There are so many new challenges that present themselves throughout the course of running your own business. Taking care of routine cleaning, maintenance, and upkeep during the day while you’re open to customers is one of those challenges. What happens when it comes time to paint?
Find Out If Staying Open Is an Option
In some places and for certain types of businesses, it is actually not legal to stay open while you’re painting. There are some specific reasons for this, and most of them are related to customer and employee safety and health.
Anytime you undertake a project like painting your business, you should check with your local jurisdiction’s building department before beginning.
Plan, Plan, Plan
Just like everything that goes into running your business, planning is everything.
If you are allowed to stay open, you may want to plan painting projects for times of the year when the weather in your area is temperate. That way, you can leave doors and windows open during the project to help the air circulate and minimize fumes. Avoid times of the year that are especially cold or hot.
You need to carefully assess and make an educated estimate about how long the project will take from start to completion. Consider everything, from moving inventory and equipment to setting things back up.
Announce Your Plans to Your Customers and Clients
Careful planning also allows you to build some time to prepare your customers or clients. If you run a yoga studio, for example, you might want to have your instructors make an announcement at the beginning of their classes for the two weeks before the painting begins.
This kind of thing is another place where an active social media presence comes in handy. If you can get the bulk of your loyal customer base to follow you on social media, you can alert them to the upcoming painting.
Of course, old-fashioned signage works well, too, and is essential once the project begins. Put a sign on your door warning clients about the work being done. If you have a storefront, you may also want to put a double-sided standing sign outside letting passersby know that you’re open during the painting.
Paint in Zones
Unless you have an especially small space and can get the painting done in just a day, you’ll want to paint in zones, and consider leaving a buffer zone between the space being painted and the space you will use to tend to customers.
Painting in zones can also help break the project into manageable sizes.
Handle Complaints
More than likely, you will need to handle the odd complaint. How you will decide to handle it is up to you and depends on your type of business. The important thing here is to plan accordingly.
Look Forward to the Project’s Completion
There are lots of ways to get both loyal and new customers excited about your business’s new look. Consider a social media campaign, special sale, or hand out return discounts to customers who come by while the painting is still in progress.
Most importantly, enjoy your business’s new look!