JUMP INTO SPRING : SPRING CLEANING - EASY THINGS TO DO IN YOUR SHOP
Thursday, February 25, 2010
March 20th marks the first day of Spring and we all know what that brings, SPRING CLEANING!!! Springtime is the traditional time to get rid of those winter blues and get ready for the long days of summer.
Check out some of our great tips on how to get your shop organized and ready for Spring. Your business environment can benefit greatly from a little tidying up. So, spruce up your shop and your mind - and say hello to SPRING!
STORE CLEAN-OUT
Get yourself ready to rock-and-roll this spring by sprucing up and organizing your office. This is the place where all the true business happens, where the numbers are crunched and inventory ordered. Piles of paper work and useless files hold you back from progressing and moving towards the future. Step one of getting yourself ready for spring is the office clean out.
1. Remove the clutter. Start by cleaning out your desk drawers and removing all the clutter from your counter tops. Throw away all that lose paperwork you don't need and start a new filing system to organize the things you do need.
2. Create an archive. Sort through those piled up papers and what you don't need, go ahead and recycle them; otherwise add them to your paper archive (think green and start filling electronically, see below).
3. Shred some paper. It can be downright frightening to just toss personal information into the recycling bind. Play it safe and shred any items with personal or financial information. For example, pay stubs, applications, receipts, bills and canceled checks should all go through the shredder.
4. Laminate and Hang Operation Documents. Are the proper steps to clean the gelato or soft serve machine still sitting on your desk? Go laminate them and post near the machine. The same goes for recipes lying around and other useful tools that all of your staff could benefit from having access to.
REJUVENATE INVENTORY
Managing inventory can be complicated and time-consuming. Springtime is the perfect time to rejuvenate your current inventory and manage purchasing trends. Branch out and explore some new flavors and ideas this spring. Bring new life to your inventory.
1. Plan ahead. Decide what flavors and themes you will feature for the rest of the year. Create a spread sheet with a tentative layout of what flavors/products you will be using, along with what specials or features you'll be highlighting with those products. Customers love seasonally themed display cases and dessert offerings, start by planning according to seasons and holidays coming up.
2. Clean house. Expiring inventory should be eliminated regularly by using special promotionsand exclusive discounts. Remember - keep that inventory moving, keep it fresh and keep your customers happy with special offers such as, "half off" or "2-for-1."
3. Take inventory of everything you have. Go through all your products and look at the levels of each. Determine the appropriate times to reorder so you don't find yourself out of a product before you can get it in. This is also a good time to analysis what products sell the best and what don't.
4. Stock Up. If you've been meaning to refill your cocoa powder or toppings, do it before the busy season sweeps in. Make sure you have your entire basis covered. Make a list of what you need and take a day to get it.
EVALUATE YOUR MARKETING MATERIALS & SURROUNDINGS
Every year, store owners should take the time to evaluate their past and current marketing efforts, along with their shops overall look and feel. Nobody likes a stale environment. Make sure you're still on track with your original vision for the store and long-term goals.
1. Refresh signage. When was the last time you updated your brochures or in-store signage? Give your store a quick face lift by updating the walls with something new and exciting to look at. Find out about PreGel's Marketing-in-a-Box kit by clicking here or ask your sales representative if you qualify.
2. Update your Brand. Updating your brand doesn't necessarily mean changing it. Updating marketing materials can give your business a fresh new look and enable you to get attention from people who may be taking your brand for granted. Take an objective look at how your brand is projecting your image. Ask colleagues what they think it says to them. Know where you're brand is going and its evolution.
3. Implement that idea you've been kicking around. You know the one. It begins with "someday I am going to finally..." and it gets pushed aside or put on a to-do list when more pressing matters are at hand. If you have been planning to re-paint or re-invent your space then this is the time to do. There's no time like the present for putting new ideas to work.
4. Educate yourself.4. Educate yourself. Have you been thinking about expanding on your current offerings? Stop stalling and attend one of PreGel's Advanced Gelato Classes to learn new skills and recipe ideas.
