I am so serious about having boundaries in place for my life and for my business. It’s a way for me to protect myself and my sanity. Having certain systems in your business can actually help enforce and protect those boundaries that you’re creating for yourself. Systems allow us to contain our clients and potential clients in a way that allows them to feel important while also protecting your time and your energy. There are three different ways to use systems as a way to protect boundaries. You’ll be surprised how much having these three simple types of systems in your business can allow you to really protect your space, time, and your energy.
A Scheduling System
A scheduling system like Calendly or through a CRM (client relationship manager) like Dubsado allows people to schedule client calls with you. By having a scheduling system, clients and potential clients can only schedule based on pre-determined availability. Why is that important? Because you are putting the boundaries in place for when your time is available. You are letting clients and potential clients know when you’re open to receiving communication from people. You are putting that boundary in place that allows other people to come into your space when you are ready for it and not the other way around.
A Communication System
You should communication system in place. This can be things like automated workflows or template emails but they should revolve around when and how you communicate internally and externally. For example, while I don’t mind having conversations in my DMs, as soon as it turns to business, I ask to be emailed. Some people are fine doing business over DMs, and while I could do it, I choose not to. Having business communications in my email is how I make sure I respond in a timely manner. Establishing your communication system is about respecting how you perform to operate in your business. Think about how (and when) you want to communicate with people and what works best for you. I also encourage using templates whenever possible. Templates save time and energy so you’re not having to rethink and rework the same responses every single time. Even if you want a more personalized approach to emails, start with a template and then edit so you’re still saving your time and energy.
A Sales & Marketing System
The last type of system that you should have is a sales and marketing system. This is a system that determines how you’re going to respond to and build relationships with potential clients. Think about how your marketing is built. How are you building the “like, know, trust” factor? How often are you scheduling emails and does that schedule make sense? Do you have a repeatable nurture sequence that welcomes new people to your email list? What does your social media posting schedule look like? Having a system in place that dictates when and how often you need to do these types of marketing activities helps protect your energy. You’re less likely to feel overwhelmed if you know you have a schedule that works for your lifestyle while still allowing you to nurture potential clients.
How do you want potential clients to see you? How do you set expectations with potential clients on what it’s like to work with you? A scheduling system, communication system, and sales and marketing system help protect your boundaries in business. It’s so important to establish boundaries in your business so that you enjoy working in your business. As long as we are putting parameters around how we show up for people, what people can expect from us and how we protect our time, then we can go into business and enjoy what we’re doing because we’re doing it on our terms. Use systems to create boundaries in your business so as your business grows, you will still enjoy working in that business you’ve created.
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