Recently, Marks & Spencer — one of the UK’s most loved and trusted retail giants — was hit by a serious cyberattack. It’s still causing disruption and is expected to cost the company up to £300 million this year. That’s not a small glitch — that’s major operational chaos.
Around the same time, one of my own business websites was also hacked.
Now, before you think I’m comparing my business to the mighty M&S, let’s be clear: the scale was very different. But the lesson? Strikingly similar.
It can happen to any of us — no matter how big or small.
For small pet business owners like you and me, it’s easy to assume that cyberattacks only happen to the “big guys.” But the truth is, small businesses are often targeted because we’re assumed to have weaker systems in place.
Thankfully, in my case, we experienced no disruption to service. Everything was resolved within three days — not because we had an entire IT department on standby, but because we had a clear plan and the ability to stay agile. I knew how to move quickly, communicate clearly, and keep things ticking behind the scenes.
A huge part of that came down to having trusted partners in place. I’ve worked hard to build relationships with people I can count on — including a brilliant website support team who knew exactly what to do when the worst happened. If I’d been scrambling to find help in the moment, it would have been a very different story. Don’t wait until there’s a crisis to build your support network.
That’s one of the big advantages of running a small business: we can pivot fast when we need to.
But we also need to be prepared. Whether it’s a website hack, payment system failure, or even a power cut at your business premises — having systems and backup processes in place is crucial. This isn’t just about cybersecurity; it’s about resilience.
Here’s what you can do today:
- Review your website security — use strong passwords, keep plug-ins updated, and back up regularly.
- Have a communication plan — know how you’ll reach your customers if your normal channels go down.
- Create simple offline systems — so you can still take bookings, sell products, or deliver services even if your tech fails.
- Line up your support team — from web techs to bookkeepers, know who’s in your corner before you need them.
You don’t need a £300M recovery budget to stay strong. Just a bit of forward thinking, a dash of planning, and the mindset that you’ll never be too small to be a target.
So yes — me and M&S? We both got hacked.
But thanks to systems, support, and the ability to move fast, I came out stronger.
And you can too.