Spring Cleaning – Small Business Style
The small business spring cleaning checklist
Every year about this time the sun breaks through, temperatures warm up, and new life starts sprouting. While the natural spring cleaning guidelines apply to your personal life (home, yard, vehicle, fridge, garage, closets), a small business owner has their own list of guidelines to follow. These 6 simple spring cleaning guidelines for small business owners are tried and true methods I use every year to keep my businesses running smoothly. They will help keep your business strategy uncluttered and focused on accomplishing your goals.
1. Review your budget, goals, and profit and loss report for Q1.
Yes, it’s true! Creating a budget is important. More important than creating your budget, though, is breathing it, understanding it, and living by it. Revisiting the financial goals and guidelines you established for the year will keep you on track. This review works as your accountability partner, revealing areas you need to improve and showcasing areas you’ve done well. By assessing where you are, you can more accurately adjust and realign for the rest of the year.
2. Review all social platform profiles for errors, omissions, security setting updates, or general updates.
It’s important you stay on top of your business’ social media presence. Start this task by reviewing your profile information on each platform for accuracy, ensuring information such as your website, phone number, and product and service listings are correct. Another important component to pay attention to are security setting updates. As we all know, social media platforms are in a constant state of change. It’s very important to regularly review security and privacy settings to make sure your information is protected. This social media review is also a good opportunity for you to give your profile a facelift. Keep your profile looking snazzy with a new cover photo or profile picture.
3. Review your website with a fine-toothed comb.
Once your website is done, it can be easy to forget about updating it. During my small business spring cleaning routine, I always go through every single page and piece of information on my business websites. I check for errors I may not have caught before, but also make sure the information is correct. If you’re like me, your business is growing and expanding to include new products, services, or even team members. I like to make sure my websites always include the most accurate, current information about my businesses. Sometimes there’s not much to change, but sometimes this review sparks new ideas of better ways to improve my online presence.
4. Purge, archive, and organize your computer files and empty the trash on your computer.
Going through all your business folders to organize them may not sound like your idea of a good time, but it’s a task you can’t afford to overlook. Keeping all your business files and documents in order saves you time when looking for information. Purging unnecessary files keeps your computer clean of unnecessary documents that could be a security liability. If you don’t need it, toss it. The most important part of this, though, is finishing the task by emptying your computer’s trash!
5. Check in with each of your clients.
Now that you’ve cleaned up shop and have a tidy perspective on the state of your business it’s time to update your circles. A quick check-in with each of your clients – past and current – is a great way to continue providing excellent customer service and identify opportunities to better serve your clients. You may uncover needs leading to additional product or service recommendations.
6. Check in with your referral or strategic partners, team members, board of advisors, and mentors.
In my opinion, this is the most important task on my business spring cleaning to-do list. First, there are practical updates your team needs to be made aware of such as changes to services or pricing, or any revisions you’ve made in business focus and direction. Second, there are the intangible accomplishments that need to be communicated. You know how much your team has impacted your success; it’s important to let them know. Give your team an update on how their efforts shaped the first quarter of the year and what changes, new goals, or initiatives they should expect in Q2. Providing this check-in will maintain their confidence in your ability to lead. Loyalty is an earned gift. Giving your crew updates and information about “where we’re at” can create a sense of ownership if approached with the right heart.
You’re a quarter into the year and you know what your P&L says, where your budget lines up and how your goals are being accomplished. You’ve spruced up your marketing presence and weeded through records to eliminate and organize the extra distraction. You’ve checked in with your clients and team, creating alignment positioning your business for success. This is my list of spring cleaning guidelines for small business owners; I’d like to hear about yours. What spring cleaning tasks do you consider vital to your business success?