One of the best things I did for my business was to establish boundaries. These are those items that establish the line between personal and business. For many their business is full of gray areas and this often leads to confusion between them and their clients.

In order to establish boundaries, one must first know what is important to them in order to maintain that true balance between work and life that so many of us are trying to achieve. The first step to doing this is to sit down and really figure out what is important to you and to your business. Here are some areas to look at:

• What is office time? What is family time?
• What are you willing to do? What are you not willing to do
• What would your perfect business look like? What would your perfect family life look like? How do they interconnect?
• What rules do you have to keep personal and business separate?

The next step is to sit down with your family and get their opinion. What are their expectations from you as a business person and what are they NOT willing to “sacrifice”?

The final and perhaps hardest task is to respect the boundaries that you set. If you determine that you will work while your children are at school only then ensure that this is when you work and make it very productive time. If you determine that you will not enter your office after business hours do whatever it takes to make that happen.

The best way to do this is with the aid of a boundary letter. This letter outlines for your clients exactly where the boundaries of your business are. I give my “boundary” letter to each and every client right after our initial consultation and/or with my Proposal. The best thing about a boundary letter is that is sets out my clear expectations from the very beginning and lets my clients know what I am and am not willing to do. For some this has meant the difference between working with me or not, but in the long run I have come to realize that if a potential client does not respect my boundaries then they are not the client for me.

Come back tomorrow and I will outline for you the ten areas you should consider when creating your boundary letter. I am sure that once you are clear with not only yourself, but with your family and clients as to what you consider to be the balance you need between work and life, you will be on your way to creating a truly thriving business.