I read Tess Henley’s blog originally in a Facebook group we’re both in and was intrigued immediately. We spring clean our house, but what about our business? And when I read more about Tess and her business I thought this article was the perfect final blog in my spring cleaning series. Let’s turn our attention from our home spring cleaning and think about our business, so that we reach our goals and make things happen for the rest of the year. Tess shares 8 steps to spring clean your business.
Spring has officially sprung! For my family, it means airing out the house, dinners on the grill, s’mores by the fire pit, and cocktails on the driveway as the kids enjoy playing basketball + riding bikes outside. For me, it’s a reminder to not only deep clean my home but to really dive in and deep clean my business, as well. That’s right, it’s time to Spring Clean Your Business and I’ll show you how in 8 easy-to-follow steps.
All winter long, while hibernating in the snow filled mountains of Colorado, I was busy writing blog posts, designing graphics, creating sales pages, crafting emails, helping clients, and oh, so much more. I was tackling my business “To Do’s” all while running my household, caring for my children, being a short order cook and a free taxi service. With all the responsibilities of being a work-from-home Mom, something had to give. And unfortunately, that something was an organized business; you know, the simple systems that, when followed, keep my business running smoothly, my documents, files and images organized and in their appropriate folders, and my sanity in check. (Who am I kidding? My sanity is never in check! This is why I teach business strategies over cocktails!)
With all the crazy happening during the winter season, spring is a time for renewal; a time to refresh your home, your wardrobe, and most importantly, your business. Here are the 8 steps I use to Spring Clean my Business each year. Please keep in mind, these steps could take up to a week or more to accomplish. Don’t get frustrated. Just carve out 30 minutes to 1 hour a day to work on Spring Cleaning your Business until each task is completed. (I’ve provided a handy Spring Clean Your Business checklist so you can keep track of your progress.) Some steps will take longer than others, depending on how long you’ve neglected to declutter + organize your virtual office. But I promise, once completed, your business will feel refreshed, renewed, and organized. That helps you feel more calm and relaxed so you can enjoy those precious evenings on the driveway, sipping cocktails and enjoying the beautiful sounds of kids at play.
Step 1: Create A Business Hub
Simply put, a business hub is your virtual filing cabinet; a place where you store all of your important business documents, files, images, notes, receipts, etc. I personally keep my Business Hub in Google Drive because it’s easily accessible on all devices. You can house yours wherever you like. (Asana, Evernote, Trello, your cloud files, or even your good old-fashioned desktop.) Create organizational folders you think you’ll need to be able to easily locate all of your files and images.
Step 2: Focus on a Zero Inbox
Take a look at your email inbox. Do a quick run-through of your emails. Flag those that require a response (you can respond later), delete those you no longer need, and file important emails inside your business hub.
While you’re going through your emails, unsubscribe from those lists that no longer bring you joy or provide value to you or your business.
Tip: Check out www.unroll.me. It’s a free and easy way to unsubscribe from multiple lists at once.
Step 3: Tackle Virtual Files
This is by far the most difficult and most time-consuming task for me each year; and I suspect it may be for you, too.
Go to your “Download” and “Pictures” folders on your computer. File away documents and images in appropriate folders in your Business Hub. Really think about how you want these to be organized. The goal is to make your business hub a space where you can easily locate what you need when you need it.
Don’t forget to create a “swipe” file inside your Business Hub for all those Facebook Ads and Images you saved for future inspiration.
Now is also the time to delete anything you no longer need. My favorite part of this step is seeing an empty “download” folder on my computer once I’m finished! ( I’ll cheer to that!)
Step 4: Smartphone Savvy
This is one step most people forget about but if you’re anything like me, you have a plethora of Facebook and Instagram images, PDFs, and website copy you’ve saved to your smartphone. Now’s the time to transfer those items to the appropriate folder inside your Business Hub or add them to the proper “swipe” file.
Step 5: Review Your Numbers + Passwords
Raise your hand if you belong to a few memberships or are signed up for automatic payments and renewals of products/services. (Meeeee! I’m totally guilty.) Print up all financial statements for the past 3 months (think bank statements, paypal, stripe, etc.) and highlight all of your automatic payments. Reevaluate these products/services you’re automatically paying for each month and determine their benefit to your business. If they no longer add value to your business, cancel your subscription.
Passwords…I confess…I have a little black book of passwords I keep in my top desk drawer! I know…so old school and dangerous. If I ever lost that bad boy I’d be in big trouble.
Take some time to organize your important logins and passwords and think about getting away from those old-school methods. (Finger pointing to me! I get it!) Look into using a password storing program like www.lastpass.com. It’s a free service that remembers all of your password logins for you. All you have to remember is 1 password! (I don’t know why I’m not using this service yet! Totally signing up now!)
Step 6: Links + Messaging
Take a look at your website. Make sure all links are active and properly working. Review your website copy and make sure your messaging is still on point and conveys the proper feeling and message you want visitors to understand. Make any necessary changes to the images and writing.
Next, check your newsletter + email links. Are all your social media icons directed to the correct pages? Do you still like the look and feel of your signature + footer bio? Are there any design changes you’ve been wanting to make to your newsletter template? Make the necessary changes.
Step 7: Go on a Social Detox
Take a look at all the groups, pages, and people you follow on social media. Delete yourself from or unfollow those groups, pages, and people who no longer add happiness or value to your life and/or business.
This is such a freeing experience. Please don’t skip this step!
Step 8: Business Plan + Goals
Spend at least a day revisiting your business plan to make sure you’re still on track for the year.
While you’re revisiting your business plan (or year-long business goals), you should also take a look at the goals you set for this quarter. Make sure your goals haven’t changed and if they have, you can adjust accordingly. Reviewing your goals will remind you of where you want to be as well as help you focus on attaining these goals.
So that’s it…8 Steps to Spring Cleaning Your Business. Accomplishing these steps will help you declutter and organize your virtual workspace, saving you time and hopefully, your sanity. Now go enjoy a fabulous cocktail, you deserve it!
Tess Henley teaches business strategies to female entrepreneurs ready to conquer information overload and take massive action toward growing a profitable business. Over the last 10 years of her entrepreneurial career, Tess co-founded a women’s networking organization and built a profitable catering business before finally moving to her dream state of Colorado. There she opened The Savvy Chic Business Boutique where she teaches business strategies over cocktails.
Tess Henley is a mixologist wannabe and loves whipping up cocktails to sip while writing blog posts, crafting social media content, and creating courses. She truly believes business should be fun and express exactly who you are as a person; otherwise…what’s the point?
