How to Set Boundaries as a Business Leader
IN A HURRY? HERE’S THE BOTTOM LINE
Setting clear boundaries in your business doesn’t make you difficult – it sets up sustainable success for both you and your clients. Every leader needs boundaries around communication, scope, and availability. To reinforce boundaries without burning a bridge, you need to be consistent, set expectations early, empower your team, and focus on the overall goal of the partnership.
The question isn't whether you need boundaries. It's which boundary you'll set or reinforce first.
GOT A MINUTE? HERE ARE THE DETAILS TO CONSIDER
Have you ever bent over backwards for a client, only to feel like it still wasn't enough?
This is something that nearly every business owner faces at some point. It's that uncomfortable feeling when you realize you've given and given, yet somehow the working relationship still feels off-balance.
The truth is, this isn't a reflection of your work quality or dedication. It's often a sign that your business boundaries need some attention.
Everyone wants a thriving business, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of a thriving personal life. The key to achieving happiness in both is setting strong, clear boundaries that protect your time, energy, and the quality of work you deliver.
What Business Boundaries Really Are (And Why They Matter)
Let's start with the basics. Boundaries in business look like:
Clear expectations
Contracts that clearly define what the deliverables are
Who is responsible for what
What the rules of engagement look like
Think about it this way: Boundaries aren't walls that keep clients out. They're the framework that allows exceptional work to happen consistently. They're what make it possible for you to deliver your best without sacrificing your personal life, your health, or your sanity.
Establishing boundaries in your business helps to create an enjoyable working relationship where everyone is on the same page. It creates the best environment for everyone involved in the work you’re doing together – one based on mutual respect and trust.
Without boundaries, you might find yourself working on Christmas morning, missing summer pool days with your kids, or fielding 2 a.m. phone calls from clients who just got home from the bar. Yes, these are real examples, and they're signs that something needs to change!
Warning Signs Your Boundaries Are Too Loose
So, how do you know if your boundaries need some tightening up? Here are some telltale signs:
Communications outside of business hours. If you find yourself responding to messages or getting client requests at off-hours on a regular basis, that's a red flag.
Scope creep is happening. A client continuing to ask you to do more work is a great thing! But if you don’t add it to your contract or invoice, you're experiencing “scope creep.” This is a clear sign that your boundaries or package needs to be revisited.
You're constantly making exceptions. It’s okay to make exceptions once or twice, but if you’re finding yourself constantly doing it for one specific client, that’s a problem.
Clients are bypassing systems or communication channels. Not following the established lines of communication can create problems or cause your team to miss important information. If you've got clients going rogue, that's a sign your boundaries are a bit too loose.
Internal warning signs. Does your work make you feel anxious, exhausted, or frustrated? Maybe you have team members who are feeling this way, or maybe you have situations with particular clients where your team isn't even sure how to deal with issues that might come up, because things are just very different or one-off. These are all signs that your boundaries could use some tightening up.
Essential Boundaries Every Business Needs
Now that we've identified the problem, let's talk solutions. There are several categories of boundaries that every business needs, and I'm going to walk you through each one.
Communication Boundaries
Establish which platforms or communication methods you'll use. Whether you choose to communicate strictly through email, Slack, or WhatsApp, just choose whatever makes sense for you and your business that doesn't create openings for exceptions.
Then, establish a protocol on response times. For our team, the expectation is to respond to an email within one business day, no more than two. Our clients have come to know our response time, and there’s no communication or mismatched expectations.
You also need to establish your business hours. We make it very clear that we are online from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Having that actually written down and communicated to clients can be extremely helpful in terms of the “container” you work in, together.
Scope Boundaries
The second boundary category for business concerns scope. This means having clear contracts with deliverables noted, and clearly stating your responsibilities and your clients' responsibilities.
For example, in a social media package, we spell out exactly how many posts we’re writing each month for each platform. Our clients know what to expect from our deliverables.
We also spell out how change requests will be handled. For example, let's say you're creating 12 posts a month for a client's Instagram, and then they ask to have those posts added to their LinkedIn. How will you handle that? You could say, "Okay, great, we can absolutely post on LinkedIn for you as well. The package is going to increase by X dollars in order to account for our time in scheduling on the platform and adding that to our social media management system."
Situations like this are common, so it's best for everyone to have a dedicated process to follow when they do come up. Most business owners want to come from a place of “yes,” but also make sure it's done in a neat and orderly fashion.
Availability and Time Boundaries
Now, let's talk about boundaries regarding availability and time. This includes how often you meet with your clients, when you meet, and for how long. Up front, set a clear expectation of availability and schedule for connecting that is agreeable to everyone. It’s the best way to have a functioning and successful working relationship.
Feedback and Revision Boundaries
Another boundary your business will need concerns feedback and revisions. You’ll need to answer questions like:
How many rounds of revisions are included with your original proposal?
What does that approval process look like?
What is the timeline for revisions?
How long do they have to get back to you with changes?
These are just some of the high-level places where boundaries can be really, really helpful and important in business.
How to Enforce Boundaries Without Burning Bridges
Enforcing boundaries is often when many business owners get nervous. It’s understandable. No one wants to lose clients or create conflict. We want to be seen as helpful and accommodating. But here's the truth: Enforcing boundaries actually strengthens your client relationships when done correctly.
This pertains to both you and your team. Not only should you feel comfortable enforcing your boundaries, but you also need to empower your team members, so if they're working with clients, they feel comfortable politely reminding clients about expectations whenever they need to be reset.
Lead with Clarity and Consistency
Creating a positive working environment starts with you. As the leader, you should always try to influence your team to lead with clarity and consistency. You can’t just do it when problems arise or wait till a situation does.
Remember, you are the one in charge here. Your clients have hired you for a reason to do the work that they need done, and you are very, very capable of delivering on that agreement. So show up with that confidence and ability to lead.
Set Expectations Early
Whenever possible, set expectations and boundaries early on in the working relationship. Setting up all of your boundaries in your contract and then reinforcing that during the onboarding process is the very best way to establish those boundaries from the very beginning.
Focus on the Overall Goal
When you do have to reinforce boundaries, focus on the overall goal. Say things like, "To keep things running smoothly, please provide us with your feedback by this date at this time so that our posts can resume going out by Friday." Or, "So that we can deliver our best work, please provide us with an updated headshot for this particular post."
There are ways you can gently but firmly communicate what you need, while also reminding the client and the team as a whole of the overall goal.
Empower Your Team
Don't forget to empower your team members to politely remind clients about expectations when needed. When your whole team understands the boundaries and feels confident in reinforcing them, you create consistency across all client interactions. This prevents confusion and ensures everyone is working within the same framework.
You are Empowered to Set and Reinforce Boundaries!
Boundaries aren't about being inflexible or difficult to work with. They're about creating a structure that lets you do your best work while also protecting your personal life and well-being. They're about mutual respect and setting everyone up for success.
When you have clear boundaries in place, you can show up fully present for your clients during your working hours because you're not burned out from being available 24/7. You can deliver higher quality work because you're not scrambling to accommodate last-minute exceptions. And you can build long-term client relationships based on trust and clear expectations rather than resentment and exhaustion.
So here's my question for you: What is one boundary that stood out to you that maybe you need to set or reinforce this month?
I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to email me at hello@melissaswink.com and let me know what you're working on. If there's a particular area that keeps coming up, I'd love to address it in a future podcast episode or blog post.
Remember, you deserve a business that thrives and a personal life that thrives, too. Boundaries are the key to making that happen.