Succeed As Your Own Boss

ENDING SMALL BUSINESS FAILURE

  • Home
  • About
  • Book Melinda
  • Consulting
  • SBL Store
  • SmallBizLady University
  • Free Tools
  • Podcast
  • #Smallbizchat
    • Be a #SmallBizChat Guest
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • We’re Hiring!
You are here: Home / Guest Articles / The Secret to a Successful Retail Business

The Secret to a Successful Retail Business

January 23, 2018 By Melinda Emerson 1 Comment

Feel free to share...Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on google
Google
Share on linkedin
Linkedin
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on reddit
Reddit
Share on email
Email
Share on print
Print

Sponsored Post

Do you know the Value of Clean? Well, remember the last time you went into a public restroom in a retail establishment and realized that they might not value their customers?  You know what I mean — one of those scary bathrooms where you thought you might catch something if you touched anything. Would you go back to that store or restaurant?  According to the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA), 94 percent of people would avoid a business in the future if they encountered dirty restrooms! While many business owners tend to view cleaning as a cost-center, P&G Professional studies have shown that cleaning can actually be a profit-generating activity.

People value going into a business that looks and smells clean, especially in the restrooms.

There are food chains who have built their brand promise as an inexpensive, consistent meal delivered in a clean environment. The last time you took a road trip with your whole family, did you stop at a gas station when your kids said they had to go and roll the dice on whether the bathroom was clean, or did you make them hold it until you saw a business you knew and trusted?

P&G Professional provides the cleaning products from brands you know and trust, like Mr. Clean, Comet, Febreze and Dawn, but formulated for professional settings, both large and small. 95 percent of Americans would return to a business if they think it is clean and they’re more likely to recommend the business to their friends and family*. So keeping your retail business clean and smelling good could be another value proposition.

Here are a few steps to help you maintain a clean business environment. Create a checklist for employees responsible for maintaining your clean brand. Use an hourly check-in sheet in the restrooms that employees must sign to maintain accountability. Leave a sign in the restroom inviting visitors to notify a manager if the bathroom is not tidy.  Below is an example of a cleaning checklist.

Create a 7-Point Cleaning Checklist for Employees

  1. Clean Sinks and Countertops

    Maintenance people should spray the sink and all countertops with an antibacterial disinfectant and then wipe the surfaces down with a wet paper towel, which should then be disposed of.

  1. Empty Wastebasket

    The bag in the wastebasket should be thrown away and replaced with a new bag. Any garbage contained inside the wastebasket, but outside the bag, should also be thrown out. Periodically, the wastebasket should be wiped down.

  1. Disinfect Toilets & Urinals

    The toilet bowls and urinals should be wiped off or scrubbed out. The toilets should then be sprayed with a disinfectant like Comet Disinfecting Cleaner, and wiped down, both inside the bowl and outside. Urinal cakes should be replaced, if needed.

  1. Replace Toilet Paper Rolls, Toilet Seat Covers

    All toilet paper rolls that have less than one-fifth of their paper left should be removed and replaced with a new roll. The toilet seat cover dispenser should be refilled with new covers.

  1. Refill Hand Soap and Wipe Down Mirrors

    All hand soap dispensers should also be refilled to capacity. Mirrors should be sprayed with glass cleaner and wiped clear of all obvious smudges or stains.

  1. Replace Hand Towels and Check Drying Machines

    The hand-towel dispenser should be opened and examined for blockages. Once is it determined that the machine is operating correctly, it should be refilled to capacity. Electronic hand drying machines should also be checked to make sure they are working correctly too.

  1. Polish Fixtures & Sweep and Mop Floors

    All fixtures, including the knobs on the door, the toilet seat cover dispenser, the electric hand dryer, the paper towel dispenser and any other objects people might touch should be cleaned, disinfected and polished so that all visible stains are removed. All floors should be swept and then thoroughly mopped. A “Caution” sign should be placed outside and inside the bathroom until the floors are dry.

If you train your employees to use these cleaning steps, maintain hourly check-ins and a full daily maintenance schedule, your customers will know for sure that your business is a shinning example of the “Value of Clean.” Don’t forget P&G Professional products when you stock up on cleaning products for your business. They are specifically formulated for use in a commercial environment and if you trust these brands in your home, why not in your business too!

This post was sponsored by Procter & Gamble Professional, but the content and opinions are that of Melinda Emerson.

About Procter & Gamble Professional
P&G Professional is the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble, serving the foodservice, building cleaning and maintenance, healthcare, hospitality, food/drug/mass, and convenience store industries. P&G Professional offers complete solutions utilizing its parent company’s scale, trusted brands and strengths in market and consumer understanding. P&G Professional features such brands as Tide Professional®, Dawn Professional®, Mr. Clean Professional®, Febreze® Professional, Swiffer® Professional, Comet®, Spic and Span®, Bounty®, Safeguard®, and its own brand, P&G Pro Line®. Please visit www.pgpro.com for the latest information about P&G Professional’s solutions and services.

*From the 2017 P&G Professional Consumer Cleaning Insights Survey

Feel free to share...Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on google
Google
Share on linkedin
Linkedin
Share on pinterest
Pinterest
Share on reddit
Reddit
Share on email
Email
Share on print
Print

Filed Under: Guest Articles, Starting A Small Business, Your Small Business Tagged With: @ProcterGamble ‏, business secrets, cleaning checklist, successful retail business

Fix Your Business Now!

Order SmallBizLady's new book Fix Your Business, 90-Day plan to Get Back Your Life and Reduce Chaos in Your Business. It includes the 12 Ps of Running a Successful Business and readers will finish the book with a new strategic plan to take their business to the next level.

