Boundaries in Business
Years ago, creating healthy boundaries in our business saved us from repeating the burnout we were started to feel. At first it felt scary to say no in places I was use to saying yes, but with practice I experienced so much freedom in following through with my no's that it made my YES's that much more powerful. When I said yes to something it meant I was going to be there fully!
Boundaries aren't only about protecting you: they help give you back time and energy so that you can spend more time enjoying your businesses and life more!
The best part about boundaries is you can set them whenever you're ready for one and/or adjust and fine tune them as needed! Below are a few of the ways I created boundaries in my business over the years during my time as a photographer and now my time as a coach.
blocked off no-work dates on important dates/holidays/birthdays and used a set schedule for coaching hours
raised prices in alignment with the value I was providing so that I didn't get as many bookings, but the ones I got always felt right to exchange time for
redirected clients from texting to email (not only to keep me from receiving messages at 10 pm but so that I had a written record of all communication and I didn't have to spend time searching for an old chat to reference something I had forgotten)
Started to take vacations for rest purposes and stopped trying to create business trips out of all of my travel
took breaks from social media when I felt mentally exhausted by it
continually updated website, branding language, and contracts to clarify expectations and match what I was currently offering. This prevented people who were not a fit for me from even inquiring and even made a few people rethink working with us before signing a contract that has something they weren't sure about, (but that was super important to us!)
limited the maximum number of clients I'd book per year
outsourced where and when possible (outsourcing looks different to everyone- for us it started with hiring a cleaner once a month to do a deep clean, therefore giving us back valuable time to work on things we loved, more time to be with family and friends, and/or more time to just spend time alone! We eventually outsourced more things like bookkeeping, taxes, blogging, editing, etc but start where you feel comfortable)
did my best to keep clear and consistent communication with clients/vendors (and when we weren't clear and it caused any issue, we did our best to refine our process and/or contract again to keep with best practices!
established genuine and healthy relationships that felt supportive and encouraging and said no to hanging out with people that complain all of the time or just brought me down in general.
AND
where something wasn't clear OR when I experienced circumstances I didn't enjoy in my business, I reflected and refined my boundaries again. Sometimes refining a boundary meant removing it altogether OR reflecting on the bigger question: Why did I need this boundary in the first place? Do I still need this boundary or have I shifted in some way?
“satisfaction comes from honoring your boundaries while simultaneously honoring your desires.”
Do you struggle with boundaries in your life and/or business?
I can help! Whether you've been working on raising your rates for the last year or need help saying no to things that you really don't want to be doing, I can help you navigate the emotion of following through with your NO's so you can begin to say yes to yourself!
Book a complimentary 30 minute clarity coaching call and I can help! I'd love to help you lean into learning how to create healthy, feel good boundaries in your business and/or life so that you can begin to enjoy it more!
book a free clarity call and we'll use the 30 minutes to help you gain clarity on your alignment, your desires, and setting boundaries that feel good
Want to know about my favorite alignment tool: Journaling? Are you looking for a way to connect with your intuitive self? I created a simple course called Journaling Into Alignment where I teach you how to use journaling to get into alignment with yourself. Check out the details by clicking this button below
