end of each one.

Arranging a one-time shredding appointment is easy; give our office a call at (844) 400-2437 to get started. You can also submit a request for more information online.