Running a business can be stressful because it can feel like your work is never done. But the act of spring cleaning – tidying and organising your digital and physical environment – can offer a timely reprieve.
Upgrade/tidy up your website
Be sure to check all of your website links as would-be customers will go elsewhere if any are broken. Next, check your website’s speed with HubSpot, as it may be slow to render.
Other ways you can make your website more customer friendly:
- Check your key information is up to date – phone number, address, and opening hours – and consistent across your website, LinkedIn profile, Google business page, etc
- Revisit your website page titles and addresses to ensure they reflect the information on the page rather than a series of numbers. For instance, you want to see yourbusinessname.com/contact for your contact page
- Tweak your pages’ meta-descriptions to include local keywords linked to your business to boost your search engine rankings locally. SEO guru Neil Patel has valuable insight.
- There may be updated regulatory requirements so ‘Terms of Use’, ‘Privacy Policy’ etc should also be regularly reviewed.
Organise your accounting & bookkeeping
Does your accounting and bookkeeping system allow you to check your profit and loss and other key metrics daily?
- Review files and accounts
- Sort your receipts
- Separate your business from your private expenses.
Revise your business plan
Check your business plan. Assess if it reflects:
- Changes you’ve made in your business
- Your current products and services – have you added or removed any?
- New target markets
- Changing customer preferences and profiles
- Your current business structure, resources, staffing, and their skill set
- Your cash flow forecast, which ties into the aims, goals, and strategies of your business
Declutter your physical space
Bring some simplicity into your business space – your desk, whether you work from home or other premises.
If you’re holding a lot of stock, but need space for new inventory, consider holding a clearance sale. This may attract new customers. You can then review your business layout for improved traffic flow. Check with your staff for their ideas, too.
This is also an excellent time to:
- Clean from ceiling to floor, including ceiling fans, overhead lighting, blinds, light switches, etc.
- Patch and paint your walls if needed
- Wash windows with a pressure washer
- Target appliances for a scrub down, i.e., for restaurants, spring is an ideal time to clean dishwashing equipment, industrial ovens, the cool room, etc.
- Remove dirt and clutter from your stockroom.
Be sure to erect new signage to help customers navigate the new setup and safety procedures such as exits, particularly if you have retail premises.
Review your insurance
Even if you’ve reviewed your insurance cover at the start of the year, it’s helpful to check it still matches your needs. Remember that the business assets you’ve insured may only be covered at today’s value rather than what you paid for them. This means your policy may only cover the cost of replacing the item if something untoward happens. Otherwise, ensure you’re not at risk of underinsuring your key assets.
Revise your figures to replace your stock, building costs, and other contents. Look at your sales, cashflow and ongoing operating expenses for business interruption insurance. For most business owners, there are ongoing expenses that you need to pay even if you’re not generating any revenue – like staff wages, supplier invoices, rent or loan repayments.
Business interruption insurance can get you through a temporary crisis by protecting your cashflow – so you can pay these expenses, and help ensure the future of your business.
And assess what changes have happened in your business over the year. If you have expanded or stopped certain business activities or changed the way that you operate. There’s a flow-on impact on your risk exposures and, therefore, insurance cover. Also, don’t forget liability insurance such as public and products liability where your business activities or products cause injury or damage to others.
That’s where we can help. Check with us to guide you on spring cleaning your policy package so it suits your unique business now and in the near future.