subject: 10 Steps to Business Spring Cleaning [print this page] 10 Steps to Business Spring Cleaning 10 Steps to Business Spring Cleaning
Yes, spring is in the air. With the usual thoughts of planting gardens and flowers come the thoughts of spring cleaning -- going through the closet, tossing old and worn out clothes, dusting the nooks and crannies, shampooing rugs and other miscellaneous spring-time chores around the house. But what about your business? When was the last time it had a good spring cleaning?
Here are a few things you can do to spring clean your business:
MAKE A TO-DO LIST. Do a walk through of your office and write down all the things you see that need to be done. You know, those items that keep getting overlooked. Some examples might be:
- Replacing the light bulb on your desk lamp (How long has it been burned out?)
- Vacuuming/dusting the air vents, the nooks and crannies and behind your desk (Somehow those spots just don't get reached in the usual vacuuming/sweeping, do they?)
- Re-organize the book case (Amazing how things just get shoved back on the shelves every which way.)
- Hang up the pictures that are leaning against the wall
- Now, look at your running to-do list that you've been keeping for the last year or two and see what things are on there that can be added to your spring cleaning day, what things you can get rid of, and what items can be scheduled "down the road".
CLEAN UP YOUR CONTACT RECORDS/BUSINESS CARDS. Go through your database and/or business card file and get rid of the ones that you know are no longer good. So John Smith's no longer at ABC Company? Or Mom and Pop's Corner Store is no longer in business? Get rid of them! Maybe there's some you haven't touched base with in awhile. Send them an e-mail or give them a quick call.
CLEAN UP YOUR COMPUTER. Through the year I know I download programs that I feel I might use or maybe only needed for a certain project. Take an inventory of those programs and remove/uninstall the ones you haven't used in the last year. Look at your desktop and clean off old icons.
CLEAN UP YOUR DESK AND FILE CABINET. Go through the files in your file cabinet and decide if it's still necessary to keep the manual for XYZ program you installed five years ago on your computer. My guess is you don't even have that computer anymore, and definitely don't use that program anymore! Organize your files and get your filing done -- clean off that desk.
CLEAN OUT YOUR INBOX. Most of us subscribe to a lot of ezines. Maybe it was on a subject you were interested in at the time, but have lost interest. Or maybe you read the first couple and then never read another one. Unsubscribe to those that you don't read (and since you're reading this one, don't unsubscribe!). Look through your "To Do/Read Later" file (I have one of these that I move certain ezines to for later reading). Do you still find those articles interesting? If not, delete.
TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS. Did you implement them? Are they working? Are some not working? Decide what resolutions to continue with and what ones to scrap. Or make modifications to those that need it.
LOOK AT YOUR CLIENTS AND RATE THEM A, B, C, D and F. Get rid of your D and F clients. Luckily, all of mine are A's and B's!
MEET WITH YOUR TEAM. Brainstorm and see if there are processes you can do better. Are some things just not moving as smoothly as you'd like? Come up with ways to fix it.
TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR AUTORESPONDERS, SALES PAGE, WEBSITE AND OTHER MARKETING MATERIAL. When was the last time you updated these? Could they use some sprucing up?
LOOK THROUGH YOUR BUSINESS RECORDS. Meet with your lawyer, accountant or virtual assistant when necessary. Perhaps it's time to change your business structure or some other legalese scenario.
Okay, you've got your list, you've got your plan... Now, set aside a day a week (or half a day) to work through these 10 spring cleaning tasks. Some may take longer than others....maybe you can combine the quick and easy ones. As Nike says, "Just Do It!" And then let me know how it's going!
