Oh spring! It is such a great time when plants start to bloom, trees leaves start to come back, and everyone gets in the mood to clean up things for spring.
But have you ever thought about ways you can clean up things in your business for spring?
Basically a spring cleaning of your business is when you go back and look at all your things like processes, billing systems, and bookkeeping to see if they have been working for you.
If not, then try to clean it up so you can have things run smoother for you this coming year.
In this article, I am sharing tips for how to do a spring cleaning of your business!
Systems Clean Up
With any business, there are things that have been put in place as either a survival method or just by happenstance. Sometimes things are put into place that worked when we had a few clients but no longer work anymore. That is when it is a good time to reassess your systems you have in place.
Look at each system you have in place. Now systems can be how you book a client. Or how you follow up after initial inquiry from said client. After you look at what you have in place, write down the process you take to get that system completed.
For example, when I would get a potential client, I would schedule a phone call. After that phone call, I would set up an email to follow up with them 3 days later. This way they were sure to remember me and book an organizing job with me.
If you aren’t following up with potential clients, then create a system to help you follow up. You don’t want to lose a potential client because you didn’t follow up with them after your initial call.
Below I have some systems that you may have in your business that you should look at to see if they need a spring cleaning.
- Bookkeeping
- Billing
- New client inquiry
- Following up with potential clients
- Getting reviews once job is completed
- Posting on social media
- Website updates
Cleaning Up The Books
The books that I am referring to is your bookkeeping. This is all places you get paid. Now while I recommend doing this weekly, it might not always be feasible to do. Check your systems you have in place to check your books.
For me, I get everything into my bank account daily. That means I transfer the money from PayPal, Stripe, Venmo, etc. into my bank account. Then I go through the transactions to make sure everything is correct. I do the same with my business credit card.
By going through your books each week or month, you are making sure you are getting paid on time, paying your employees/contractors on time, and are actually making money with your business! Plus, having your books ready will help you stay on top of things for tax season.
Set a schedule for yourself to keep on top of your bookkeeping. This way, you know if you need to increase your prices based on how much work/travel you are doing. Don’t be afraid to tack on a travel fee if you are driving further and charging hourly.
If you are looking for helpful tax tips, I interviewed my dad who is a CPA. He shared all his tax tips here. But don’t be afraid to hire someone to help you. There is an entire profession of people who are trained to deal with the crazy tax stuff!
Contract Clean Up
Each year I do a price increase on my services. I don’t think it is anything out of the ordinary when it comes to businesses. But when I do that, I go through my contracts and do a big clean out. I look at everything in my contract and will see if it still is appropriate to keep in.
Some years, I have added things that I noticed I was doing but wasn’t charging for like a shopping fee or a travel fee if I was driving outside my area.
Plus it doesn’t hurt to do a run through of how the contract is delivered to your clients. I would test that out each time I updated my contract.
I was using an online program called Honeybook, so I did a sample run-through of a flow chart I had created. It was helpful so that I knew what my clients were seeing and how it came through via email.
Cleaning Up The Business Plan
Another thing to clean up in your business is the business plan. Each year I like to reassess the business plan and my business flow charts. What I noticed about doing everything in January was that I was so busy with organizing clients, I didn’t have time to truly go through these things at the beginning of the year.
So doing a spring cleaning of my business was actually more beneficial. I feel like certain professions we have to change what it looks like so we can best use our time.
I also recommend looking at your business documents to see if anything needs updating. This includes your business license, business insurance plans, any trademarks you have, and memberships to organizations you may have.
I like to review these to see if I need to renew or if I can cancel my subscriptions to the memberships. Sometimes you may need something to get you moving, but once you get your business up and running you may not need it anymore!
I have a business plan template, along with a social media audit and finance guide in The Organized Business Toolkit.
Business Spring Cleaning
Doing a spring cleaning of your business can help you get your systems in place, your books in order, your contracts in line, and your business plan a refresh.
Take time to go through these things so that you can ensure your business has the foundation to succeed.
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