The Business of Boundaries

The Business of Boundaries

What is a boundary? Something that marks or fixes a limit.

Interpersonal boundaries define the territory and establish the limits of our relationships. In business, boundaries are extremely important because they spell out acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

Example: A customer calls you at home at 11pm. 

Boundary question: Do you take the call or tell the customer to call tomorrow during business hours?

As a small business owner, you constantly face situations where your boundaries are tested. Boundaries are difficult to set because there's always a chance that the other person will respond by taking his/her business elsewhere.

Do you ever face business situations where you want to set a boundary with someone, but just can't? Maybe you want to raise your fees with a particular client but never get around to it. Or perhaps your employee does something that really bothers you, but you aren't able to confront the person. Whenever you want to set a limit with someone but feel unable to do so, you've probably hit a hole in your interpersonal boundary system.

A Boundary Hole is an internal belief or feeling which leaves you vulnerable to invasion from others. 

Some common boundary holes in business:

Belief: "I need you to survive." - You believe that the survival of your business depends on one particular client or account.

Key Symptom: You accept rude, offensive or inappropriate behavior from your client because you "can't afford to lose the business."

Remedy: Focus on expanding your options. If you commit to spending a few hours every week in pursuit of new business, you'll feel less dependent on any one client.

As a business owner, you can expect that certain people and situations will tape into your interpersonal boundary holes. The key lies in knowing what your particular boundary holes are and finding ways to patch them up.

Sincerely,

Katherine and Kathi 

Bestselling Authors of Working With You Is Killing Me