The phone rings at midnight. It’s a client – do you answer it?

You have a carefully constructed program and packages and your clients are always asking for “just one thing” or extra time.

One of the hardest challenges you’re going to face in business is setting boundaries, especially around your time. And when you’re building a business in the beginning, it’s not a big deal. Maybe you only have a handful of clients and want to prove yourself.

But those requests are like ants, once you allow one into your space, the floodgates open and getting them to stop is much harder.

It’s also difficult to address because it’s flattering when someone wants your expertise and support.

But without boundaries in your business, you’ll quickly become overwhelmed, discouraged and frustrated.

Here are some tips on structuring and reenforcing your boundaries:

1. Use your contract to set up boundaries

Every client has a contract, right? Then use this document to specify how your time is structured, how additional phone calls, emails and in person time is addressed.

You might want to remind clients of your expectations in a welcome packet to remind them of your expectations at the beginning of a working relationship.

By getting very, very clear on exactly what is acceptable you can more easily identify when a client’s behavior is not.

2. Prepare a template that addresses the problem

Often when someone crosses a boundary, it’s not malicious. They may simply need more support than agreed upon or have a true emergency.

What helps is identifying what an emergency looks like and structure this like a doctor’s office. If you’re a website developer then your emergency will look much different than a personal trainer.

For clients outside of emergency situations, the easiest way to address behavior is to point back to the contract and/or welcome packet.

3. Don’t be afraid to adjust expectations

As your business grows you may find that your initial boundaries are not enough and it’s time to change. In these circumstances it’s appropriate to address by announcing the change.

The real trick to these announcements is setting up a policy that serves your client and benefits them, because we all know that self-serving policies don’t go over well.

Everyone asks “How the crap do I do THAT?” and so here’s a clear and effective script you can model:

“Effective on {date} we have a new policy change regarding after hour emails and emergencies. In congruence with our business hours we answer emails between 9am and 5pm local time Monday through Friday. Because after hours emails are not monitored in real time, we have set up an Emergency Line so you can reach our virtual reception desk 24/7 by dialing {phone number}. This line is similar to an after hours Urgent Care Center and as such we ask you do not call them for appointments or regular requests; those can continue to be directed to {email}. As a reminder here are the true blue emergencies you can call about:

{list 3-5 items specific to your business here}

This line is a little like 911 – it shouldn’t be used lightly and if abused we will address that behavior immediately. Thanks so much for your business and we’re excited about this policy and being able to serve you in the case of emergency.”

Creating boundaries around your business is not about protecting your time, energy and attention from clients who need real support – it is about being very clear about how and when you are available to serve and providing guidelines for your clients to follow.

Action Step: If you don’t yet have boundaries created in your contract or welcome packet start developing those guidelines to add in.