Caring for Your Brick-and-Mortar After the Pandemic
The pandemic has done a number on nearly every aspect of society. But small businesses could be taking the biggest hit, with 80% of small-to-midsize enterprises in the U.K. reporting that their business for this year is declining. However, a handful of lucky survivors remain, and with both the summer and reopening seasons just having begun, it’s time to give you brick-and-mortar establishment a tuneup.
Just as any homeowner will tell you, buildings need tender loving care, too. If you fail to keep up on regular building maintenance, you could end up costing yourself thousands of pounds and a bevy of headaches in the future. But there are a few more incentives to keep your shop clean. An unkempt shop will damage your brand’s credibility and perhaps even your reputation as a business owner. Since your success as a business owner hinges on strong customer relationships and a strong reputation among your business community, you’ll have no choice but to keep your shop presentable. If you’d like to avoid these troubles (as any sensible business owner), check out some tips for keeping your shop in tip-top shape.
Have a spring cleaning day
Even though it’s summer now, many shops have yet to reopen. Therefore, a healthy layer of dust has most likely collected on all of its available surfaces. If you’re about to reopen your shop, but it needs a deep cleaning, summon your employees to help you make the space spick and span. One of the bonuses is that you’ll all have to wear masks regardless; the fumes of some of those cleaning supplies can be pretty harmful to your nose, throat, and lungs.
Check for any water damage
Water damage can wreak havoc on your chequebook, business, and mental health. Before reopening, inspect your shop for any water damage it may have sustained during the quarantine. Moreover, check to see if your pipes are all in working condition and draining correctly. If not, we suggest consulting a flow meter hire to learn how to get your shop’s plumbing back to optimal condition.
Look for leaks in insulation
The last thing you want to do after reopening your shop is rack up costly energy bills. You can save a lot on monthly energy bills by ensuring that your shop’s insulation is still doing its job. If you live in a particularly damp area, see if you need to install a water shield that keeps excess moisture out of your shop’s walls. Unwanted moisture can compromise your insulation’s integrity, leading to mould, vermin, and damp that rots your wooden beams. Yikes! Thankfully, all of this can be avoided by doing a thorough once-over before moving forward.
Pandemic or no pandemic, it’s still responsible for doing a routine maintenance checkup and seeing which areas of your shop could use some renovation. Hopefully, though, you won’t have too much to fix if you follow our suggestions. Thanks for reading, and as always, keep washing those hands.
