A clean, organized shop makes sales easier

There are obvious benefits to keeping your shop organized. When you need something, you know where to find it—if you put it back each time you finish using it. This becomes even more important when you add staff to the mix. It’s not very smart to be paying people to look around the shop every time they need a certain roll of vinyl or the box of razor blades.

But the other benefit is the message that it sends to your customers. Customers naturally equate a clean, organized business with quality and efficiency. Likewise, they are likely to doubt the competence of a disorganized, chaotic place of business.

Bob and Teresa Kaschak [Artisan Signs & Designs, Peru, New York] have witnessed the power of this in their business. Over the years, they realized the powerful perception that their workspace creates in the minds of customers. A few years ago when they renovated a building to use as their shop, they wanted to use this to their maximum advantage.