Setting boundaries in your business will be one of the best things you ever do. It can help you and your client to know when you’re available and how you’re available for them. It will absolutely help your state of mental health and help protect your energy as you try to work not only in but on your business. Once you set healthy boundaries with your clients, you’ll find that that you have more time and that you can truly step into that CEO role.

Listen in for examples of boundaries to set and why it’s so important.

Tune in to the episode here:

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I cannot wait to dive into today’s episode because if you haven’t already looked at the title today, we are actually talking about boundaries in business.

I have some really great examples of boundaries that I have in my own business, and boundaries that my clients have had to put in their businesses, and of course, some tangible actionable steps that you can implement in your business.

I do want to pre-frame this by saying boundaries are good, boundaries are good.

Now when we’re talking about boundaries in this episode, we’re talking about boundaries feeling like this extra task, you have to add to your to-do list. Like “Ah, now I have to have boundaries, that’s another thing I have to do,” or thinking it will be this really restrictive thing like “Oh, well, I have to have to stop doing this or I have to start doing that. That just seems like such a hassle.”

Your business can’t operate at its best if you aren’t operating at your best.

I wanted to pre-frame this before I go into the examples of my boundaries and situations that I’ve got myself in, in business, and the reasons why I had to create boundaries. Let’s start this off by saying, you get to implement boundaries in your business, not just for your own sake, but for your clients’ sake. Here’s what I mean, I’ve said this before, I will say it again until the day that I die, “Your business can’t operate at its best if you aren’t operating at your best.” Okay?

So, when we talk about boundaries, when we talk about putting these healthy boundaries in place, I’m talking about:

• Protecting your energy.
• Protecting your happiness.
• And putting your mental health first as a business owner—basically as a human being. Because from there, it’s a full-on effect.

If you’re operating at your best and have these healthy boundaries in place, you are putting them there so that you can be your best self, so that you can have more time for your mental health and for self-care and for a good night’s sleep.

Then that flows on. Your business grows, your income grows, your client work is so much better, and so on. It’s much better quality of work, right?

If you’re a coach, well, you get to be a better coach you get to support your clients better. The support is of a higher level. It’s honestly the biggest flow-on effect.

So, if you aren’t operating at your best, your business can’t operate at its best. And that’s why having boundaries is so important. I wanted to preface this by saying that having boundaries doesn’t have to feel like a restrictive thing. It needs to feel like this is what I get to do, to allow myself to be not only the best version of me but the best business owner that I can be.

So, firstly, welcome to this episode. I cannot wait to dive into this. I actually did an Instagram Live on this topic back in April, and my gosh, you guys loved it so much that I just knew I had to come on and record this podcast episode.

I got so much feedback from so many women saying that they were going through similar situations to what I was when I first started. Back when I realized that I had to implement boundaries there were situations happening with clients and I needed to set them for my own mental health and all that stuff. But it was just really warming, comforting almost, to see so many of you saying, “Whoa, I have gone through something so similar, and these resonated so much.” That’s why I knew I had to record this episode.

I’ve Been There

So let me start by saying, I have been through it. Maybe not through at all, but I’ve been through quite a lot. For those of you that don’t know, when I first went full time in my business, I was a social media manager and a brand photographer, so I managed people’s Instagram accounts and Pinterest accounts, and I did brand photography.

In early 2019, I transitioned my business. I pivoted into helping my clients with business and mindset coaching, helping female entrepreneurs with a side-hustle to go full-time in their businesses. So, for all of 2019 that was my focus, and then in 2020, it pivoted a little bit, again. Now, I’m a business coach helping women to scale to $10k months without burning themselves out. So, it shifted a little bit, but the transition from being a social media manager and brand photographer over to being a business coach was a big one, right? The pivot I’ve made this year in 2020, though, not so big. However, the pivot back then was like, “Wow, you know, I’ve gone from managing people’s Instagrams and Pinterest accounts, to helping people to quit their jobs and go full time in business,” which was such an epic shift.

And honestly, I’ve never loved something more in my life than actually helping women in business. It’s my favorite thing ever. But I was so foreign to the world of coaching. I had no idea what I was in for, you could say, and maybe you’re at this point in your business.

Maybe you found this episode, by chance, actually, I don’t believe it was by chance. I think everyone is led here for a reason and that you will get to this episode for a reason.

But maybe you’re about to make a switch into a niche that you haven’t been in before. And maybe you can relate to this, maybe you’re going through something similar, or you’re just here because you know that you need to make a change in your business. Because you’re burnt out, and everyone is determining what you can do, and not you.

So, back then when I was making this transition from being a social media manager and brand photographer into being a business coach, everything was so new. The way that you run someone’s Instagram account is totally different to the way that you help someone to quit their job and go full time in business. Right? So there was a lot of newness going on for me. And at that point, I had a lot of uncertainty. I asked questions like, am I charging the right price? Am I attracting the right person? Am I good enough to be doing this? All of those questions that naturally come up. Of course, they still come up, however, I have way more confidence now because I’ve gone through the depths of it. I’ve gone through the shit times and come out on the other side having learnt the lessons and gone through the growth.

One thing that I noticed when I got to this point in my business, where I became a business coach was I realized that boundaries needed to be put in place. And here’s what I mean, back then I was massively undercharging my offer and undercharging my coaching so much, it was ridiculous. And I attracted some pretty amazing clients, don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love every single person that I’ve ever worked with. However, the situations that I got myself in, where I realized that I needed to implement boundaries, they are the ones that have helped me so much. But they are also the ones that, at the time, were really difficult for me, and I want to give you some specific examples.

So, when I was really new to everything, I really had a hard time implementing client boundaries. I felt like I’m a coach, now I have to show up all the time. And I have to be happy all the time. If someone messages me saying they needed my help, I believed that I had to reply right then. I felt this way, regardless if I was about to get in the shower or regardless of if I was in the middle of watching a movie with my partner, or if I was in the middle of the bush camping for the weekend with one bar of mobile phone reception.

When You Feel the Control Is Out of Your Hands

I felt like if someone needed me, I had to be there. I felt like if someone asked for an extended payment plan, I couldn’t say no. I felt like if someone said, “Can I get a discount?” that I had to justify myself. I couldn’t just say no, I had to tell them why. And there is a lot of energy and effort gone into this and it wouldn’t be fair to other people. You can say no, which obviously, we’re going to talk about today. But at this point, I really felt like the control was outside of my hands. I think that’s the best way to explain it.

Have any questions after listening, head over to Instagram, and ask away!

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