Although mother nature has been all over the place lately, Spring is definitely on the horizon. For business owners, this is an exciting time – and for some of you, it might even be the start of a new quarter. There’s lots to look forward to, but with that – brings Spring cleaning. And yes, we’re talking about your personal space but also your business. This is a perfect time to give your business a clean inside and out and get it ready for the season ahead.
Take some time to relax
This is usually the time where business owners start to burn out. They went full force going into a new year and it’s about now that it’s catching up with them. One of the best things you can do for yourself and your business is prioritize some time to relax. Look at your calendar and book yourself some downtime, whether it’s a mini weekend away, an evening at the spa or even just some alone time on the couch or soaking in the bath. Whatever your cup of tea may be, give yourself the time you need before ramping up for a new busy season.
Pull out your business plan
Dust off the ‘ol business plan – if you even know where it lives. When you get started as a business owner, one of the requirements is to create a business plan. This is the overall structure of your business along with any expenses, goals, forecasting etc… The problem with a business plan when you get started is exactly that – you’re just getting started. So a lot of the content within it, is at best – a guess of where your company will be in the next 1 to 5 years. Take some time to go over it and adjust anything that seems irrelevant or add in anything new to your business. This will save you so much time in the future if you continue to maintain it over the years, versus needing it in 5 years and basically feeling like you’re starting from scratch.
Prioritize your business goals
A business always has goals, whether they are culture, strategic or financial related. And especially coming from the new year, we can almost bet you made some goals for your business. Have a look at the goals you set for yourself and reflect on what you’ve accomplished so far and prioritize the ones you still have to get to. Having a visual look at your goals keeps them front of mind to get them done. It’s important to prioritize them in a way that is easy to achieve and realistic for your business.
Clean up your workspace
This wouldn’t be a spring-cleaning blog if it didn’t actually require some physical cleaning, now would it? A huge part of your day probably involves working at your workspace, whether that’s an office, a desk in the corner or your home. Schedule in a few hours to go through your workspace and clean it up – check any outstanding invoices, get rid of any outdated receipts/paper and throw away those old coffee cups. Having a clean workspace will set you up for success this coming season and will keep you in an organized headspace.
Self-reflection
Spring cleaning your business is a great time to reflect on the business itself, your employees if you have any but also yourself. It’s easy to look at other ‘things’ and know what needs to be changed, but often we forget to self-reflect. Take some time to write down a little self-reflection the last few months; Were you a positive leader? Did you accomplish tasks you said you would? Was your attitude optimistic? Did you strive for new goals? Answer some hard but honest questions about yourself and get on track to be a better version of you this season.
Gather the data
There’s a certain kind of person in this world who lives for the data and kudos to those people. But, if that’s not you – analyzing your data is sometimes last on the list. We usually just associate success in sales or traffic, that were doing a good job, which isn’t to say that isn’t true but could it be better? There’s no better time than now to go through your analytics from the last few months and analyze any trends, surges, or low engagement – having a good understanding of how your business is performing will help you make any changes needed going forward.
Running a business is no joke, we feel ya – and there’s only so many hours in a day to get everything done. Spring cleaning is daunting in any shape or form, but the outcome is so satisfying. Use these few tips to get your business back on track and ready for the Spring season ahead of us. It’s important to stay focused and keep our business is organized to ensure its overall success.
Having trouble organizing your business goals or planning for the next quarter? We’d be happy to help. Send us a DM or email us at hello@mintandpoppy.com
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