When you first start your business, boundaries aren't at the forefront of your plans. You're building a website, creating offers, mastering marketing and sales and onboarding your first clients. And once you get those clients, you're so excited to serve them and "wow" them beyond expectation that sometimes, you forget to set very basic boundaries.
Then your clients are SO satisfied that your business grows. Soon you're serving multiple clients in several containers and maybe even leading your first VA, or even better, your own TEAM! Fast forward to creating the business of your dreams and all you can think about is how exhausting it all is. How you don't spend enough time with your family. How annoyed you are with that one client who constantly messages you after 7pm or that team member that doesn't seem to know what "Goole it" means before reaching out to your for the answer. And maybe you're even thinking about how you may have fallen out of love with your business.
This, my love, is a sign of burnout and it will 100% stunt the growth of your business.
But how do you rein in your frustration? How do you find breathing space when you thought bringing on a VA or building a team would be the solution?
On one hand, you can totally pair down your offers, cut some lingering clients and start fresh. On the other hand, you can continue to build this incredible business as is and fall back in love with it be creating business boundaries.
Boundaries are essential not only in your personal life, but specifically in business. Boundaries protect your time, energy, and resources. Setting boundaries around working hours, response times, and project scope prevents overcommitment and thus the dreaded burnout.
Most often when I talk to entrepreneurs, their first concern is not wanting to be "too rigid" or come off as "unavailable or bitchy". They want their clients to feel free and comfortable coming to them. And I'm here to tell you that your clients appreciate boundaries. When you consistently uphold your boundaries, it demonstrates self-respect. This leads your clients and team to respect you and your boundaries as well. It not only prevents people from taking advantage of you, but weeds out the ones who inevitably will.
Boundaries also protect your focus. They prevent you from taking on too much so you can devote yourself fully to your core business goals and priorities. And when you're not overcommitted in your business, and fully focusing on what ticks the needle forward, you have more time (and money) for yourself and your family outside of work.
If you haven't considered boundaries as essential to your business as sales and marketing are, then I hope my little boundary sermon has just chagned your mind!
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