Thermoforming Report

It’s Time to Spring Clean Your Business

by Keith Brown, President & Owner, Siena Group.

Yes, “Spring Cleaning” is a thing.  We all know it.  Some of us remember when our moms would declare a particular weekend in April, “It’s time for spring cleaning!” and then proceed to move every piece of furniture, wipe down everything, vacuum everything, and even rearrange entire rooms upon putting stuff back after it was thoroughly cleaned. It usually took a couple of days to go through the entire house and included some purging as well. It was no fun as a kid… but there was a real sense of freshness and reset that you felt after all that work and effort – and knowing that absolutely everything was clean! 

Upon some quick research, this tradition is rooted in religious and cultural origins: Jewish Passover to remove leaven in the house, Iranian holiday Nowruz which includes khaneh tekani (‘shaking the house’), and British tradition where soot and dust from heating and lighting via oils and coal accumulated in the winter. Additionally, it may even be baked into our DNA – as we come out from ‘hibernating’ under warm winter blankets and open windows to let some sunshine in, it is our nature to want to do a reset. 

But how does this apply to our businesses and organizations?!? 

A quick search on this topic generates some interesting articles. Though there is a typical season of assessment of the prior year’s results in December and a setting of new goals and KPIs in January, it is less so marked by the turning of the year these days as so many companies have shifted to a fiscal year to better align with their business needs. Even so, after a full quarter into the new year, it is a good time to do a quick check on progress for the year and adjust as needed – ‘cleaning out’ some of the things you see that may not be working or that have shifted on you. 

This Forbes article highlights 10 tips for spring cleaning to streamline your business, and I really like two of them.

CLEANING TIP #1: Reevaluate Vendor Relationships. “Each year, you should evaluate your vendor partnerships to determine which ones to keep, which ones to terminate, and which ones to renegotiate.” [Forbes article]

How frustrating is it when you see an ad highlighting a service you utilize that is cheaper than what you are paying with that same provider?!? Cable companies are notorious for this; cellphone providers are as well. If it is smart to check this on a personal level, how much more so for your business? 

Case in Point: I have a client that, as president of a $600M business, painfully realized that his business was being a bit taken for granted during the pandemic by their banker. Without getting into the gory details, he was paying for services that did not truly support his business, and the bank wasn’t helpful and wasn’t willing to change. So, he pulled his entire business from the bank and moved to a more economical option that also provided tremendously better customer service.  A definite Win-Win for his business for sure! 

CLEANING TIP #2: Review Your Client List. “Every business, especially professional service companies, needs to take time each year to review their clients. This review should look at the profitability of each client, but also look at clients and make sure they match your values and are part of your strategic goals. If the client is not matching on one of these three high-level topics, you should consider moving on from them.”  [Forbes article]

Another great tip in my opinion! As businesses grow, taking time to reflect on our existing client base is wise. You may have made concessions or agreements when business was a bit thinner, yet, should you continue you hang onto those clients? 

Take the time to reevaluate and reassess. It may be time to propose a new agreement, adjust pricing (we have ALL been hit by inflation!), or even just respectfully walk away. 

Case in Point: We have another client that is doing this very thing – and it has rejuvenated that arm of the business in a big way, generating new growth and increasing revenues and profitability! That’s a win for any business!

Fox Business has another 10-point spring cleaning list for small businesses (that can also certainly apply to larger ones in my opinion). I like a couple of these as well. 

CLEANING TIP #3: Freshen Up Your Company Website. “If your company has an online presence, you’ll want to go through your website and determine ways to create a larger, more well-optimized online presence.”  [Fox Business article]

Yep. Websites get stale. We’ve all seen them. If you haven’t checked out your own website, especially on mobile where nearly 50% of all web visits now occur, you should! Take some time, dig in, click on all the links – view it like a regular user, and be harsh. Then adjust accordingly. 

CLEANING TIP #4: Clean Up and Change Your Space. “While digital aspects of your business might need a deep clean, don’t forget about your office space as well.”  [Fox Business article]

I am actually in the process of this now! I made some much-needed changes to my office and realized that I have too much clutter, with so many wires and connections for my computer/workstation setup that it is just ridiculous. My office could also use some color via plants and even a nice print or two. So, I am investing the time to clean and adjust to improve my workspace. The changes have rejuvenated me, and I really like it! 

ONE MORE TIP: Fast Company has an 11-point list, with one spring cleaning tip:

CLEANING TIP #5: Reduce Meeting Time. “The pandemic set us all in a flow of meeting first, documenting things, and starting new processes… Now it is time to reduce meeting time, reduce process documents, and minimize drag on accomplishing tasks, projects, and goals—that means growing revenue.” [Fast Company article]

On that same topic, Inc. published a productivity article on Shopify’s effort to trim waste out by specifically holding fewer meetings. Through the first quarter, Shopify increased productivity somewhere in the range of 95,000 hours by trimming 12,000 meetings! WOW! That is a CRAZY amount of productivity gained! 

THE TAKEAWAY

If I’m like every other blogger/journalist out there, I’d have a list… but I’m just going to grab those from smarter people that have already done it.  To make it simple: 

  1. Reevaluate Vendor Relationships 
  1. Review Your Client List 
  1. Freshen Up Your Company Website 
  1. Clean Up and Change Your Space 
  1. Reduce Meeting Time 

The benefits of Spring Cleaning: Increased productivity, reduced stress, boosted concentration, refreshed mindsets, and streamlined efficiencies!

The takeaway is obvious: Leverage that innate feeling to clean something and don’t just isolate it to your home.

Your office, your business, and/or your manufacturing plant need Spring Cleaning too!   

At Siena Group, we are your Thermoforming Talent Partner! With more than 30 years of experience in manufacturing, hiring & recruiting talent, we bring a greater understanding of the companies we partner with and the candidates we pursue. Let’s Strengthen Your Search!

Share our post with others

Love what you see? Share it with your connections now.