Five Steps to Setting Boundaries in Business

Operating a business without boundaries will lead to some less than ideal situations — no matter how good your intentions may be. I can attest to this with every fiber of my being, unfortunately. Businesses are run by humans — and unfortunately humans require boundaries. Boundaries not only make sure you’re honoring yourself and are able to serve your clients from the best of your ability, but also help set and manage client expectations.

Maybe you’ve taken the leap into freelancing or have started your own service based business — however you’re wearing yourself thin trying to appease clients. Or maybe you’ve been working for yourself for years but still aren’t thriving or have found the “joy” you thought was possible through working for yourself. I’d say it’s time to re-evaluate your boundaries and do a little tidy-ing up structurally.

Step One: Non-Negotiables

The first step in the process of setting boundaries, regardless of where you’re at in your business requires you to determe what your non-negotiables are. You must remember that you are in control of your time and your experience. You can be as silly or serious with your non-negotiables because, to be honest, you don’t ever need to explain what the non-negotiable is behind the boundary you’re going to be setting. You just need to be crystal clear on what you do and don’t enjoy!

For example — maybe you really enjoy having a three day weekend and feel more refreshed and productive. There’s no need to explain that to a potential or current client. You just need to make sure your business hours reflect that.

Personally, I found that it’s best if I set a few days aside a week to meet with new or current clients. When I’m working on a project it takes me a good 1–2 hours to get into a productive flow. If I have to interrupt that flow constantly it impacts my productivity which frustrates me and I just don’t create my best work from that place. This doesn’t serve the client, or me.

Step Two: Creating Structures & Processes that Support your Non-Negotiables

Once you decide what your non-negotiables are, you can create systems and procedures to make sure you are honoring your…