5. Take care of repairs. We all have those things that we put off for so long, they finally become invisible to us. How about those tiles in the hallway that need re-grouting - an easy fix but one that just doesn't seem to get done, now's a great time to take care of it.
Take an hour and make a list of all the things around your shop that needs to be repaired. Then mark which ones can be taken care of internally, and those that will need to be hired out. If you don't have time, assign an employee to oversee all the repairs and make sure they get done in a timely manner.
THINK GREEN
It's 2010 and everyone knows by now the importance of being environmentally friendly. Not only is it appealing to your customers, it's doing your part for the community. Make this year the year you truly commit to being greener.
1. Throw out old cleaners. Get rid of those old cleaners that are made with petrochemicals, unnatural fragrances and start using products that bring a healthier environment to your shop. Clorox® has an entirely green cleaning line titled Green Works® that comes from renewable resources, are biodegradable and free of petrochemicals. There are Green Works® cleaning solutions for businesses of every size.
2. Start filing electronically. It is much easier, and certainly more environmentally friendly to store a few CD's as opposed to boxes and boxes of paper!
3. Change your light bulbs. Switch to incandescent or halogen bulbs, which save one-third electricity and last longer. Incandescent or halogen bulbs not only use less energy, but they will also showcase your products in the best light possible.
YOUR COMPUTER NEEDS MAINTENANCE TOO!
Every so often it's important to perform thorough PC cleaning and maintenance. Here are a few simple steps you can take to make your computer run faster and easier to navigate.
1. Back-up and clear off old data files. If you're hard drive is ready to burst, spend some time backing-up and clearing off your old data files that you don't need any more. As stated before, the government only requires small businesses to keep records for five years after the transaction is completed, that's it. Feel free to start deleting all those 2005 or older files or save to disk and tuck away in storage.
2. Organize your desktop. If you've been letting your desktop fill up, take a few minutes to file away or delete the clutter. This will give you a chance to leave just the items you use every day on your desktop and make for easier navigation when helping customers.
3. Visit the add and remove programs area. If you're the sort of person who has tried a number of programs, or even if you've just stopped using some of your older software, you'll find a gold mine of opportunity for cleaning up your system.
COMPANY WEB SITE REFRESH
If your business still offers the same services, at the same rates, and has the same phone number, why bother "cleaning up" anything? But the thing is, when nothing on your site changes, regular visitors start to wonder if anyone is minding the site or really cares about it.
1. Change your homepage photo(s). Every home page should feature at least one sharp, compelling image that says something about your business - and it's a change visitors will immediately notice.
2. Refresh outdated info. Does the overall message you created last year still make sense today? Or is it noticeably outdated? That "winter special" promotion really should be gone by March. Get rid of anything that highlights outdated information or specials.
3. Eliminate wordiness. Most visitors want your Web page to deliver basic information about your business, without all the wordiness. Unclutter those pages congested with text. Place the detailed educational content that shows off your expertise into a PDF file that a visitor can download.
4. Advertise your site for free. Make sure you've listed you shop and Web site on www.WhyGelato.com. WhyGelato.com gives businesses serving gelato all over the country the opportunity to list their establishment FOR FREE - so that gelato lovers everywhere can find their local shops.
WhyGelato.com also gives you the ability to share stories, upcoming gelato events and current gelato news all through WhyGelato.com. Already listed? Make sure your information is still current and your existing or new Web site is linked on your WhyGelato.com listing.
Look at each of the areas discussed here and evaluate which ones apply to your company. Write down your objectives, then break each one down into specific tasks- this is your spring cleaning to do List. Set aside the amount of time needed for your cleaning. Assign specific tasks to specific dates and times so you can be sure to get them done.
Spring cleaning is therapeutic. You will be richer in spirit, space and pocketbook after this successful event. The time you spend spring cleaning your shop will more than pay for itself over time.
