Business Boundaries: Dos and Dont's

Boundaries in our personal lives define what we are responsible for. But what about in our businesses? As a solo-preneur, aren't you responsible for, well, everything in your business? You're the CEO, accountant, salesperson, web designer, and administrator, so how can you possibly have boundaries? It's precisely because you are responsible for everything that you need strong boundaries!

For a solo-preneur, boundaries serve to keep your career separate from your life, in addition to bringing professionalism to your client relationships. Far too often, we hear the adage that "the customer is always right," and we take it to heart. Adding that belief to a fear that we need all the clients we can get can result in very toxic situations. Far too often, we land a client who is a bully, out to get as much as possible for as little cost as possible, and we spend our time trying to please rather than setting boundaries.

The primary mistake we make when dealing with these kinds of clients is apologizing for having boundaries. We compulsively check our email, leaving personal events early to tend to the client's needs, or sacrificing our sleep for the client's impossible deadlines. If we miss a midnight email, we apologize. If we don't return a call on the weekend, we apologize. If we go on vacation, we apologize in advance and when we return. This is the biggest boundary mistake: the primary boundary "Don't"!

Don't apologize for having boundaries.

Apologizing for having boundaries creates a situation where your client becomes your boss. The power is lopsided, and now the solo-preneur becomes, in essence, a contractor.

Furthermore, apologizing for having boundaries is unprofessional. An apology for having any kind of personal life creates the sense that this person is an amateur. Consider the professionals you work with: does your accountant apologize for not answering your 8:00 pm email until the next day? Does your dentist apologize for being closed on weekends? Does your chiropractor apologize for his/her clothing?

Now, of course there are times when an apology is necessary. If you have made a mistake, been rude, or breached a contract, you absolutely must apologize. But if you have set working hours, there is no apology needed for not responding to a client outside of working hours! 

This Boundary Don't leads directly to a Boundary Do.

Set working hours.

Wait, isn't the whole point of being a solo-preneur the fact that you can work whenever you like? Well, sure! The key here is that you are working whenever YOU like to work, not whenever your client demands it. When you set and communicate working hours, you are creating client expectations. Will it cost you some clients? Perhaps. But will it serve you and your business goals? Absolutely.

And setting working hours doesn't limit you. If you are a night owl, and you do your best copy writing between 11 PM and 1 AM, setting working hours of 9-5 doesn't mean you can't write copy at midnight! It means that you will be free from other business demands at midnight.

Working hours are for your clients and your business, not for you as an artist/healer/craftsman. Email, web design, accounting, sales: all these tasks can happen during your working hours. You can create widgets during working hours or outside of working hours, whatever works best for you. 

Once you've set your working hours, be sure to avoid our next Boundary Don't.

Don't bluff.

Boundary bluffing happens when you set a boundary and promptly ignore it. You explain to your client that you do not work between 6:00 and 8:00 pm, but then when the client texts you at 6:45, you immediately respond, much to the dismay of your dinner companions. Or, you explain to a client that the contract allows for 1 set of revisions to the sales copy, but when she sends it back a third time, you make the requested changes and don't ask for more money.

Bluffing is unprofessional, and it can lead to the client questioning everything you say, or treating signed contracts as prolonged negotiations. After all, if you are willing to change your working hours, maybe you'll be willing to reduce your fees! Bluffing causes confusion about the service you provide and how you'll provide it, but fortunately, even if you've bluffed in the past, you can solve the problem going forward by using this Boundary Do.

Set expectations, verbally and in writing.

Make sure that you set client expectations at the beginning of the working relationship. Explain your working hours, your rates, cancellation policies, return and refund policies, etc. And be sure to do this verbally and also in writing. It doesn't have to be a 20 page legal document - just one or two pages covering these topics is plenty.

The secret to successfully setting these expectations is to do it both verbally and in writing. People don't always read, and people don't always listen. When you say it and write it, you've done all you reasonably can.

Setting healthy business boundaries is key to having a successful business in which you are your own boss!

Where the Freelance Money Is

Some freelance Solopreneurs are more likely to earn the coveted but elusive six figure annual revenue than others. Maybe you could, too, with some good luck and timing paired with skills that open doors. Here are six potentially lucrative occupations that attract freelancers.

Writing

Magazines do not often pay $2.00/word anymore and there are very few 5000 word articles being commissioned in this era of short attention spans, but allegedly a number of Solopreneurs still able to pull in big money through writing assignments of various kinds.

This category includes not only magazine and newspaper article generation, but also content marketing copy for white papers, blogs and newsletters. I am acquainted with two or three writers who make a respectable living in the latter category. There are occasional dry spells, but the money is there.

Translating

I have a friend who regularly gets assignments translating Arabic and German to English and vice versa. According to the American Translators Association, their certified translators average $72,000/year and those without that certification average $53,000 annually. As you'd expect, much depends upon the language you translate. No surprise that there is a big demand for Spanish translation, with Arabic, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), French, German, Japanese and Korean also showing strong demand.

Photography

Photography has long had the potential to produce a healthy income for freelancers. Wedding photographers have traditionally commanded large sums and they continue to do so, in spite of robust competition from videographers. Portrait photographers also command high prices---business owners and corporate execs need a professional headshot for websites, annual reports and other promotional uses.

E-commerce fattens the wallets of product photographers, who make items sold on-line look appealing. Food photography and fashion photography are lucrative sub-specialties. Those lucky enough to have an "in" with colleges and/or big corporations can make a nice living, as do those who have relationships with busy special event planners. The downside is that good cameras and Adobe Photo Shop editing software are expensive.

SEO Search Engine Optimization

Freelancers who hope to drive traffic to their website pay freelance colleagues for this potentially revenue-generating service. Those new to the field can expect to bill $50.00/hour and allegedly the best known can command up to $500.00/hour from big corporate clients. It is furthermore essential to be well- versed in the various metrics that prove your worth to clients, so that satisfied customers can be recruited to give testimonials that help you obtain more clients.

Mobile App Development

Writing software applications for cell phones and tablets lured one million freelancers to the field in 2010 and no doubt that number has grown significantly. App development is like a modern day gold rush, for better and worse.

As stated in an article in the New York Times, the majority are not making money in the app development business and that is the usual scenario. Author David Streitfeld detailed the apparently typical app developer experience in his comprehensive article (11/17/2012) and advised "don't quit your day job" as he compared developing for Apple to sharecropping. Still, you may be the one who can retire on the residuals of the next Angry Birds, Instagram or SnapChat. Another downside is that you must spend a hefty sum on the technology needed to test your apps in development.

Social Media Strategy

Millions of Solopreneurs and owners of businesses large and small feel that social media cannot be ignored. Smart business leaders have always known that marketing and brand reinforcement are ongoing initiatives. Keeping up with social media is time-consuming and understanding the platforms that yield the best ROI for your enterprise may require the services of a specialist.

If you can convince decision-makers that you know how to choose social media that encourages sales and you can plan and execute a social media campaign, you will be off to the races. Newbies to the field can expect to bill $25.00 /hour and top-drawer known experts can allegedly bill $250.00 /hour to big corporate clients.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Kim L. Clark is a strategy and marketing consultant who works with for-profit and not-for- profit organization leaders who must achieve business goals. Kim is the founder and principal of the consulting firm Polished Professionals Boston and she teaches business plan writing to aspiring entrepreneurs.