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Have you set boundaries in your small business? If you haven’t and want to find out how to go about setting boundaries then you are in the right place. Whether you need to set boundaries for yourself, your clients or the people you hire I’m here to help you. Keep on reading to find out how to set boundaries in your small business.
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HOW TO SET BOUNDARIES IN YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
Why you need to set boundaries in your small business?
Before we delve into how to set boundaries in your small business, I believe it is important to understand why you need to set boundaries.
As a small business owner, you are in charge – you are the boss. That means you get to set the rules. However, many business owners start their business without rules. In many cases, they’re excited to leave the rules of corporate life behind or class themselves as a free-spirit and don’t want to be restricted by rules.
Whilst a rule-free life might sound glorious it usually results in issues further down the line.
So even if the thought of setting rules or boundaries feels you with dread, I encourage you to reframe your thoughts. This isn’t about having to follow ridiculous rules that make no sense. You aren’t having to follow other people’s rules. This is you taking control and making choices to help you run a business you love and create a life you love too.
Setting boundaries for yourself
The first type of boundaries you need to set in your small business are for yourself. As a small business owner it is easy to pour your heart, soul, money, energy and basically everything into your business and let it become all consuming. Whilst that might work for a limited period of time it will eventually result in burnout, resentment and more. That is why you need to set boundaries for yourself. Think about the business you want to create and the life you want to lead and then set boundaries you actively work towards creating that vision.
Boundaries around when you’ll work
If you are like most business owners then it is likely that you love what you do, but even if that is true to work at your best you can’t be working 24/7. Setting boundaries around your work is key to help ensure you get burnout in the long run. Also, if you want to me your most productive and creative self then having adequate time to rest, rejuvenate and dream are key. Let’s be real you know that creativity doesn’t happen when you are chained to your desk. So free yourself from the desk, have fun and whilst it is counterproductive it will help you grow a more successful business.
When it comes to setting boundaries around when you’ll work there are a few things you can consider:
- The times of the day you’ll work
- The days of the week you’ll work
- The times of the year you’ll work.
For example, if you are a parent, guardian or caregiver you might decide you want a business that totally runs around your family, so you’ll only work between 9:30am and 2:30pm, Monday to Friday and in term-time.
Boundaries around how you’ll spend your working hours
Now that you’ve set boundaries for your total working hours it is time to get a bit more specific about how you’ll use your time. For example, if you are a service-based business owner you might set hours around the hours you’ll work with clients and the hours that are for non-client work. It is essential as a business owner that you make time to work on your business, not in your business. Working on your business usually doesn’t feel busy and is often on the bottom of a small business owner’s list because it is important but not urgent. Setting boundaries around dedicated time to working on your business will help with business growth and if you aren’t sure how to work on your business not in it you can get some ideas here – 9 ways to work on your business not in your business.
A great way to work on your business, not in your business is by having a strategy day. I know when you are running your own business it is easy to get stuck working in your business, which is why I run strategy days. For just one day I ask you to step away from clients and will guide you through a process to help your gain clarity on any mixture of the following: business vision, financial goals, pricing and marketing. To find out, and to book a strategy day visit – To find out more, and to book a strategy day, click here.
Outside of working on your business and setting client hours you might go even more specific about how you’ll spend your working hours. For example, I’ve worked with clients and helped them theme their days. This enables them to maximise their productivity and makes it easy to schedule in when they’ll do certain tasks.
Boundaries on technology and communication
Technology is a business owner’s best friend and worst enemy. Your job is to ensure that you are using technology to support you and your business rather than it negatively impacting it.
One area where boundaries around technology is often required is communication. Whether that be telephone calls, emails, texts, social media notifications etc. Every single time you stop to answer a call, reply to an email or respond to a comment on a social media post you’ll likely be moving your attention from a higher value task and context switching has a detrimental impact on productivity.
As a small business owner, you want to maximise your productivity which means limiting distractions. Work out when you’ll have devices switched on and when they’ll be off. Turn notifications off and decide who you will and won’t accept calls from during your working hours.
