Receiving orders or enquiries is what any business want to see and there are various ways to advertise your business, of course a web site is perhaps the main contender and face book. Like so much of our lives on line is how the modern world communicates and is expected to do so .My site Ive had re designed and of course up keep like anything is needed.
I’ve tried advertising in the paper but there was far less interest than I thought and the cost was far more expensive than I thought too. Then there are local magazines. one I used ‘All about Malvern’ was worth the money, you must of heard of it, It’s been around for several years. Perhaps the oldest customer we have is from that magazine it does have a good circulation and I’ve advertised in it a few times. All this helps but without doubt when the weather changes so do people.
It was a long quiet winter for several businesses, including mine but as soon as the weather changes there was an increase or upturn in enquiries. What’s that all about?
It was a very long winter, and people I think go into some kind of hibernation. In Norway the winter nights are very long and apparently they suffer from depression and heavy drinking more than anywhere. So when the sun appears so do we it seems. With sun light comes Vitamin D! that changes things. I’m not one at all for sitting out under a baking sun getting a tan? and pretending I’m having a great time of it when I’m really sweltering but Its UV light, apparently, that’s needed as vitamin D is the happy vitamin. Which goes some of the way to explaining why during winter months less sunshine equals fewer happy people and it’s easier to become depressed or at least lethargic. It’s probably a good idea to go with the seasons as much as you can, adapt to the environment and all that. So probably ‘everyone’s’ waiting for better weather to appear and take advantage of this.
Of course I do think some people are more positive happier people anyway and able to motivate themselves, where certain others need more help..
So despite all the advertising etc the biggest factor I think in many businesses, (especially gardening for example) is the British weather, still affecting our lives perhaps more than we realise. It also means busier time for cleaning as its time for the big spring cleans but as I say to people ‘’you don’t have to wait until spring to have a spring clean’’ – but then I would …
In any job there are risks to health and safety of course usually very small but risks all the same. Cleaning has maybe more so with all the different environments were in and many different cleaning products we have to use form carpet cleaning or oven cleaning, to general house cleaning.
It’s important, as I come from a back ground of rules and regulations in the QA world – such fun that wasn’t, and I know that mostly they are in place for good reasons, so a check of new places when cleaning for potential hazards is a good idea. This we now call hazard analysis, which is really like so many of these rules just common sense you simply need to look around. I’ve produced a form for this which makes things easier and covers the most obvious and expected hazards. This includes but not limited to, wet floors, stairs, steps, trailing leads across a floor and rubbish left then there’s the products we use.
I can assure you though some places are for more hazardous than others! Which can mean there’s an accident waiting to happen every step as there can be many items on the floors so it’s almost impossible not to trip up. This is why places need to be ready for cleaning with items tidied away. It’s not just taking out the hazards but we can have more time cleaning the reason why were there in the first place.
Although we know what the usual hazards are, taking a little time to look at the place your in is worthwhile as everywhere is different. Its not like going into the same old office day in day out, so any one working with me spends a little time going through the hazard sheet and a look around for any new ones.
Then there are the products we have to use, which in the last week has become quite a concern.
A greater concern though was in an article I came across in a paper last week, can’t remember which paper, stating ‘’Housework is as dangerous as cigarettes’’ what?….A study has been conducted by professor Cecil Svanes of the University of Bergen in Norway, with the help of 6235 men and women. It states women who do regular housework or are employed as ‘cleaners’, causing long term damage to their lungs. Now that would worry anyone especially, you guessed it, if you’re the one doing the cleaning…Apparently it’s the irritating chemicals in everyday cleaning products which cause the long term damage, including ammonia, which is the issue. This is over a long time but still it’s something that we should all be aware of. Oddly enough men art at risk as much, one because they done clean as much as women according to the study but also for some reason they are not affected in the same way, which is most odd? But perhaps shows the lack of any real conclusion in this study. Still the take home message is cleaning chemicals are very likely to cause long term substantial damage.
However hold on, we live in a country with very stringent health checks on products and especially those used in the home which have to undergo rigorous testing before sale to the public. If therefore the study was conclusive and this was the accepted view then surly the various products on sale wouldn’t be on sale and public awareness of these long term damage would be wide spread.
Even so it’s worth being cautious so I recommend look at the products your using see what’s in then and possibly avoid the harsher chemicals like ammonia and spray onto the cloth not the surface you’re cleaning and not too much. I often see people over spraying it just isn’t needed a little will do. It certainly something I’m looking at now in my business.
Stephen