About Melinda Emerson

Melinda F. Emerson, “SmallBizLady” is America’s #1 Small Business Expert. She is an internationally renowned keynote speaker on small business development, social selling, and online marketing strategy. As CEO of Quintessence Group, her Philadelphia-based marketing consulting firm serves Fortune 500 brands that target the small business market. Clients include Amazon, Adobe, Verizon, VISA, Google, FedEx, Chase, American Express, The Hartford, and Pitney Bowes. She also has an online school, www.smallbizladyuniversity.com, that teaches people online marketing and how to start and grow a successful small business and publishes a blog SucceedAsYourOwnBoss.com. Her advice is widely read, reaching more than 3 million entrepreneurs each week online. She hosts The Smallbizchat Podcast and is the bestselling author of Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revised and Expanded, and Fix Your Business, a 90 Day Plan to Get Back Your Life and Reduce Chaos in Your Business.

Comments

  1. Eric Ainsworth says

    January 23, 2018 at 10:25 am

    The value of clean restrooms can truly be seen in Buc-ee’s, the Texas gas station company. Buc-ee’s has built its entire brand around clean extremely clean restrooms. If any has had the pleasure of stopping in one while it Texas you would understand. Buc-ee’s has a cult-like following and people will not stop at other gas station if there is a one on their the way.

    Customers Value Clean – Plain & Simple

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let’s Connect

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • tiktok
  • pinterest
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • feedburner

Sign up for the SmallBizLady BUZZ Newsletter and be the first to receive updates and details about upcoming events:

We’re proud to be part of the Mediaplanet Empowering Small Business campaign! The COVID-19 pandemic brought hardship and ruin on the nation’s small businesses, but there’s now reason for hope. Learn about the resources, support, and tools available to help your small business bounce back and grow stronger than ever by picking up a copy of the campaign in USA Today and reading it online here.

Get a FREE Chapter of SmallBizLady’s Book,
"Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, Revised and Expanded"!

Become Your Own Boss

Most Popular Posts

>Seven Ways to be More Profitable in Your Small Business
> 7 Ways to Attract Customers to Your Small Business
> 6 Tips for Managing Small Business Finances
> How to Run a Successful Multilevel Marketing Business
> 10 Ways to Grow Your Small Business With Instagram
> How to Sell on Facebook
> How to Get Over the Fear of Starting a New Business

Featured Videos

Bloomberg News Interview
How to Support Small Businesses During the Holidays

National Speakers Association
Winter Conference

Fox 29 Philadelphia
'Small Biz Lady' gives best advice for starting a new business in the New Year

Fox Business
Starting a Business

MSNBC
The importance of job mentoring for women

#SmallBizChat Live
National Small Business Week: Q&A

Good Day Philadelphia
Expert Shares Tips on How to Become Your Own Boss

Testimonials

Become Your Own Boss is a must read if you’re thinking of launching a business of your own.
Jean Chatzky, Bestselling Author of Money 911 and Financial Editor of NBC’s Today Show
Great step-by-step advice for anyone looking to start their own business.
Andrew C. Taylor, Chairman, Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Melinda Emerson has written a remarkable book. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to make the transition from working girl to successfully working it, as an entrepreneur.
Cynthia McClain-Hill, Past President, National Association of Women Business Owners
The perfect companion for those planning to go out on their own. Melinda delivers firsthand practical advice on how to be the successful entrepreneur. Read it if you want to get it right the first time.
Kenneth L. Shropshire, Professor at the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania
If you are looking for a versatile speaker who can talk about how to grow small businesses or get started with social media, look no further.
Heather Van Sickle Executive Director, National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE)
Her wit and depth of subject knowledge were entertaining and empowering. Melinda is definitely on our short list of seasoned entrepreneurs and business leaders we look to invite back in the near future.
Tennille M. Robinson Senior content & Event producer for Inc. magazine
Melinda Emerson, “SmallBizLady,” is an engaging and witty speaker and a great addition to any conference. Her terrific presentation and compelling delivery give people the information they need and want to become their own bosses and grow success… Read more
Laurie Dalton White Conference Director, Pennsylvania Conference for Women
Melinda Emerson has been a fantastic small business and social media resource for the Pitney Bowes team. Not only is she personable and easy to work with, but she also has an innate understanding of the small business audience. My marketing programs … Read more
Justin Amendola, Former VP, Global SMB Digital Strategy, Pitney Bowes

Latest #SmallBizChat

How Smart Nonprofits are Building Recession-Proof Revenue Streams

Let’s face it—if your nonprofit is still relying solely on grant applications and those annual galas where board members reluctantly bid on vacation packages they don’t want, you might as well be using a rotary phone to call potential donors. In today’s economic climate, diversification isn’t just smart—it’s survival. Several nonprofit CEOs I’ve spoken with […]

Fix Your Business Q&A Video

Recent Posts

  • How Smart Nonprofits are Building Recession-Proof Revenue Streams
  • The SmallBizChat Podcast: Hit It and Quit It with Mitch Axelrod, Dr. Dan Young, and Rich Trotter
  • 50 Best Free Apps for Small Business Owners
  • The SmallBizChat Podcast: How to Reinvent a Legacy Business with Rich Trotter
  • May 2025 #SmallBizChat: How to Position Your Brand with Multicultural Markets

#SmallBizChat

  • SmallBizChat Archive
  • @SmallBizLady

Business Advice

  • How to Start

SmallBizLady Store

Products

Free Chapter

Get In Touch

  • FAQ
  • Be a #SmallBizChat Guest
  • Contact Us
Copyright © 2025
Quintessence Entertainment, Inc
PO Box 280
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
(610) 352-0680
Privacy Policy · Refund Policy

Let’s Connect

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • tiktok
  • pinterest
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • feedburner