How to Spring Clean Your Business

Spring has long been the season of new beginnings and “out with the old, in with the new.” While many associate spring cleaning with decluttering their homes, you can use this time to spring clean your business as well! Give your business a fresh start this season by giving it a thorough refresh — organize your files, update your digital presence, clear out your inbox, and clean up your physical spaces.

1. Organize and archive your files.

Every business has archives of old files – even if they’re digital! Move previous years’ files over to external hard drives to make room on your computer, and establish a regular schedule for exporting your files. For example, you could implement a regular process of moving over old files at the beginning of every year, or at the beginning of each quarter. Ensure that all servers and file systems follow organized, uniform procedures to make important files easy to find and reduce the amount of valuable business time spent searching for the record you need. Organize your files in a way that makes sense for your business, and be sure to use naming conventions that are easy to search for. Just remember to keep your most-used and most regularly accessed files easy to find and update.

2. Update all digital platforms and assets.

Maintaining an active online presence is crucial to ensuring that your customers are able to find your business. If the available information about your business is old, outdated, or no longer correct in any way, be sure to update it so your customers have all the information they need! Even doing a quick Google search may bring to light old addresses, phone numbers, or domains that you no longer have access to — you might be shocked to find how outdated some information can be! A few ideas for places to look for outdated information:

• Find that old Yelp page that still lists your business’s previous address. 
• Change the logo on your Facebook page if it hasn’t been updated in a while.
• Use search engines to find any online listings or directories where your business contact information may be outdated.
  • Ensure your website URL is correct on all listings, and that any old domains redirect to your current site.
• Remove any old documents or information from your website that are no longer relevant to your business or applicable to your customer experience.

In addition to looking for and updating old information, be sure to maintain a cohesive brand identity across all online platforms by confirming that any brand elements, colors, and fonts used online reflect your current brand standards.

3. Clear out your inbox!

Gain some more online storage space by cleaning out your email inbox! Email platforms often include only a limited amount of storage space, which means that as you accumulate more emails, your older, but still important, emails could be deleted without your knowledge. To avoid this, make a folder of any important emails that you often have to refer back to, or download the email as a PDF or Word document and save it within your computer’s file system. Be sure to keep any emails that contain important directions, client or coworker communications that you may have to refer back to later, and other vital information or documentation that you need to be sure is kept safe — and delete the rest. Get rid of old event invites, newsletters, marketing emails from old vendors or other businesses, or any other email that no longer serves a direct purpose or reference for your company. This will clear up a large amount of storage space and allow you to find the most important emails in your inbox faster and easier. If you’re not worried about storage space, or deleting emails isn’t a viable option for your business, be sure to sort your inbox in a way similar to your uniform file system to be sure that you’re easily able to find what you’re looking for. 

4. Clean up your physical space.

If your business operates out of a physical location, tidy up your space, especially any client-facing areas. If your business has a physical office, but hasn’t been there since last March, elect someone to visit the space and get it ready for your return (whenever that may be). Be sure to change the calendars from March, dust off any desks or workspaces, and ensure that all COVID-19 sanitizing and social distancing protocols are followed. If you’re working from home, sort through your designated workspace to clear your desk space and your mind – you may be surprised by how much more you’re able to get done with a clean and organized workspace!

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be stressful – use it as a time to bring new life to your workspace, both physical and virtual, and create new processes that will allow you and your team to work more efficiently and through less clutter. 

Are you outgrowing your home office or current workspace? Contact the Union River Center for Innovation today for more information about utilizing a co-working space or renting a private office at our location in Ellsworth.