Agency Spring Cleaning

I woke up with one of those uneasy feelings in the pit of my stomach. The kind anxious energy of forgetting something important, but not clues as to what it could be.

Despite feeling uneasy all morning, around lunchtime, the universe seemed to lend me a hand when John — one of my newest care plan clients — emailed me out of the blue.

That was it! Did I ever set up John’s recurring billing?

Sure enough — I had sent him an email outlining his billing schedule and confirming the accounts receivable address, but I never actually scheduled the invoices.

It’s honestly surprising this doesn’t happen more often, given the daily distraction we face while trying to keep all the plates spinning that keep our agency operational.

I was fortunate this time — John’s site is only a couple months old and I hadn’t lost much — but what if the universe hadn’t been on my side?

Maybe it’s Spring in the air — but this situation has got me thinking about what else might be falling through the cracks in the midst of the ongoing chaos of agency life?

So, I’ve decided to make May my “Agency Spring Cleaning” month where I’ll be dedicating 4 hours each week throughout the month to tidying up and dusting off the items that only seem to get attention when something’s gone wrong.

My hope is that I can prevent a few of those anxious mornings (and stomach ulcers).

I’ve been brainstorming what that might look like — for me and other agencies — and I thought I’d share what I’ve come up with:

• Audit Billing: Ensure all clients are being billed correctly and no invoices are slipping through the cracks.
• Update Client Records: Verify that all client records have the latest information and statuses.
• Review Service Contracts: Review your service agreements for changes to terms, policies, etc.
• Refresh Website Content: Update agency website with up-to-date information, new testimonials, etc.
• Assess Tools & Subscriptions: Cancel unused subscriptions and audit utilization of tools.
• Organize Internal Files: Declutter & organize local and cloud storage systems.
• Compliance Audit: Review updates to applicable laws to ensure compliance.
• Review Insurance Policies: Ensure your business insurance it’s still in alignment with your revenue, risks, and operational changes.
• Performance Reviews: Conduct annual performance reviews to discuss achievements, areas for improvement, future goals.
• Financial Health Check: Review financial statements, savings/retirement, budget allocation, tax plans.
• Physical Workspace Cleanup: Organize and declutter office space for a more productive working environment.
• Backup Data: Ensure all critical data is backed up and systems are functioning properly.

Having gone through this though exercise, it feels like one of those things I should be ashamed I haven’t been doing all along. Or, perhaps my business is landing in place where I can be more proactive and less reactionary (putting it that way makes me feel better about myself at least).

Do you schedule in time for business development? Or do you just put out the fires as you happen upon them?