The clocks have sprung forward and the spring thaw has begun. Now is the perfect time to revisit old business practices and bring in new ideas to start the season off right.
1. Spruce up your social media accounts.
Why not conduct a simple audit of your social media accounts to see if they’re serving you well? Take the time to revisit your branding strategy, ask yourself whether your online presence is in line with your brand and dig into analytics to see how well social media is working for you. Perhaps you no longer need that Pinterest page and can focus on your Instagram strategy, or maybe your Facebook page is driving traffic to your website, so it makes sense to invest more time in creating content there. Now is also a good time to optimize your website with simple SEO tricks and ensure it has a prominent place in Google search results.
2. Revisit your business plan.
When was the last time you looked at your business plan? Regularly revisiting your original goals and vision can help inspire you to get back on track and make plans for the rest of the year. Take the time to consider new goals that reflect your current business operations and pace of growth — examining your business operations can help you run a more efficient and profitable company.
3. Deep-clean your books.
Tax time makes April ideal to give your books a deep clean. Number crunching can be stressful, but apps such as Intuit QuickBooks, Xero and Kashoo Cloud Accounting can all be synced to your Square Dashboard to make accounting easier. Plus, you can use Square Analytics to look at how your current sales data compares to previous months or years.
4. Go paperless.
Ditch the paper and use Square Invoices to keep track of money you owe and receive. It helps reduce your impact on the environment and you avoid the headache associated with sifting through space-sapping mounds of paperwork. And while email doesn’t involve paper, your inbox can also probably benefit from spring cleaning. This is the ideal time to whittle down your unread email, clear out old ones and organize important messages into folders.
5. Use data to assess your staffing needs.
Scheduling the right number of staff can be a juggling act, but Square Analytics can help you take a closer look at how you’ve scheduled staff in the past. Historical sales data can help you figure out when you need extra coverage, and when you can reduce staff numbers to help keep costs down. Once you’ve reviewed the data, you can reorganize your schedule based on what’s worked or hasn’t worked in the past. Use Square Employee Management to track and manage time, coordinate staffing and reconcile tips or commissions at the end of a shift.
6. Do some actual spring cleaning.
Grab a duster and get moving. Get the team involved to make it into a social event, or hire professionals to come in and work their magic. Giving your space a spring makeover helps you get started on fresh new ideas to build your business. Try these top tips for decluttering and making your work environment more pleasant for all.
Related Articles: