[00:00:00] Welcome to the Business BFF, the podcast where fierce and fabulous business women come together for the kind of real talk and honest advice only your besties would give. I’m your host, Emma Boudler, founder of The Women’s Accountant, and I’m here to help you navigate the wild world of business, finance, and life, whether you’re scaling up Starting fresh or just need a pep talk from someone who gets it, you’re in the right place.

[00:00:28] So grab your favorite bevy and get comfy. It’s time for a chat with your business BFFs. Welcome to episode number two of the Business BFF podcast. Now, if I were to ask you why you went into business, you’d probably tell me it’s because you wanted more flexibility, more money, and the freedom to do the things your own way.

[00:00:52] But if I ask you how it’s actually going, chances are you’d tell me. You’re working harder than ever, and those initial [00:01:00] dreams feel more out of reach than ever before. In this episode, we’re diving into all things business boundaries and non negotiables. Those lines you set to protect your time, your energy, and your sanity.

[00:01:14] We’ll explore how to define them, what to do when they slip and how to course correct when things feel utterly out of control. It’s time to get back to doing business your way with clear boundaries that actually serve your life and your goals. Stay tuned as we unpack the practical steps to reclaim your balance and find the flexibility and freedom you set out for.

[00:01:47] Okay, so let’s dive in. Why are business boundaries and non negotiables so important? Now, it’s pretty simple really. Without them, Your business will end [00:02:00] up running you just let that sink in for a minute without business boundaries and non negotiables. Your business will end up running you. And this is something that we see as business advisors time and time again.

[00:02:15] So every single time that we speak with a new prospect, we ask them two questions. And the first one is why did you start your business in the first place? And as you can imagine, we get the same kind of answers, you know, more money, more flexibility to do things my own way, to be my own boss, all of those types of things.

[00:02:37] The second question that we ask them is how is that turning out for you? Now it’s probably no surprises here, but probably I would estimate nine out of 10 responses. Are all, I guess, teamed with the same thing and that is I’m

working [00:03:00] harder for myself than I have ever worked for anyone else before and quite often for a lot less money.

[00:03:09] So, you know, I’m a big believer in going into business. For yourself and doing it for the right reasons, but if those things that you set out to achieve from the get go are no longer there, it’s time to take a bit of a step back and have a look at why so setting boundaries is not about being selfish or being demanding or being high maintenance.

[00:03:38] Setting boundaries and having non negotiables is about protecting your time, your energy, and your mental health. Okay, so how do we identify what are our non negotiables and our business boundaries? So, if you’re somewhere Where you can write, you know, grab a pen and [00:04:00] paper, or if you’re driving or multitasking, just take a mental note.

[00:04:04] So what are the top five business boundaries or non negotiables that you want to set or you have set in your business? So, you know, they could be values aligned, business non negotiable. So back in 2009, I worked at an accountancy practice where my husband was a partner at one point as well. And we weren’t married at the time.

[00:04:29] I was a single mom with two kids. I needed a day off to have with my children because they had something going on over the weekend that was going to impact them. So I had made the decision to have a day off without pay to basically, you know, keep my kids home from school and look after them because of this event that was coming up and.

[00:04:55] My employer, uh, sadly basically gave me a choice [00:05:00] between my children and my job. So I resigned from that role and as you can imagine, as a single mom who was frantically looking for a new job, but over that weekend. The bloke I was seeing, who is now my husband, had come to me and said, um, look, I don’t think I can work in an environment where people are treated that way.

[00:05:23] You know, if I buy my client base back, will you come into business with me? And I was like, holy shit, like I was 26 at the time and I was like, well, okay, but, and you know, that big but, okay, but. And that, but come with a very clear a list of non negotiables and business boundaries that we had set from day 1, actually, they were set before we’d even registered the business name about what we would accept and what we wouldn’t accept.

[00:05:56] So, for me. They were, [00:06:00] we were both never working over time, you know, I did not want to create a business where I was available 24

seven, no client would ever have our mobile phone numbers, you know, if they needed to contact us, it was during business hours by the landline, we would always prioritize family holidays.

[00:06:21] You know, if I was working for anybody else, I’d be getting four weeks holiday a year. So sure as heck, I was going to get that. If I was working for myself, we would never take work home, you know, having a really clear separation between what we would do at work and what we would do at home was. An absolute priority for me.

[00:06:40] And the fourth one was that we had a no dickhead policy. So we weren’t going to work with businesses or people who were dickheads, basically. So that’s a little bit of a story around how that come about for us, but how does that come about for you? So some of the things you might want to consider is. [00:07:00] You know, when will you be available to clients?

[00:07:03] What does that look like for you and how does it work for your family? How do you prioritize your personal time? So, for me, I don’t do any client work on a Friday and I will always have an auto email on that says that I’m not available. And, you know, what kinds of clients Would you, do you work with, you know, is there a specific type of client that you work with that, you know, you won’t negotiate on?

