Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Today I want to talk about something that's probably the thing I'm the worst at in my business, and that is boundaries, because I want to do it all and I want to help everyone. And one of my clients actually said that working with me was actually like working one on one with someone at a group price level. And I get why that might sound like a good thing, but it's really, really not.
[00:00:31] If you don't have boundaries, it is the quickest way to get you exhausted, burnt out. And that's not what I want. And I know that's not what you want. So I thought, let's talk about it. Let's see what we can do to make sure that we all have better boundaries.
[00:00:48] One thing that's important to think about when it comes to boundaries is that between you and your client, it has to be a fair exchange. If you give and give and give, there won't be anything left of you for anything else in your life. Your clients will take what you do forgiven, and you'll end up struggling to make a living. So the way I see it is that you can either charge a premium rate and work with a few clients, or you can charge extra for everything that your clients ask if it's faster delivery, retouching, spending more time with you, or anything else that's outside of your agreement.
[00:01:29] And that's actually where you want to start. You want to start by deciding what it is you want to give and work out what you need to get paid in order for that to make sense for you. That is definitely something I can help with. You can go sign up to my waitlist to find out how I can help you. Go to englasholonist.com waitlist and you'll be notified when there's an opening. And once you do know what it is you want to provide, what your services you want to have an agreement, a contract, and you can probably write down everything that you think it should include. But then I want you to go see a lawyer and get it reviewed because you're probably not a lawyer yourself and you want to make sure that everything you need is in there. Once you know what you want to provide, once you have an agreement, then you want to make sure that whatever your agreement is, you want to communicate that clearly to your client. Because yes, you might be right in terms of your agreement, in terms of your contract. But if your client hasn't understood that and thinks that there's something else included that's not, then that's just a lose lose situation. For everyone.
[00:02:46] You also want to make sure that you set up autoresponders and have response time in your email signature, that you mention extra costs in your proposals, and that you inform your clients clearly of everything it is they need to know. And when you have a business, you might so easily think that this goes without saying. But please don't ever think that you have to just say it, and say it one more time and mention it again in a different way, in a different place. And just assume that nothing you do is a given to your client.
[00:03:23] So if and when you or your client wants to go outside of your agreement, make sure you have some phrases ready on like sure, I can get the images ready two weeks early. That's 500 extra or no problem. I can retouch the images. That's 100 extra an hour. How much would you like to have done? Because if you fail to charge them and you just do the work, you'll easily end up resenting the client. And if you fail to meet your clients at whatever they expect, or if you fail to inform them of what's possible and what's not not possible, they could easily end up presenting you or us. And if what they're asking for is something that you don't do, you have to make that so clear. And again, you have to be so clear upfront with what your boundaries and limitations are. No one can read your mind. No one knows how things work in your business unless you're clear about it. In July, I'll be setting up repeat episodes that you might have missed, and you'll hear from me again in August here on the podcast. In the meantime, I expect to be hanging around on Instagram. So come to Ingvelkolnaz on Instagram to catch up with me there. And if you want to work with me, make sure that you sign up for the waitlist and learn about ways I might be able to help you out. Go to english colonists.com.com waitlist.
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