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It’s easy to let the overwhelm get to us, but taking the time to conduct a thorough spring cleaning for your small business gets you more organized and makes you operate more effectively, which can save you lots of time + stress the rest of the year. 

Here are 6 ways to help you open up the windows, dust off the cobwebs, + get to cleaning:

 

1. Financial Reset

Let’s talk about money. Specifically, let’s talk about your accounting books {don’t have a system in place? My go-to is QuickBooks Online ~ you can grab 50% off your QuickBooks subscription  here}. It can be overwhelming for small business owners to keep up on their finances, let Quickbooks help!

 

2. Review + Revise Marketing Strategy

For small business owners, it’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of running your biz that things like marketing fall to the wayside. Take the opportunity to come at your marketing strategy with fresh eyes.

Here are some tips for sprucing up your marketing approach:

• Research new marketing trends 
• Look at what your competitors are doing ~ you may need to figure out who your competitors are first
• Make sure your website/social media is accurate + updated ~ is it in alignment with what services you’re currently offering? do you have a marketing plan for things coming up in the next 3-6 months?
• Set marketing goals for Q3 ~ do you want to grow your audience online? Run a digital ad? Start a newsletter? Dream it + then do it!

BONUS TIP: Leverage the power of automation to make your life SO much easier. See a breakdown of my fave free and paid email marketing tools here.

 

3. Reflect on Your Biz Plan {and make those necessary changes}

Too often, I see small business owners make a business plan, launch their business, and then never go back to it. But friend, things can change QUICKLY! Your business plan cannot be static. It’s the place where you are able to look at all the moving parts to help you strategize for long-term growth.

Here are some questions to get you thinking:

• How have your products/services changed? 
• What have you added or taken away?
• Are you still targeting the same audience?
• Has there been a change to the structure of your business?

Your updated business plan can help you make a plan for the summer + beyond. 

BONUS TIP: If you’re updating the budget in your business plan, check out this free Business Budgeting Worksheet to help get you started.

 

4. Update SOPs

It comes as no surprise that this is one of my favorite spring cleaning to-dos for my business. Standard Operating Procedures {aka SOPs} are step-by-step guides for handling recurring tasks like blog management and invoicing.

But as your business grows + evolves, you need to make sure your SOPs do, too. Block out a chunk of time to review all your existing SOPs to make sure they’re still accurate, but also take the time to see what new ones you might need to create. If you have a team that works with you in your business, have each one maintain the SOPs that pertain to the work they are responsible for in the business. 

BONUS TIP: If you don’t have SOPs…let’s change that during spring cleaning. To get started check out my blog, “5 Tips For Creating SOPs For Your Business {+ A Sample Outline To Use}”. 

 

5. Declutter Your Digital + Physical Space

Well, this is probably my second favorite spring cleaning task {this might be the only time you need to bring out the mop + the bucket depending on your space}.

No matter if you are a service based or product based business, you operate in two distinct areas: in a workspace and on a computer. Set aside time to clean up both. For example, take this opportunity to purge your email’s inbox. It’s sooooo easy for a business owner’s inbox to become overrun with emails and going through it all can be painful + time-consuming. But trust me, you will feel so much more centered after it’s done.

When it comes to your physical office/desk/workspace, do not underestimate the power of organization. People are less productive + more stressed when they’re surrounded by clutter {I’m not making this up ~ there’s literal science behind it}. Take this chance to do an actual deep clean but also look at ways to optimize the space for you to be more productive ~ furniture changes, file systems, etc.

BONUS TIP: Organization is the name of my game, and it all starts with a good decluttering. Check my free “Simple Plan for an Organized Workspace” to get the ball rolling.

 

6. Take Care of Yourself

The life of a small business owner is super rewarding…but it can also be super draining. Especially if we don’t prioritize time for ourselves {ahem, guilty here }.

Throughout your spring cleaning, set aside downtime for yourself to recenter. This might be meditation, going for a hike {hello spring weather!}, getting a massage, or just taking a freaking nap without guilt. 

Let your body + mind rest to come back to the table rejuvenated. 

 

BONUS TIP: To ensure you actually do a little self-care, this might be the perfect time to take a little off your plate and start delegating tasks. Learn more about how to do that on my blog, “The Process of Delegating as a Small Business Owner.”  

While giving your biz a deep clean, you might find some parts of your operation that need an extra set of eyes. If that’s the case, the Dreamer + A Doer team would love to help ~ contact us today.