I start this month’s blog with a friendly warning to set expectations. I am well known for my organisational skills and methodical approach to all things (dare I say fastidious?), so I have tried to condense my points and tips for this article, and yet it’s still one of my longer ones. What can I say other than, ‘You were warned’, #SorryNotSorry, and, of course, #YoureWelcome (sung in The Rock’s singing voice in lieu of a GIF).
As spring rolls in, many of us feel an innate urge to clean, organise, and refresh our living spaces. But this season of renewal isn’t just for our homes—it’s also an excellent time to spring clean our business as well. By taking the time to assess, declutter, and revamp your business operations, you can boost efficiency, enhance productivity, and set the stage for future growth.
- Review and Streamline Processes
Over time, businesses can accumulate outdated or inefficient processes that slow down operations. Spring is the perfect time to:
- Audit Your Workflows: Identify bottlenecks or redundant steps in your daily operations. Are there tasks that could be automated or eliminated altogether.
- Update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Ensure that your SOPs are current and reflect the best practices for your business. Streamlined procedures can lead to greater consistency and efficiency.
Tip: Every recurring process in your business should be clearly outlined and documented so that anyone (yes, I mean anyone) can jump in and help. This is the key step for scaling and the best and easiest time to implement it is before you need it. Create new ones as needed, update old ones and keep them organised so they are easily located.
- Declutter Your Physical and Digital Space
One of my favourite sayings is, “There is no such thing as organised chaos; chaos is chaos”. This is true in all aspects, but especially in your physical space, where if every time you sit at your desk or computer, you slump and/or groan about the mess or even how the setup makes you feel, then you need to overhaul and remove the place where productivity goes to die.
Tip: Here are a few tips on how to clean/declutter your workspace:
- Throw away or recycle anything you do not use or no longer need.
- File or scan any paperwork you need to keep.
- Move anything that does not belong (another fave saying, “A place for everything and everything in its place,” which means that everything should be well-placed and for this, it has to be actually organised).
- Wipe down all surfaces with a cloth or duster.
- Decorate your space/desk with things that make you happy.
- Are you a green thumb? Add a plant.
- Are you a Mum with a creative kid? Add some artwork.
- The options are endless; you just want to avoid overcrowding the area with ‘stuff’ and reverting back to a place where you don’t want to be.
Just like physical clutter, digital clutter can be overwhelming and hinder productivity.
- Organise Files: Go through your computer files, cloud storage, and email inbox. Delete unnecessary documents, archive old projects, and create a clear, organised folder structure.
Tip: Here are the steps I take each quarter to organise my digital storage:
Go through each folder and:
- Delete anything outdated, duplicated, or unnecessary.
- Archive files you might need but don’t use:
- Financial records for taxes (making sure a copy of your most recent lodged papers is in the place you go when getting ready to lodge the next financial year)
- Client information
- Historical info (metrics, research etc.)
- Rename any files that don’t have a clear, searchable title.
- Update your organisation structure (taking a little bit of time to create a structure hierarchy can help this process immensely – then there is no guessing where things belong):
- Add new folders
- Remove old folders
- Merge folders where necessary
- Put everything in its’ proper place.
The first time you do this, it might take a while. Binge your favourite streaming subscription or listen to that audiobook you’ve been wanting to consume while you organise.
The more often you go through the process, the less time it will take in the future.
- Clean Up Your Website: Review your website for outdated content, broken links, and old images. Refresh the content to ensure it aligns with your current brand and business goals.
- Unsubscribe from Unnecessary Emails: Reduce email overload by unsubscribing from newsletters or notifications that no longer serve you.
Tip: Do you have heart palpitations every time you look in your inbox or stare at a very high number of notifications? Stop stressing and clear it all out. Trust me, you’ll look at your inbox a whole different way if you change the way you use it.
Tip: A few prompts to help with this:
- Unsubscribe from newsletters you don’t read (instead of wasting minutes every day deleting the same emails over and over again, spend 15 minutes and clear out any that you do not read or no longer serve you).
- Set up automatic filters (both Gmail and Outlook are great for this).
- Delete the old stuff (or archive it if the platform you use allows it).
- Use folders and/or labels to organise your emails going forward.
- Evaluate Your Finances
A thorough financial review can uncover opportunities for cost savings and ensure that your business is on solid footing.
- Review Your Budget: Compare your budget to your actual expenses and revenue. Are there areas where you’re overspending? (Subscriptions are usually the low-hanging fruit here, check that you actually use every subscription you are paying for.)
- Negotiate with Vendors: Spring is a good time to renegotiate contracts with suppliers or service providers. You may be able to secure better rates or terms.
- Assess Your Pricing Strategy: Ensure your pricing reflects the value you provide and that you’ve done your homework on the difference between making a profit or simply breaking even.
- Reassess Your Marketing Strategy
Marketing trends and customer preferences can shift quickly. Spring cleaning is an opportunity to refresh your marketing efforts.
- Analyse Your Marketing ROI: Evaluate the return on investment (ROI) of your recent marketing campaigns. Are you getting the best results from your efforts? Consider shifting resources to more effective channels.
- Update Your Social Media Profiles: Ensure that all your social media profiles are up-to-date with current branding, contact information, and links. Post fresh content that resonates with your audience.
- Refresh Your Marketing Materials: Review your brochures, business cards, and other marketing materials. Update them to reflect any changes in your business or services.
- Reconnect with Your Network
Spring is a great time to strengthen relationships with clients, partners, and colleagues.
- Follow Up with Leads: Revisit old leads or potential clients who may have fallen through the cracks. A simple follow-up could reignite their interest in your products or services or remind them when someone else in their network asks for recommendations in your space of genius.
- Reconnect with Past Clients: Reach out to previous clients to check in and see if there’s anything new you can offer them, or if you haven’t previously, ask them for a testimonial. (Google review, LinkedIn recommendation etc. – think about where you would like this to appear and either create a form for them to fill out or send them the links to where you would like their kind words to be shared publicly.)
- Attend Networking Events: Spring often brings a new round of industry events and conferences. Take the opportunity to meet new people and expand your network.
Tip (for my fellow extroverted introverts): Invite a business bestie along to help entering the room, that little bit easier.
- Reflect on Your Goals
When was the last time you actually looked at your mission, vision, or values? It might be time to revisit and update those (or create them from scratch!). Take the time to reflect on your business goals and make any necessary adjustments.
- Set New Goals: Based on your spring cleaning efforts, set new short-term and long-term goals. Make sure they are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) and document them to track them.
- Track Progress: Establish metrics to track your progress towards these goals and adjust your strategies as needed.
Tip: Document using either a task or project management tool. For a very simple ‘to-do’ list with recurring reminders, I love Asana. Whereas if looking for a more robust project management tool to map out all things projects and beyond, I am a Monday.com convert.
Spring cleaning your business is more than just tidying up; it’s about creating a more efficient, productive, and successful operation. By taking these steps to refresh your business, you can ensure that you’re well-positioned to take on new challenges and seize opportunities in the months ahead. You can even use your preferred methods during your business spring clean to create a new SOP and repeat the process each year!
If you are a coach or a consultant and need executive support help to uplevel your business administration and support, reach out and let’s start a discussion about how we may partner in business and get your schedule and background processes humming.
Book a free chat with me, here.