Boundaries around what you’ll do for free (if anything)
Now whilst setting boundaries around your time and technology are spoken about a lot I don’t feel as if as many people talk about setting boundaries around what you’ll do for free. This is especially important if you are someone who feels as if you are giving away too much of your time for free at the moment.
As a small business owner your time is precious and every time you do something for free it is taking time away from you being able to do another income-generating activity or just enjoying your life. Therefore, it is essential you work out when you’ll do something for free and when you won’t.
For example, you might decide that you are happy to appear on a podcast for free, but for appearing in-person you have to be paid. Another example would be you’ll work for free for a charity, but not for a for-profit organisation.
Boundaries around the clients you will, and won’t, work with
If you are a service-based business owner, then I would argue that it is essential that you set boundaries around the clients you will and won’t work with.
Hopefully you’ve done work around your ideal client avatar already. However, we all know that just because we have an ideal client in our mind doesn’t mean everyone who comes to work with us fits that criteria. Now you don’t have to turn someone away just because they aren’t your ideal client. However, you should have some boundaries around who you will and won’t work with.
2. Setting boundaries for your clients
Once you’ve set boundaries for yourself it is time to set boundaries for the other people you’ll be working with – the first being your clients.
Boundaries around working hours
Hopefully you’ve already set a boundary around your working hours (for your business and for your clients) so this should be an easy boundary to set with your clients. Let them know right from the beginning of working together what your working hours are.
Boundaries around communication
A key boundary you need to set with clients is acceptable modes and times for communication. There are now numerous ways that people can contact you (email, phone, text, Voxer, social media, Whatsapp etc). If you aren’t careful you’ll get contacted in numerous ways and all hours of the day and night. Not only could this type of communication drive you mad, but it also makes it easy for you to miss something or forget something. Decide what methods of communication you want to use and what hours you are accessible. Make it clear that communication via other channels will be ignored and communication outside of hours will not be responded to until reviewed in your working hours. If suitable you may decide to give a communication option for absolute emergencies.
Boundaries around deliverables / turnaround times etc
If you are a service-based business owner (like a virtual assistant , social media manager, designer, photographer etc) who provides a done-for-you service then setting boundaries around deliverables and turnaround times is key. Let your clients know how much notice you need ahead of work and how much time you’ll need to complete tasks or projects.
3. Setting boundaries with contractors, employees and team
Now I’ve saved this one for last as I know it won’t apply to everyone (hello solopreneurs) and also because you need to be clear on your own boundaries first to enable you to set effective boundaries with other people you hire.
There are numerous overlaps between boundaries for clients and boundaries for your team.
Boundaries around working hours
As the boss you’ll need to let everyone know when you are working and what when you expect them to work. You might hire someone in a different time zone and say you are happy for them to work whenever is best for them, but you have a weekly meeting that everyone is required to attend. If you have these types of boundaries in your business then it is essential that this is discussed in the hiring process to ensure they are able to meet the requirements.
Boundaries around communication
In the same way as you do with clients it is key that you make clear the rules of communication in your business. The boundaries should be around methods of communication, as well as hours. Also, you might have a procedure for when something needs a quick response.
Boundaries around delivery
If you are hiring someone then most likely you have a clear idea of what they should be delivering in your business. The clearer you can be about what you expect and how you expect it to be delivered the easier it will be for both parties.
There you have it! You now know how to set boundaries in your small business.
Now when it comes to setting boundaries in your business the options are endless, but hopefully this blog post has helped you to see some you can start making to help you run a successful business that brings you joy and money.
In the comments, I would love to know boundaries you already have in your business or what boundary you are going to set having read this blog post.
WANT HELP TO GROW A BUSINESS YOU LOVE?
As a business owner, you have to make lots of decisions and it is so much easier when you have someone helping you. That’s why I focus on supporting solo and small service-based business owner. I help them get strategic about the business and life they want to create and then ensure that their offerings, pricings and marketing will help them to achieve them.
Ready to make decisions quickly and start moving your business forward asap? Then book a Strategy Day. You can book a Strategy Day by clicking here.
Don’t think a Strategy Day is right for you and want to work together in a different way? Drop me a message here to discuss other options.
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