No matter how large or how small your business, even if you are a sole practitioner, solopreneur, or just lone wolf, your business needs more space and more cash. Sure you need a lot of other things too, like more clients and more hours in the day, but let’s start with the things that are easiest to make happen. And in this case, more space and more cash frequently go hand-in-hand.
Look around your office or work space and ask yourself what you have that needs to go? Books, file cabinets that are no longer large enough to serve your needs, a printer that’s collecting dust? If you are not using an item frequently, then it is adding to both the clutter in your office and the muddle in your head. “Visual clutter” is a huge energy drain that distracts from your work, clouds your creativity, and stands between you and all those possibilities you hope to achieve.
Clearing out the old or the new-but-no-longer-used isn’t likely to make you wealthy, but it should put a little money in your pocket while creating a sense of forward momentum that is both renewing and inspiring. (Now there’s a payoff of real value!)
So here are 5 easy-breezy ways to clear the clutter out of your office and the cobwebs out of your brain:
- Search the words “swap club” or “swap group” on the internet to find websites or regional groups where members exchange items within the group. You are likely to find exchanges of everything from power tools to home goods to clothing. Word of warning: searching the words swap club could accidentally lead you to groups that exchange in ways you don’t want to swap. The odds of you being able to trade your old HP printer in a group like that are pretty slim.
- Look up consignment shops in your area and see if they want any of the things you are selling.
- If your items merit it, contact an auction house to move your possessions.
- Try eBay, Craigslist, or even the tried and true yard sale or tag sale approach. Yard sales or garage sales don’t have to be a hassle. Partner with a friend, neighbor, or business connection to run the sale. With a partner, you will have twice as many items to attract buyers and half as much work. If you really hate the idea of running the sale yourself, hire a high school or college student to do the work in exchange for a part of the proceeds.
- Look for targeted markets, such as used bookstores, used furniture shops, and buyers of used computer equipment.
Remember to keep a list of what you sell and what you earn and let your tax professional determine if you have any tax liabilities. Also, your community may have specific guidelines regarding yard sales or garage sales so find out what they are before you plan your event.
Most importantly, turn your efforts into a marketing outreach and a branding opportunity. Tell everyone with whom you interact about your business. Give them your elevator speech (and your business card) and show your genuine enthusiasm for clearing out these items in your life because you are making room for bigger and better things in your business. Your genuine enthusiasm for the process will be both intriguing and engaging.
Over and over again, the people who become your best business or consulting clients will often come into your life in ways that may be quite unrelated to the act of conducting your business. Open yourself up to these possibilities and live your life so that you carry your brand and your message into everything you do—not through sales (or yard sales)—but because you live and love it and believe in the integrity of your message.
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