I do love a spring clean, getting rid of cobwebs and dust, and opening up those windows to let in the fresh air! We need to spring clean our businesses just as much as we do our homes. The same ideas apply - we want to clear the clutter to make way for some FRESH ideas and smoother processes. Here are my easy 7 steps to giving your business a good airing out as we head into spring!

1. Clean Up Your Website

Once we have a website we're happy with, we tend to just leave it alone and forget about it. But have you added or dropped services? Did you change your contact info? Do all the links work on your site? How does your portfolio look? Do your social links need to be updated? If you have a WordPress site, the updates can occasionally cause your site to display incorrectly, so you definitely need to check that each page looks ok. I also give my Portfolio a good scrubbing, dropping any dated or not-great photos to make way for new ones. After all, that's your #1 sales tool! Take the time to go over every single page on your site to ensure it clearly represents your business today.

2. Dust Off Your Books

Of course, I mean your accounting books. At this point, we're near the end of the first quarter and it's a good time to see where your business stands and how you're doing. It will help you see if you need to adjust anything as you move into the rest of the year. And if you've been putting off a deep dive into your P&L and margins, this is a great time to beat that fear factor. The only way to have serious success is to be serious about your accounting!

3. Polish Up Your Marketing Strategies

Do you have a strategy for 2021? If you do, how is it going? Does it need to be adjusted? And if you do not have a marketing strategy, this is a great time to map one out! Which channels would reach your ideal client? How much do you have to spend? Is your branding on point? Think about all the ways to market your business and determine which ones would be most effective for you. It could be digital advertising, direct mail, grassroots events, or a combination of all of those!

4. Straighten Up Your Client Lists

Speaking of marketing, my client lists are critical to reaching out to former clients with sincere and targeted communication. How? I keep so many details in my client lists to help me check in on birthdays or anniversaries, to ask about children or pets, and to remember details that will impress and surprise my clients. You can start these lists at the beginning of a project. Include questions in your client questionnaire that will help you know when those important dates are or the ages of their children. If you don't have these types of lists, start creating them now. If you do have them, look through them to see if anything needs to be added, changed, or dropped. And do set a process to regularly check in with your former clients - it's a great way to get new business!

5. Organize Your Calendar

I've talked before about how blocking my calendar and scheduling everything - including my design time - changed everything. So take a look at your calendar and see what needs to be cleaned out, organized, or added. Pay special attention to blocking time for creative thinking! Otherwise, your entire day can get crowded with business decisions and client service, leaving you no time at all to decompress and get into your design mode!

6. Declutter Your Office

Scientific studies have shown that you are less productive and more stressed when there is clutter around you. For me, this is SO TRUE! We all can get into the weeds with our fabric samples - I've had mountains of them in my space before! And then there's all the paper. It can get to the point where you can't even see your desk! Get organized, and bring in outside help if you need to. That will allow you to keep your mind on your job while someone else puts wrangles your fabrics into submission. And get into the habit of straightening your desk each night before you close down for the day. You'll thank yourself the next morning! 

 7. Clear Your Mind

Last, but definitely not least, schedule some downtime for yourself! It will help to reduce stress and energize your productivity. And it's spring, so get outside!

To help you kick off your spring cleaning, download my FREE 1st Quarter Business Goals Review worksheet. It will help you organize your company (and yourself) for success in 2021 and beyond!

xoxo,

Kathleen