Setting boundaries in your business is important to protect your energy and still allow you to grow. This episode teaches the importance of time batching, delegation, taking care of yourself, and avoiding boundary mistakes in business.
IE 381: Boundaries in Business: How to Protect Your Time & Energy While Growing Your Business
Selina Johnson is the founder of Selina & Co. She specializes in helping CEOs reclaim their time and energy by building an efficient team that doesn’t rely on the business owner 24/7.
She focuses on operations, time management, hiring, and delegating. She feels it is important to live an enriched life with more joy and fun without the headache.
Why should we set boundaries in business?
It is important to learn this early on in business because it not only allows you to protect your time and energy but also your mental well-being. Being a people pleaser and saying yes to everything will not help you.
When business owners complain that they need help because they don’t have any time, they need to start evaluating if they have time to work with those who are coming to them and if that person is their ideal client. We only need to say “yes” to others if it brings us joy.
Lacking boundaries will result in overwhelm, stress, and regrets. Studies have shown that employees who have a good work-life balance have a 21% more engaged lifestyle in the workplace.
They are 24% more likely to feel loyal to their organization, which improves their productivity. Being productive then helps to create a better work-life balance.
Setting boundaries also would include getting involved in bundles, a summit, doing giveaways, etc. Will those partnerships connect you with your ideal audience?
What are business boundaries that we should set for ourselves as business owners?
These three important:
- Defining Communication Boundaries- This includes email turn-around response times, calls, and texts. You may not be able to respond immediately for various reasons. You don’t have to work standard business hours but you do need to have clear communication boundaries. What are your hours of communication? What method do you prefer to communicate? Once you set those boundaries, you will find that people do not expect you to answer immediately.
- Defining Clear Working Hours- Set hours for the best times to call, text, and communicate with you, and be honest with your clients about those times.
- Set Limits on the Number of Projects/Clients – You do not want to be overcommitted. Quality is more important than quantity.
It is good to receive money but not at the cost of your reputation.
Identify which projects you enjoy and focus on those aligned projects. Say no to the projects that are not the right fit for you.
This can be applied to social media and content also. We hear the myth that we need to be posting often so we can make the mistake of putting out a bunch of stuff that may not be the best quality.
You also want to ensure that the platforms you are using are the ones to attract your ideal client.
What happens when we don’t set boundaries in business?
Selina tells that her mom doesn’t really understand what she does in business so her mom will often call or text after lunch. She asks her mom to call her outside of her business hours unless it is an emergency.
Because Selina is so focused on what she is doing in her business, every distraction takes her 15 minutes to refocus. If she is working on a lot of business challenges and needs to get things done, the constant interruptions or distractions make it difficult for her to prioritize the task she is working on.
That decreases her productivity levels and increases her stress levels. It is important to delegate and also make the team members aware of their roles and responsibilities so they can set themselves up for success without relying on the business owner.
It makes your job easier when you are not task-switching.
It is also important to set boundaries with your children so they understand your work hours and learn when they cannot interrupt you and need to figure out things themselves.
What are the benefits of setting boundaries in business?
Setting boundaries in your business helps you go from chaos to calm. When you do not have boundaries set at home, in your teams, with your systems, for operations, etc., it begins to stack up and create chaos.
Setting boundaries gives you your time back and gives you free and clear head space. It also allows you to work on the high-value tasks that help you grow your business.
When you delegate tasks like creating graphics or making posts, it allows you to better focus on other things and use that time to focus on getting new clients, networking, finding new strategies and services, marketing, etc. It helps you focus on what you need to do and create in the business.
Once you have those systems in place, you notice that you are not as stressed. It doesn’t take as long to do things because you are not getting distracted. If you have a system in place, it is easier to respect those boundaries.
How do we set business boundaries for ourselves?
Setting boundaries starts first with self-awareness of your priorities and what your limits look like. Without that, it is hard to move forward and know what steps you need to take.
- What are your non-negotiable priorities?
- What are your work hours and communication preferences?
- When will you take time for self-care?
There are also tools you can use, such as time-blocking and delegating to others. When you set communication boundaries, for example, you are respecting yourself and others will respect them also.
It will make it seem that you are working less hours because you are not all over the place. You can take care of yourself, your business, and your family.
You may need to step away from your business for a small amount of time so that you can better see what boundaries you need.
Download the Delegation IQ Quiz here
The Delegation IQ quiz will help you establish boundaries within your team. Increase productivity within your workspace, create a healthier work-life rhythm, and continue to grow your team.
