It is easy for a small-business owner to feel the pressure of being available 24/7, especially if you are a sole proprietor or owner/operator. You need to be available 24/7, whether you are on the phone or social media.
However, this can lead to burnout.
You entered the industry because you enjoy making people happy. How are you going to say “no?”? You can start setting boundaries in your company today by following these three simple steps.
Consider your needs.
Take some time to journal about the picture-perfect rainbows-and-butterflies version of your business. What would that look like for you? What do you really want? Do you want your cleaning business to grow, or are you looking for purpose and profitability by working alone? What is the perfect version of your business? What do they say to you? What will you do to respect other people’s energy, time, and boundaries? This business would provide you with what you need to be happy. What rules would you require others to follow so that you and your family are also satisfied with this business? Spend time daydreaming because you can’t build what you don’t imagine!
You may also need:
- Comfortable with a certain salary
- Protecting family time with strict office hours
- Part-time schedules to save your knees and protect your health
- Not working on weekends
- To protect your health, insist that you are not present during the cleaning.
- sanity!)
- To provide for your family, you need a cancellation policy that charges a fee.
- You and your team should adhere to a code of conduct for clients.
- Treatment
2. Before someone tests your boundaries, set them.
You can tell what your boundaries are when someone crosses the line. This is not the best time to establish new boundaries. They will always be defensive because they can’t read your mind and didn’t know before. You can start planning for the situations in which you may need to set boundaries. Consider how you would handle a potentially difficult situation, whether it be with clients, team members, or the general public. It can be hard to think of sample scenarios. Stuck? You can get a lot out of reading the professional cleaning forums. Many professionals will ask for help in sticky situations. You can get some great ideas by reading their stories. Ask yourself, “What would I have done?”. This will require some imagination but will give you a good start for your terms of service.
3. Offer another alternative.
You’re now ready to set boundaries. Your first experience will be very frightening if you are a people-pleaser like myself. This tactic can be more effective for those who are just learning to set boundaries. Let me give you an instance. A friend recently asked me to move him. I was experiencing burnout symptoms while undergoing a software upgrade. Instead of promising too much and not delivering, I told my friend, “I can’t help you pack and move, but I do have boxes and bubble-wrap that I could drop off.” If your supplies are already packed, I can lend you one of our cleaning kits. My friend was still grateful for the help and told me later that he prefers it when people are honest because they allow him to budget his time and energy more effectively. I felt better offering what I could rather than just saying “no.”