3 Things to Purge in Your Small Business During Spring

Any time of year is a good time to get rid of things that no longer serve a purpose as far as your business growth is concerned. However, the warmer temperatures and flowers blooming of the Spring season inspires a lot of people to do “spring cleaning” at home as well. According to House Digest , the term “spring cleaning has ancient origins. While forms of spring cleaning exist in many places worldwide, the practice can be traced back to Persian, Jewish, and Chinese traditions and culture.

In Western society, spring cleaning is seen as early as the 19th?Century and was a mainstream custom by the 1970’s with the New York Times having article archives on the lively tradition from as early?as 1978 according?to House Digest.

Most people would agree that Spring is a good time to consider purging and decluttering your business just as you would at home. The two ultimate goals for most small business?owners are to be productive and profitable. However, there is a nemesis that can derail your success when it comes to productivity and profitability and that is clutter. It’s easy to accumulate clutter or junk just on a day-to-day?basis. However, in order?to become effective and more successful, we must set aside time to clear the clutter and get organized.

Below, I’ve listed a few options to help you do exactly that (purge & get organized). Read with an open mind and think about what you need to clear away in your business.

1. Purge Unnecessary Clutter Internally and Externally

When it comes to purging things in our lives, we often think about junk mail or old furniture. However, I believe that we can purge things in our physical (our surrounding), mental (our minds) and emotional spaces (our hearts/soul).

You may need to purge things in your physical space (your office) to declutter and give your environment a face lift. Whether it’s excessive amounts of paper, boxes or old mail, you may need to purge some of it to make room for the new. Whether you realize it or not, your brain may function a lot better when your environment is free from unnecessary paper or clutter.

You many need to purge things in your digital space like old files, old data, old marketing materials i.e., videos or commercials, and old contacts that are no longer relevant (your laptop/CRM system). This can save space on your Knowledge Sharing System as well as cloud storage apps like Dropbox where you might be paying an annual rate.

You many need to purge things in your mental space. For example, are there any self-sabotaging thoughts that you have that may be causing you anxiety, fear or imposter syndrome?

3. Purge unnecessary items on your website.

It’s no secret that your website is the gateway to your online business and brand. That said, you must keep your website up to date. You should be checking links to make sure they still work as well as eliminating any products or services that you no longer offer. Additionally, you should look at your media files to determine which ones can be deleted and which ones you are still using. Photos, videos and graphics take up a lot of space, so if you’re not using those old items anymore, delete them.

3. Purge Excessive Expenses

At least once per quarter it is a good idea to review and track your expenses to determine your profitability level. A good place to start is to draft a profit and loss statement that tracks what you spent versus what you gained. This is an exercise that will force you to look at where your money is going and whether or not you have some money leaks that are draining your checking account. You’ll definitely want to pay attention to subscriptions and any items that you have on autopay or auto ship. Pay attention to things you don’t use any longer or things you don’t necessarily need. You may find that it’s time to review what you pay for various platforms that require memberships and/or annual dues. Of course, I’m not saying that you should cut anything you’re using, just that you should cut anything that you are not using and anything that is unproductive.

Actually, there are far more things you can purge in your business on a regular basis. However, if you start with these 3 things, you will be well on your way to decluttering the spaces and places where you work. The benefits of purging and decluttering have so many advantages that it only makes sense to do a "Spring Cleaning" as often as possible. In case you're the type of person who is resistant to purging, here a few benefits to give you some incentive.

Some of the notable benefits of purging, cleaning, and decluttering are:

1. Gives you a sense of accomplishment and mastery over your physical space.
2. Relieve stress and anxiety thereby sparking a sense of well-being.
3. Improves your focus.
4. Helps you to get organized.
5. Helps you to operate more efficiently and effectively.
6. It gets you moving and helps to burn calories; any physical activity is good exercise for the body.
7. Improves productivity so you can get things done.
8. Purging can lead to profitability. (Once you're more focused and effective, you'll probably make more money.)

The benefits far outweigh any perceived losses when it comes the time spent on purging, decluttering, and cleaning. My suggestion is to make the time to include a purging practice in your business on a regular basis. You might just be surprised at how helpful it is.

Now, I'd like to hear from you. When was the last time you purged, decluttered and cleaned in your business? Do tell. Leave a comment below.

P.S. If it's been more than a year, I hope I've inspired you to get started today.

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This article was written by Dr. Lori A. Manns, Business Coach and President of Quality Media Consultant Group, a business consultancy firm specializing in media, marketing and sales solutions to grow your business. The original version of this article appears on the blog at the Quality Media Consultant Group LLC website. www.qualitymediaconsultants.com/blog

Please connect and follow Dr. Lori on Linkedin - www.dhirubhai.net/in/LoriManns

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