[00:07:33] Some of the other things I want to want you to think about is, you know, are there any industry specific things that You know, hand on heart that you would not do as a business owner. So for me, you know, I’m never going to force my employees to choose between their children and their job. Like that is just a no go for me.

[00:07:58] As an accountant, you know, [00:08:00] if I, and thankfully I never have, but, you know, if there are clients who are deliberately doing the wrong thing to defraud the government, then absolutely, I’m not going to work with them because, you know, my ethics and, you know, my whole livelihood. I guess a link to doing the right thing as far as that’s concerned.

[00:08:24] So have a think about that. Take a bit of a restock and see how that resonates with you. So the next thing I want to talk about is, you know, what are some of the signs where you’re, you might be able to identify where your business boundaries are slipping. So, you know, there’s so many ways, but for me, I’ve just highlighted here.

[00:08:47] The top four. So a few warning signs that your business boundaries might be going out the window or starting to slip. So number one is that you’re

always [00:09:00] exhausted. So if you’re constantly tired and overwhelmed, chances are you’re not protecting your time and energy properly. Number two is that you are saying yes to everything.

[00:09:12] And so what I mean by that is that you’re agreeing to every client request, every last minute project, every after hours phone call, you know, they’re really clear signs that those boundaries are starting to slip. Number three is that your personal life is suffering. So, you know, are you skipping family dinners?

[00:09:35] Are you logging in after hours? Are you skipping out on hobbies that you would normally enjoy? Are you cancelling catch ups with families and friends? If your business is creeping into your personal time, it’s really important to take stock of that and try and identify why. And number four for me here, and this is a really, [00:10:00] really big one, and it is the ultimate, uh, I guess a red flag, if you want to call it that.

[00:10:05] Is your boundaries are slipping when you are no longer enjoying your business. Now, I am fully aware that you will have some really shit days and you’ll have some amazing days. But where there is a genuine feeling of not enjoying what you do anymore. And it feels like a burden and going to work feels hard.

[00:10:30] It is a sure sign that you need to reestablish what those boundaries are and how they work for you. So how do we rein those things back in? And I think there is one key fundamental here that sits in being able to do that. And that one is around communication. So how do we, you know, if you’re a startup, these are some of the things that you might want to consider as you go through the process.

[00:10:59] [00:11:00] But if you are already in an established business, maybe there’s some things that you want to revisit and update and see how they work for you. Sorry. Communication is absolutely number 1. So for you, that might look like, you know, creating a how to work with me manual or having that updated, you know, making it really clear to your clients.

[00:11:26] How can they work with you? When are you available, and what does that look like? It might involve updating your terms and conditions. It might involve updating your engagement letters and letting your customers or clients know what’s in and out as part of a proposal. It might be having conversations with your team around updating some of the administration processes.

[00:11:53] So, as I mentioned before, you know, I don’t work Fridays. So every Friday, you know, [00:12:00] even if I’m in the office, the team know that I am unavailable to take client phone calls or client meetings. You know, one of the things that we’ve also implemented there is, you know, we use Calendly for our booking system.

[00:12:14] So, you know, there are only certain days and certain times that customers or clients can actually meet with me. Okay, so some of those things might be relevant to your business as well. But I think, you know, having really open and honest conversations with your clients and your customers and your team.

[00:12:36] About why you need to reign some of these things back in will be really important. Now, what, you know, you’re probably feeling like, oh, goodness. And, you know, that’s all easy to say. And, you know, seems simple to implement. But how do I have those conversations? And. Particularly if you’ve let these things slide for a little while and.[00:13:00]

[00:13:00] Full disclaimer, you are absolutely not the only one. It’s something that I continue to work on every single day. You’re probably the kind of person who, you know, doesn’t want to upset people or just wants to help and, you know, all of those emotions that you go through. But what I know to be true, that is if you are getting negative responses from anybody about reestablishing your boundaries.

[00:13:29] And hey, you know, it will probably happen because there are a lot of people who are entitled out there. I would strongly be asking yourself if they are really the right people for you and your business. If they can’t respect your boundaries, then chances are they are not the right people for you or your business.

[00:13:54] So I hope that helps if you are looking to pop some of those [00:14:00] things back in place, I would strongly recommend, and I’ll link it in the show notes. We have a Slay All Day workbook that can help you work through some of those. Non negotiables and boundaries, and then showing you how to communicate those to your team so they are protected moving forward.

[00:14:20] Thanks for tuning in to The Business BFF. We hope you found this episode equal parts big hug. and kick up the bum. All the things a bestie is good for. Remember, you’ve got this and we’ve got your back like only a BFF can. If you’ve loved what you’ve heard, be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share it with your fellow business besties.

[00:14:44] Don’t forget to follow us on social media at The Women’s Accountant for more tips, tricks and behind the scenes fun. Until next time, keep being fierce and oh so fabulous.