Finally, Spring has sprung. The weather is warming up and there’s a real energy in the air! It’s at this time of year we often think about Spring cleaning our homes. But what about our businesses?
Here are 6 ideas for Spring cleaning your business that will lead to a more efficient, streamlined operation for the rest of 2015.
Paperwork and archives
For some industries, archiving information is essential. For others, it’s a habit we no longer need. For years, small businesses have hoarded receipts just for the tax man. Today, with apps such as Receipt Bank that’s no longer necessary. Receipt Bank allows you to photograph receipts and link them to your accountancy software and bank transactions, allowing you to do away with hardcopy receipts altogether.There are also apps for photographing business cards – no need for a Rolodex any more!
What are you hoarding offline that could be transferred online?
Monthly payment subscriptions
Do you know exactly where your money goes each month? Sometimes monthly subscriptions sneak up on us and before we know it we’re paying for things we no longer use or need. Take time to sift through your subscriptions and weed out the dead weight. Your bank balance will love you for it!
Email subscriptions
Around a third of the emails we receive every day go unread. These are the email subscriptions we once opted in to. Maybe yours consist of updates from software providers, bloggers and industry outlets. Once they were pertinent and interesting. Today, they’re time consuming and distracting. It’s time to dust your inbox and do away with all the non-essentials.
Check the notice board
What have you got pinned to the wall? Do you still notice it? Is it still relevant? Scan your walls with fresh eyes. Take down anything out of date or irrelevant; move around important information so it catches the eye once again.
Rearrange your office
New locations and views can be great for creativity. And moving the furniture allows you to really inspect what you’ve got hanging around. Do you need it? Can you clean it? Can you create a new look and feel simply by turning your desk 45 degrees? Spring clean your set up and see what happens.
The 80/20 Rule
Pareto’s law tells us in many situations 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. That could mean 80% of your income comes from 20% of what you do. Or that 20% of your daily tasks generate income and 80% could be outsourced to a virtual assistant. Take stock of this as your Spring clean your business. Make a note of all the essential tasks that you don’t have to do and pass them on to Mi PA. We help hundreds of small businesses optimise their output by taking care of things such as:
- General administration
- Transcription of digital files and cassette tapes
- Taking unbiased, private and confidential minutes
- Booking meetings and travel
- Monthly expenses management
- Answering calls
- Preparing and send direct mail
- Sourcing competitive suppliers
- Prioritise, action and respond to emails
- Organising corporate events
- Diary management
- Formatting documents
- Customer service calls – look after your clients
- Organising VISA’s for travel
- Copy typing documents
- Creating powerpoint presentations
- Formatting, creating and working on Excel spreadsheets
For more information call Emma on 0161 820 6080 today! And best of luck with your Spring clean!
