Think you have strong boundaries? How confident are you in saying no to business opportunities that are not aligned with your values or priorities? What about addressing requests that are beyond your scope of expertise? You may be struggling to set boundaries in your business if you feel uncomfortable or lack confidence in answering these questions. But remember, the only people who get upset when you set them are the ones who benefitted from you not having them.

Why do boundaries matter in business?

While saying yes to an unaligned request might not hurt your business in the long run, always saying yes runs a large chance of negatively impacting the health of your business. This is because always saying yes usually comes from a place of lack or fear of being disliked. When you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else.

Setting boundaries is not an option, it’s critical to running a successful business. It’s important to determine what’s most important, set boundaries accordingly and take the necessary actions to enforce them. Doing so sets up your business for success.

Do you need support with setting business boundaries?

Do any of the following scenarios keep showing up in your business?

• Your clients text or call you outside of business hours or request work above and beyond what you originally agreed upon.
• You feel like you are being pulled in a million different directions and your world is spinning out of control.
• You say yes to requests because you feel it is easier to say yes than no.
• You feel increasingly more resentful of others for their demand on your time.
• You feel exhausted and never have enough time for yourself.

You could benefit from setting boundaries if any of these statements resonated with you.

Benefits of setting boundaries for your business

Simply put, your business will run smoother when you set parameters and clearly communicate them with your clients and your team. You’ll establish a deeper connection and more trust with your clients, too.

Three benefits

#1 – Acting with more compassion — According to Brené Brown, people with strong boundaries are often the most compassionate. Letting people know what is and isn’t okay is clear and kind communication. Clients will clearly understand you and your business relationship will flow with ease.

#2 – Experiencing less anger and resentment  — When you let people walk all over you, you will eventually feel angry and resentful. The resentment comes from feeling self-critical for letting people take advantage of you. You’ll develop greater trust in yourself when you communicate and enforce your boundaries.

#3 – Finding time and energy to do things that nourish and bring you joy — When you begin the practice of saying no to things that are not aligned with your priorities, you will have more time to focus on things with greater impact and saying yes to things that bring you joy beyond your business.

Affirmations for setting boundaries and cultivating inner strength

• I am enough.
• I respect my boundaries and have enough energy to protect them.
• I am confident in my ability to align my “yes(es)” and my “no(s)” with my business priorities.
• I believe in myself.
• I have enough resources to figure it out.

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Want to get better at setting boundaries in your business? Click the here to schedule your Strategy Session.