Professional Tips to Help Businesses Become Game Changers this Football Season: From the Experts at

Dress to impress. In football, even non-fans can recognize many teams by their colors and helmets. As an important part of a company's identity and brand, uniforms cue customers on atmosphere, customer service and cleanliness, and help distinguish between customers and employees. Whether you're looking for a contemporary, retail-inspired look or a more traditional one, uniforms can speak volumes about your brand and business. Cintas embodies this best practice by offering a variety of uniform programs and services, including an exclusive line of Carhartt Rental Workwear, an exclusive line of women's workwear, an extensive collection of environmentally-friendly apparel and flame resistant clothing.

In addition, the appearance of frequently accessed areas like main rooms, entryways and restrooms can help set a business apart from the competition. Cintas' new Signature Series of designer restroom accessories offers organizations a colorful, stylish alternative to the industrial look of the standard restroom.

Maintain clean playing surfaces. Few things deter a customer from revisiting a restaurant or retail store like a dirty floor. In order to keep floors in top-notch condition, Cintas recommends complementing daily tile and carpet cleaning routines with professional deep cleaning. Using high levels of heat, pressure and extraction, deep cleaning completely revitalizes floors, returning them to "like new" condition. The process also works on darkened grout lines - removing bacteria and dirt buildup and returning them to their original color.

Strengthen your defense. Just as football teams need to protect their playbooks from the opposing team, businesses need to prevent their private information from ending up in the wrong hands. To avoid potential threats, Cintas recommends that business leaders protect confidential documents throughout their entire lifecycle, from creation and distribution to storage and disposal. It's also critical that the document management program complies with federal, state and regulatory laws and internal company policies. Cintas also provides specialized online training to ensure that employees (like players) know how to deal with key circumstances when they arise.

Proactively protect your players. Like in football, a healthy, well-trained team improves one's chances of running a successful business. Business leaders can keep staff and customers top of mind by ensuring that rigid first aid and safety programs are in place. This includes proactive solutions such as first aid and CPR training, and maintaining the right equipment, like up-to-date first aid cabinets, fire extinguishers and the proper protective gear. Businesses should also offer reactive solutions such as external defibrillators (AEDs) for unforeseeable emergencies. Maintaining an up-to-date safety program is key to keeping your best players on the field, and providing a safe environment for your customers and guests.

Prepare for the unexpected. As every coach knows, a single play can completely change the momentum and outcome of a game. Similarly, a fire can instantly disrupt a business, resulting in significant structural damage and business interruption. To help prevent a fire from escalating into a tragedy, business leaders should map out emergency escape procedures and routes, create a fire emergency response team and roll call system, and perform unannounced fire alarm drills. Cintas is a leader in fire protection services that can ensure your team is equipped to face a fire emergency and compliant with regulatory code.