Spring-cleaning is about starting fresh. By applying this mindset to your business, you can return your business to a healthier, livelier, and more profitable state in no time.

The year is 25 percent over. Where are you with your business goals? It is human nature to fall back into old habits the further we move away from the initial excitement about a new plan. So, let's get out the strategic plan from the beginning of the year and re-evaluate where you are.

And why not start with some physical spring cleaning.

Enter through the front door of your business tomorrow morning. Take a look at your displays. How inviting are they? Check your frames for fingerprints, clean nose pads. Are the frames in proper bench alignment? Remember, you can never change a first impression. That is true for your store as well as for the individual frame. If it feels and looks good upon first try, your patient will relax and feel better about the big chore of buying new eyeglasses.

Next you may want to look at your dispensing area and your front desk.

De-clutter your workspace. According to research done at the Princeton University Neuroscience Institute, scientists found that physical clutter negatively affects your ability to focus and process information. Each time you have to search for a tool or a piece of paper you are wasting time. It may only be a few minutes here and there, but it adds up.

Based on a 40 hour/ 5 day work-week, here is how time adds up:

So, if you spend 15 minutes a day to find something in your cluttered lab, you will have spent 8 days of your working hours in one year conducting non-productive searches. And this is not even considering what it does to the focused mindset. Each time you interrupt your workflow, you lose your focus, it will take time to come back to the task at hand.

Now imagine a spring-cleaned work space...Not only will it feel fresh and organized, you will be in control of your environment.

Now that the cleaning part is over, let's take a look at your business as a whole.

When you talk about your company, what words do you use?

Do you focus on the business itself, the key features it offers? As you listen to yourself, do you hear, "I" or "Us"? Or, "You" and "Your"?

It's a familiar habit to praise the virtues of your company, but your business features have value only as they benefit your patients. The paradigm of work has shifted to a "creator economy"; work itself is being redefined. We are seeing an increased need for re-learning and creative thinking. The focus has moved from "What you know" to "How do you add value."

Think about your patients. What problems do you solve for them? How is their work accomplished more quickly or pleasantly by your services? Ask the right questions with a smile, listen carefully, and you'll discover everything you need to know to help convert the patient into a client for life who refers all of his or her friends to purchase their eyeglasses.

Princeton University Neuroscience Institute, January 2015, The Journal of Neuroscience, "Interactions of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Mechanisms in Human Visual Cortex"

Lastly, take a look at the image your company presents to the world – your website, your advertising, your marketing. How much dusting off is needed? Think about patient attraction. When have you done something new and unfamiliar to attract new patients? Remember, we are in a creator's economy. Social media is a great way to let your patrons and your potential clients know how you add value to their lives. And, let's not forget about the old-school method of networking. Join a BNI, volunteer your time, donate your services for a good cause, be visible in your community.

Spring-cleaning is hard work and it will pay off handsomely. Your company will sparkle with more profitability and you'll clearly see your bottom line grow more than ever.

Maggie Sayers is a professional development coach and a Master Optician. Her optical career started over 30 years ago in a family business in Germany.

Since she came to Florida in 1987, she has worked diligently to promote high professional standards in opticianry. Her mission is to help opticians achieve their personal success through serving the public as vision experts.

As a professional development coach Maggie provides education workshops that focus on leadership and personal engagement. Her time management course has inspired many participants to think outside the box, apply newly acquired knowledge and achieve extraordinary results.

Maggie's enthusiasm for opticianry is inspiring and her keen business sense paired with excellent communication skills make her a highly sought after motivational speaker.