Boundaries for Profit and Productivity
Rolling your eyes and wondering why you’re seeing a post with therapy-speak in it? “I’m a business owner, not a patient!” But boundaries are not just for family (or something you only think about with a therapist). Setting boundaries can actually help you in your business.
What are boundaries?
They’re just the limits that you set for yourself when dealing with other people. You don’t necessarily have to let them know “I am setting a boundary” (though for some people that might be liberating!) You might need to let yourself know, especially if you’re a people-pleaser. Some of us who tend toward people pleasing (ahem) know it, but others don’t.
Question for you: do you do more work for some customers than for others for the same price? Do you hesitate to confront your staff when they’re acting up or making errors because you don’t want to rock the boat? Do you let overbearing customers get their way because it’s easier that way?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need some boundaries in your business! If you didn’t, maybe you’ve already got good boundaries, whether you know it or not. That’s great!
Why are boundaries good for this time of year?
Of course, boundaries aren’t just good for business. Maybe you have some people in your life who overstep, and the holidays can make that worse. Maybe you’ve got relatives who are always unpleasant about their views or yours when they visit.
Holidays can actually be stressful. The media always paints this picture of families together in perfect harmony. In the movies there might be a teeny tiny little obstacle for people to get over before the perfect ending where it turns out everyone loves and likes each other after all. It’s not real life.
People also tend to party over the holidays, and you might find it stressful trying to get to everyone’s party. Or the prep: what will you wear, what will you bring, and all the other chores on top of the ones you normally deal with.
You might have a tradition of holiday letters to keep friends and family up to date (aaand… maybe a little envious?) and you have to write them.
If it’s been a tough year you might feel compelled to put on a happy face even when your heart’s not in it, for the sake of appearances.
So here’s where having boundaries comes in, to take off some of the stress. Don’t expect to make it to every party, but prioritize the ones where there will be people you’ll actually enjoy spending time with. You’ll go to those and not to the others.
Enlist your spouse and kids where applicable to take on some of the chores, because no one’s going to give you an award for Most Stressed Out Business Owner. If your spouse wants to go to more parties or events, they can either go by themselves or they can take over 100% of the prep for it so all you have to do is attend.
Look, grocery stores carry some nice-looking prepackaged food. There’s no shame in not having time to bake 300 cookies. Decide ahead of time what you have time for and what you don’t.
Maybe this year you can’t host your feast for two dozen people, so let everyone know. If the problem is prep and you’ll truly enjoy having people over, make it potluck instead and have others set the table and do the decorating.
Why are boundaries good for business owners?
Boundaries help reduce your stress as an entrepreneur too, not just during the holidays. You don’t have to accommodate every whim from your difficult customers, and you might consider turning them loose.
Set a price and stick to it. Set the menu of services for the package and stick to it. If your customer wants more than what’s included and you’re able to accommodate the extra work, charge more. If you can’t, let them know you can’t. As a business owner, you must treat your customers fairly and give each price point the same high-quality service.
You can also set boundaries by only being available during business hours. Your clients can’t call you during dinnertime, and if they do, then you ignore the call and respond the next day during business hours. This allows you to recharge so that you can be more productive the next day. (If dinnertime is a common time for client calls in your line of work, then don’t allow calls at some other time of the day that you set aside to recharge and regroup.)
You’ll provide better service when you’re not run ragged by dealing with customers all day and have time for your own family, friends, and hobbies. Put your devices down during the day at other times besides an hour before bed (which you ARE doing to stay productive, right? Right?)
When people ask too much of you, you feel resentful, and if you do that long enough you might end up making a hasty decision that doesn’t serve anyone. Give yourself enough time away from clients and work so that you can make smart decisions from a high-level perspective. When you’re always working and always IN your work, you’re not carving out enough time to work ON your business.
Extra unpaid work reduces your profitability. It takes hours away from time that you could be spending working ON your business. It also takes time away from clients who are ready to pay full price for your excellent service.
Recap
Boundaries aren’t just a therapeutic exercise, and they’re not just for the holidays – even though they come in very handy at this time of year! Setting limits on your interactions with your clients and your business can help you be more productive so you’re able to make smart decisions that lead to profit.