Preparedness, Plans & Playbooks™ Framework
A proprietary BruteMitigator™ framework that supports leadership awareness, structured planning, and the development of practical operational playbooks—designed for internal use and continuous improvement over time.
What’s Your Plan to Keep Your Business Functioning During Disruption?
BruteMitigator is a structured, facilitator - enabled program that helps organizations align leadership, clarify roles, and build internally owned operational planning artifacts for use during disruption.
It combines guided learning with practical planning tools so teams move beyond awareness into coordinated internal preparation — whether planning solo or across teams.
Team programs are facilitated internally by designated employees of the purchasing organization using BruteMitigator™ materials.
Program Overview
Course 1
Buy-In Builder™
Build leadership awareness and alignment so your organization can start planning now. Learn how disruptions impact operations, customer trust, and cash flow—so buy-in isn’t delayed until disruptions occur.
Course 2
Identify Business-Critical Functions
Learn how to identify the business functions that must continue—or resume quickly—to protect customers, compliance, and cash flow. Define practical priorities that guide planning decisions when resources are constrained.
Course 3
Define Roles, Responsibilities + Build Communication Playbooks
Learn how to build situational awareness, clarify roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths across functions. Build draft communication workflows and backup coordination approaches so teams know who does what, when, and how information should flow during a disruption.
Course 4
Assess Business-Critical Functions
Learn how to evaluate each critical function through a risk-aware lens. Assess dependencies on systems, people, and information—and define realistic time thresholds and recovery assumptions to support internal prioritization.
Course 5
Build Operational Contingency FrameworkS
Learn how to turn your functional assessments into a structured contingency framework. Draft practical, team-level playbooks and identify follow-up actions to refine and improve them through internal review and testing over time.
BruteMitigator™ provides educational programs to support operational contingency planning. Participation does not constitute legal, cybersecurity, or operational advisory services.
Who We Help
Logistics, freight, and customs organizations of all sizes
Leaders and teams responsible for operational readiness during disruptions
Individuals leading internal planning, often starting with a draft
Often expanded over time to cross-functional coordination across teams and functions.
Importers and exporters managing complex trade, compliance, and operational dependencies
Get Leadership Aligned
Take your first step towards operational readiness with BruteMitigator's Course 1: Buy-In Builder, now available! Included are 5 self-paced lessons with guided activities and practical prompts designed to help you start planning and aligning your operational contingencies.
What Makes Us Different
40+ Years of Industry Experience
Designed and led by a logistics expert with over four decades of operational leadership and firsthand cyberattack experience.
Freight & Customs Ready
Built specifically for freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and 3PL environments—never generic office scenarios.
Modular & Action-Oriented
Practical frameworks and planning tools that help teams move from awareness to structured planning and reusable, living draft playbooks—developed and refined internally, at your pace, with your people.
About the Creator
Meet Susan Kargel, Founder & Lead Instructor
Founder of SJKargel Consulting LLC, Susan Kargel brings over 40 years of hands-on experience in third-party logistics — with a deep understanding of what it takes to lead through disruption.
She has held leadership roles across freight forwarding, global customs clearance, and trade compliance, guiding operations through complex challenges including economic shocks, system outages, and organizational restructures. Notably, when a major 3PL she worked for declared bankruptcy, Susan successfully transitioned her profitable business unit and staff to a new company — in just five days.
Her expertise also includes coaching logistics teams through operational recovery efforts. At a global 3PL, she contributed to cross-functional restoration initiatives and helped redesign a continuity framework used in system disruption scenarios.
A licensed U.S. Customs Broker since 2000, Susan combines deep operational knowledge with practical leadership to help logistics organizations build realistic, scalable plans for continuity and resilience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if we already have an IT disaster recovery plan?
Are the courses self-paced, or do they require live sessions?
Is this designed for freight and logistics operations specifically?
What type of expertise is needed to conduct assessments and develop the playbooks?
Can this help with insurance or audit readiness?
How does this work for my whole team?
Already in a leadership role?
Our Executive Overview offers a concise, high-level summary you can use to assess your team's readiness and explore BruteMitigator’s approach. Test
Have Questions or Need Help Getting Started?
We’re here to support your team. Reach out and we’ll guide you through the next steps.
