Feeling like you need a refresher on your boundaries in your business? It can be easy to slide off track and suddenly find yourself stretched thin, underpaid and feeling in a slump!

Creating clear and personalised boundaries in your business is one of the best ways to stay focused, productive, boost your income and create the business and life you dream of.

Boundaries really are bliss and today I’m sharing 3 essential money making boundaries that you must have in your business so you can get back to doing the work you love with the dreamiest of clients.

Boundary # 1 – Your time and weekly schedule

We all have 24 hours in a day but if you feel like the majority of those hours is spent chasing clients, emailing back and forth and constantly feeling pulled in all directions then you need to assess your boundaries around your time and schedule.

Here’s the thing – you likely want to go above and beyond for your clients (which is great!) but if going above and beyond means changing your schedule and constantly being distracted, then boundaries are going to be your best friend.

The key here is to be really clear on when and how you spend your time so that your clients know when they can expect to have meetings, calls or get emails from you.

Put it into practice:

• Create clear “communication” boundaries with clients from the get go. Explain when they can expect to hear from you and when you’re free to meet or chat with them.

• Time block some hours each day or during the week that you dedicate to creating and working on your big projects. I use my mornings between 7 – 9am to write content and work on my big dreamy projects without distraction.

• Use a scheduling tool (I recommend Acuity) so that clients can book in with you around your schedule, rather than the other way around. If you’re a service provider like a coach you might select 3 days a week where people can book you in for coaching and keep 2 days completely meeting free.

• Have a “CEO day” each week. Every Friday in my business is my CEO day which means I don’t have meetings and I use my time to create, plan, strategise and have fun! It allows me to really be the boss, so I can work ON my business rather than IN it.

Boundary # 2 – Your pricing and money

Talking about money with clients can feel a bit awkward at first but the clearer and more confident you are with your pricing (and what’s included in that pricing), the easier it will to manage expectations and create more abundance and flow in your business.

When it comes to setting boundaries around money and pricing, it’s important to be clear, firm and friendly. Your dream clients will respect your boundaries and anyone who doesn’t may not be the right fit to work with you after all. Try to be as clear and honest from the very start and continue to communicate openly.

Put it into practice:

• Review your client contracts and make it very clear as to what your pricing options are, any payment plan options you provide, the terms of payment and exactly what the client receives for that payment

• Create ‘scripts’ for situations where clients may expect free work, request extra hours without offering to pay or other awkward money conversations that can come up in business 

Boundary # 3 – Your zone of genius

Your zone of genius is that beautiful sweet spot where you get paid for doing the work you love to do most. But sometimes clients can push our boundaries and expect us to provide extra support, knowledge or work for something we either don’t like to do, or know that we’re not that good at.

The more focused and specific you are about your zone of genius and what you specifically  help your dream clients with, the better.

This boundary is really important if you’re a coach or virtual assistant and you find that clients expect you to deliver in all different areas. If you’re finding this is happening to you, it’s time to assess your unique strengths, trust your intuition with what you love and want to be known for, and create boundaries that support you to stay focused in this zone of genius.

Put it into practice:

• Review your sales pages, marketing and general branding. Are you making it clear and specific to what your zone of genius is?

• Review your communication and contracts with clients to make sure you have very clearly mapped out what they can expect and receive from working with you.

• Create a referral system where you can refer your client to another boss who you know can deliver what they want. This works both ways!

Remember the golden saying sweet pea is this: “boundaries are bliss”

Love

Jenna x