Setting Boundaries and Expectations in Your Business

Are you someone who always says yes when it comes to your business? You then later find that you have too much on your plate and feel overwhelmed and burnt out. Yep, I’ve been there. So, how do you break this cycle? Setting those boundaries and expectations in your business.

Why do boundaries and expectations matter?

When you run your own brand, whether that is a business, side venture, or blog, the journey probably begins with just you. You are your brand, and wear all the hats from content creator, to brand designer, to photographer, to accountant. Then you also have showing up for your clients and your audience.

That’s a lot of stuff to be getting on with, and before you know it, you can feel overworked and overwhelmed quickly, with little room for your personal life and wellbeing. We all have our limits, and it’s ok to recognise what they are.

You have a duty to yourself and your clients when you run a business. Giving clarity on what people can expect from you avoids setting either parties up for disappointment or making you look unprofessional.

Setting boundaries and expectations are also essential forms of self-care because you are applying less pressure on yourself and taking on the correct amount and type of work for you. This in turn brings more joy into your life because you are doing the work you enjoy.

No boundaries leads to unclear expectations

If you don’t set any boundaries in your business, then this leads to people expecting more from you, or not actually knowing what to expect from you.

For example, if you don’t make your working hours clear and end up doing a one-off piece of work on the weekend, then clients expect that you will be available for work on weekends.

Setting boundaries for yourself is also essential for you. If you don’t set clear boundaries, your work can spill into your personal life. It’s healthy to get some separation between your work and home life, and give your mind a break from your business, so it doesn’t consume you.

Types of boundaries to set up

Hours

At Hearth, we are conscious of how we use our time and energy. If you were employed, you probably would have set working hours, and the same goes for self-employment. Have times where you are available to answer enquiries, be present on social media, and all around be ‘in office’. Likewise, know when it is the right time to close the email app and Instagram DMs, and switch off.

Topics

If you are a product photographer, and you have someone requesting a wedding photoshoot for instance, those topics might not align with you. Sometimes you get enquiries which don’t fit your niche or expertise area, and it is ok to be clear on what you do or do not cover.

Pricing

Know your value. You have so much worth. Having boundaries on your pricing avoids you being underpaid and working with the wrong people.

Conduct

Don’t stand for any behaviour you are not comfortable with. If someone says something to you or wants you to do something which doesn’t sit right with you, that is a sign that you need to remove yourself from working with that particular person or organisation.

Let people know your boundaries and expectations and vice versa

Setting boundaries and expectations in your business involves letting people know them. There are many ways you could do this. A page on your website, an Instagram highlight, a newsletter. Somewhere that your clients or potential clients will have access to.

Boundaries and expectations work both ways. Just as you have boundaries, so do other people. It’s important to respect one another.

Hearth boundaries and expectations

At Hearth by Megan Elizabeth, values matter to us. This includes being honest and transparent about our boundaries and expectations.

So, here are ours:

• We take the weekends off
• We respond to enquiries from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm (UK time).
• We don’t work with brands or individuals whose values do not align with our own.
• I (Megan, Hearth founder) live with a chronic illness and my health can be unpredictable. There are times when I need to put my wellbeing first, and this could mean taking longer to respond to enquiries, having times when I am unable to come on social media, and extending the time it takes to complete a piece of work or project. Through doing this, it means that I can look after myself and continue to show up in my business in the best possible way and provide the best service to my clients.