I’m not entirely sure where my entrepreneurial streak came from, but I can certainly tell you where my work habits and resourcefulness did.

I’m 21 months into figuring out what I want my business and, more importantly, my life to look like. And it has been a challenging trail to trek.

In the grand scheme of things, I’m still a newbie when it comes to being an entrepreneur. I dabbled as a freelancer at the beck and call of my clients for years before transitioning into building a business in April of 2021 when I first got the idea for Cedar June.

I think many of our beliefs, boundaries, and behaviors regarding work have to do with how we were raised and how our parents approached their careers and work

I have always and will always take pride in where and what I come from and how hard those that came before me worked so that I could have the opportunity to do something as crazy as starting a business. But when it came time to start that business (or just working in general, honestly), I struggled to know where to draw the line between wearing my hard worker badge and family crest like a badge of honor and burning myself out in the process.

Some of the not-so-great behaviors I picked up from others In my life at an early age that transferred into the way I began running my business included:

• Always being available
• Putting the work before myself
• Only resting once “the work” was done.

In the early days of building my brand, I struggled with burnout. Resentment began to build not only in my business but also in my home – where my business lived in the spare bedroom (and everywhere else, for that matter).

63% of business owners reported that they’ve dealt with or are currently dealing with burnout.

Passion-driven founders are more prone to burnout because they tend to wear many hats and are responsible for their brand’s growth and business success (sound familiar?).

Throw in managing your income, balancing your work and personal life – and the day-to-day stresses of being a human – and before you know it, that thing you really love (your business) can become a nightmare. As I near my second year in business, finding ways to set better boundaries, manage my energy, and continue to do what I love has become my main focus.

Time is your most valuable resource as a creative entrepreneur. 

You know what they say, time is money. The more intentional you can be with how you spend your time, the more productive, creative, and fulfilled you can be. 

Here are my top three tips on how to set boundaries around your time to learn to work more intentionally and plan to create time for Brand Building Activities.

Tip #1 Know your Rhythm

One of the best and most desirable parts of being an entrepreneur is that you can control your schedule. But many of us can fall into letting our clients control when and how we work. Especially when you start talking time zones and the “always open” world of online business. The first step to setting boundaries in your business is understanding your energy regarding work. This is the key to taking control of your time.

Tip #2 Establish Separation

Once you have an idea of your rhythm, it’s time to separate your time spent working into two categories.

1. The time you spend working in and on your business. For example, Brand building activities & actions like:
   • Brand Development
   • Marketing your business
   • Content Creation
   • Product Development
   • Creating Resources
   • Updating your website
   • Writing blogs
   • Recording podcasts
   • Posting on Social Media
   • Planning Ahead
   • Curating your brand
   • Managing your systems and finances
2. The time you spend working for your clients and customers
   • Fulfilling your service
   • Creating your products or deliverables
   • Meeting and working with clients one on one
   • Communicating with clients
   • Managing client projects
   • Onboarding new clients or customers
   • Creating client resources

Create a batch day system that defines the days you see and work on client or customer-related tasks and the days you will focus on your own Brand Building Activities. For Example

• Mondays = Marketing, content creation & no meetings

• Tuesday & Thursday = Client work & only meet with clients in the afternoon

• Wednesday = Internal work, meetings for my business, and only taking afternoon client meetings if I need to (ie. We are balancing multiple schedules, and they aren’t able to meet on my preferred Tuesdays & Thursdays.

• Fridays = Flex Day, where I tie up loose ends from the week and only take meetings in the afternoon when necessary.

Tip #2 Creating Business hours and a hard stop

Where and when you communicate with your clients can significantly impact your quality of life as a self-employed entrepreneur (and I am telling you that from experience).

I genuinely love what I do. I love to work, and I love my clients. And sometimes, if I have the house to myself and I’m deep in a project, I will keep working and working and working. It takes a conscious effort to stop working and call it quits for the night. That means more than just closing the door to my office and shutting down my computer. It also means

• Not responding to business-related communications (text, notion notification, or email)

• How to set boundaries with how you communicate

• Creating Lasting relationships with clients and customers

The clearer you can articulate your boundaries with clients, the better relationships you will build. Find ways to make your boundaries a part of the conversation and narrative from the start. Include your office hours and how and when you will communicate in your proposals, onboarding materials, and contracts. You can even spell this out on your website’s contact page and forms. Communicate with prospective clients about when to expect to hear back from you, and hold yourself to that. Once you set your boundaries, hold yourself accountable to them. That means only responding to communication within your business hours which can be easier said than done. It will help prospective clients to see you as a professional, take you seriously, and respect your boundaries.

Platforms I use to help set boundaries for myself and clients

Honey Book:

When I transitioned from freelance to founder, I started building my brand with Honey Book and never looked back. What cant Honey Book do? This platform helps you to create a Branded and automated client experience, from the lead form to the contract, invoice- and everything in between. Using a platform like honey book makes managing the stickier parts of managing your business a little less personal and a little more legitimate.

Best for:

Service Providers that have an in-person or virtual 1:1 service like…

Photographers

Designers

Florists

Event Planners

Social Media Managers

Virtual Assistants

Agency Services

Get 20% off your first year of Honey Book

Calendly:

Create scheduling links (based on availability) – so clients can book with you and pay you. This saves you time and energy (two of your most valuable resources) by cutting out the back-and-forth texting and emailing. Setting up your links is simple and offers lots of customizations for setting boundaries and creating a co-creative and respectful narrative from the start.

Best for:

Coaches

Consultants

Service Providers selling a one-off call

Notion

Create client workspaces that encourage creativity and collaboration in Notion (at no cost to your client). Communicate project timelines, progress, and tasks all in one place. This is also great for getting quick feedback, asking questions, making edits, and more. I encourage my clients to use Notion for business and project-related communication instead of texting me – or emailing for longer asks.

Best for:

Coaches or service providers working with clients on in-depth projects or extended timelines.

People who want to build and manage a team.

Join Notion Start For Free

It is never too early (or too late) to start setting boundaries in your business

Setting boundaries pays off when it comes to not only your mental health but also your business. Some of my favorite business-minded books on managing your energy, like Rest by Alex Soojung Kim-Payne and Do Less by Kate Northrup, dig into why the less you work, the more impact you can make. Setting boundaries in your business saves you time, helps you to manage your workload, protects your productivity, and increases your revenue.

Failing to set boundaries around your time, communication, and client relationships can create resentment in and around your business. Whether it be just feeling stressed out by your business, your partner is stressed out by your non-existent work hours, managing stressful client relationships 👆🏻 or all of the above.

Learning to set boundaries is an essential step In learning how to be your own boss. It pays off when clients take you more seriously, respects your boundaries, and you can build lasting relationships with them. Setting boundaries also saves you time and allows you to focus on Brand Building Activities like Marketing, Creating Content, and Developing New Offers – resources or services.

If setting boundaries, being more intentional with how you work, and making more time for brand-building activities in your business are on your to-do list for 2023, you need help figuring out where to start. Learn more about The Yearly Drop In, A yearly planning, goal setting, and time management course with a built-in digital planning system created for entrepreneurs who want to build their brand and work more intentionally.