Your Clients Don’t Come First
Newsflash ❗️ Your clients actually *don’t* come first.
Let me dive deeper into this for you.
Often my social stars (soul clients) especially the ones in service provider roles will come to me feeling overwhelmed.. and slightly annoyed with client work THEN feel guilty for feeling this way.
They are thankful for their clients, but seriously... 34 Voxer messages from the same person... phew...
As a service provider, too often the term *hiring* gets a little lost in the sauce.
Just because someone hired you, does not mean you OWE them everything and it definitely doesn’t mean they are the boss of you.
You have a business, you are your OWN boss and you get to decide the way you run your business.
Meaning, unless they are bringing you on as an EMPLOYEE you get to decide when your clients are able to contact you & what they are able to request.
Service providers, it’s time to put on your CEO pants and prioritize yourself.
I understand you care about your clients & you want to help them THRIVE.. which is amazing! But, this should not come at the expense of you compromising what you desire.
You should come first.
Taking care of your energy comes first.
Setting time to plan for your business success comes first.
Because if you and your business are in shambles HOW are you going to give your clients the stellar support you want to give ?
Why might it be hard for you to set these boundaries?
One of the top reasons why you may be struggling with setting boundaries is because you either have people pleasing tendencies and or not recognizing your self worth. This may lead you to feel that in order for your client to truly be satisfied with their time working with you, you’ll have to cater to their needs.
Another reason why it may be hard to set these boundaries is because you simply haven’t had to before therefore you might be unsure of boundaries you need to adapt and which things you truly do not mind.
The last most common reason is because growing up you were raised and trained to work in a 9-5 life. Whatever your boss says, goes, and in order to rise in the company you have to do more and be the best. It can be very easy for entrepreneurs to take this mindset into their business and it’s very important to recognize it and work through it. Remember it’s your business, you get to make the rules, you didn’t choose this entrepreneurial life to be run down by others remember?
Steps to moving towards establishing boundaries:
1. Establish your values.
Being clear of what you are rooted in will help you recognize if you are compromising on your values. For example let's say one of your values is freedom and a client needs your support consistently (constant voxer messages, contacting you after hours, etc.), you would then ask yourself, “Am I compromising on one of my values if I agree?”. If the answer is yes, you are out of alignment and they are crossing your boundaries.
2. Establish the boundaries ahead of time.
Write out which “demands” make you feel overwhelmed, annoyed, or something you dread doing, as you work with more people you will start to discover more things you just don’t like. Then communicate these boundaries with your clients ahead of time. If it is in your contract I would suggest highlighting these boundaries or walk over it with them so you can ensure both parties are on the same page.
3. Vet prospective clients.
Having a screening process can help ensure this is a client you want to work with. This can be a phone call or a form. Both should have in depth questions, and I mean very thought provoking questions where you can truly see where this person is in their career and how they are to work with. Remember, I know the money may feel nice but you shouldn’t compromise your values in order to make a buck. You are in this for the long haul, don’t let someone burn you out in the first quarter.
4. Trust yourself
This is one of the most important and beautiful things you can do. Trust that you know what's best for you. Trust that you know what you deserve. I promise your gut and intuition will not let you down. Be firm with yourself and your boundaries. If you are worried about how they will respond then were they a dream client in the first place? Sidenote: Just because they pay your rate, doesn’t mean they are your dream client Social Star.
You owe this to you.
I want you to try this out and see how powerful you feel after doing it consistently. I know this might not be easy right away so give yourself grace and start small. Remember that if you aren’t setting boundaries in your business you might not be setting them in your personal life either. With that being said, sometimes starting inside of personal lives helps us translate the strength to our business or vice versa!
I am rooting for you social star! If this post empowered you I would love for you to share it on socials and be sure to tag me so I can give you a big ole virtual HUG!