Spring Cleaning Your Business

Spring is in the air and everyone is ready to do some spring cleaning. Window washing, kitchen and bathroom cleaning and closets everywhere are getting an overhaul.

But what about your business?

If you love that new business smell like I do, spring cleaning your business is the way to go.

A few times a year, one being in the spring, I love cleaning out my business.

Perhaps it’s all the stores promoting ways to organize and tidy things up. Or maybe it’s just that I can finally have a day above 40 degrees and I want to make sure my business runs smooth so I can get out and enjoy it.

Whatever the reason spring cleaning calls me, I found some simple ways to refresh my business after 20 years.

One, I clean out my New Year’s goals.

Yes, some goals didn't make it. Not yet anyway. 

So, I’ll spend some time cleaning and reviewing the New Year’s goals that got lost. I’ll delete them or revise them to be clearer. I really don’t spend a lot of time with details in the spring. It’s just about cleaning them out, keeping them simple and getting clear. But this cleaning task gets me more excited about my business than any other.

Two, I clean out my business calendar.

Since my calendar is my official to-do list, I find many things that repeat themselves that I just don’t do anymore. I remove repeats, bundle tasks and remove anything that isn’t a real priority anymore.

The third thing I do is I clean out my business relationships.

I don’t go crazy and delete my Facebook accounts, but I do review my contacts and if I have not connected with a person directly for more than two years, they’re gone. That goes for my gmail contacts as well. I know this might sound a bit harsh, but honestly, if the relationship is meant to be, it will come back.

I don't only clean out relationships, but I choose a few to rekindle every spring. I usually take ones I have not touched base with for six months to a year.

One last spring cleaning task I do for my business is finances. By late spring, my taxes are done and I can dig deep into seeing any leaks and repairs I need to do.

I love finding ways to save money in my business, so I clean expenses that are wasteful and move on.

Since you made it this far in the article, I already know you love that new business smell and will take on some of these business cleaning tasks this year. So share your best business cleaning stories and any task you do in the spring to keep your business fresh and new below.