How to Set Boundaries With Your Clients

If you’ve ever responded to an email at 9:00 pm on a Sunday, waived a late fee to “be nice,” or bent your availability to fit a client’s changing schedule (again), you’re not alone. Setting boundaries as a business owner can feel genuinely impossible.

You want to be helpful, responsive and flexible, but if you’re not careful, that flexibility turns into burnout and ultimately, resentment. In fact, 42% of small business owners report feeling burnout and resentment towards their business.

Setting boundaries doesn’t have to mean losing clients. In fact, clear boundaries often increase trust, professionalism and client satisfaction when implemented well. Here’s how to set them effectively without compromising your business.

Related: Embrace the Art of Saying No: 4 Tips for Setting Healthy Boundaries

Boundaries are a signal, not a barrier

First, let’s talk about what boundaries are actually meant to do in business. Boundaries aren’t about creating distance or being difficult to work with. They’re about setting expectations, and managing expectations is at the heart of great client relationships. When your clients know what to expect from you, they’re less likely to push or feel disappointed. You’re creating a container that allows you both to do your best work.

So, rather than thinking of boundaries as walls, think of them as the frame around your service that holds the whole thing together.

Identify where you’re leaking energy and set those expectations upfront

Before you set new rules, figure out what’s actually not working.

Maybe you’re answering texts at all hours or constantly rescheduling calls. Or maybe you’re putting up with a client treating you and your team not as well as they should. Maybe you’ve continued to say yes to more edits and more scope creep, and you’re feeling like the project might never end.

By taking note of the small places where you feel frustrated or overextended, you are getting direction as to where to firm up your boundaries.

Then, look at where you can set clearer expectations around those things, sooner in the partnership.

This could be in your onboarding guide, welcome email or formal scope of work. Take a look and make sure it spells out things like your working hours and response time, what’s included and not included in your service and your policies around things like revisions, late payments and cancellations.

When clients have this info upfront, you’re not springing “rules” on them later. You’re also setting the expectations upfront, which can deter clients who may want to push those limits — which is fine, as those are the types of clients we are trying to deter.

Related: Why Setting Boundaries Is the Secret to Preserving Energy and Focusing on What Matters

Lead with clarity and neutrality

Boundaries don’t have to be cold. Instead, the key is to communicate them with emotional neutrality and confidence.

For example, instead of: “That’s out of scope.” Try: “Great idea! That would be outside the scope of our current agreement, but I’d be happy to send a quote if you’d like to see one.”

Most importantly, don’t wait until you’re frustrated. If you bring emotional charge to the conversation, especially if the other person involved is heightened too, it can easily go down in flames.

You also don’t have to answer in the moment, especially if your default is to say yes. Give yourself space to evaluate whether this is a true emergency, a miscommunication or a case where you need to restate your limits. You can even excuse yourself from a call to give yourself that space to think.

Set expectations early, and reinforce them gently as needed. If the client pushes back on you, stand firm in the boundary. Being clear doesn’t mean you’re being unkind or unfair, especially when you’re delivering it in simple and neutral language.

Remember, most clients aren’t trying to take advantage on purpose. They’re just used to working with people who haven’t communicated boundaries. Your calm, firm response can reset that dynamic quickly.

Create systems to back you up

If you’re constantly having to manually enforce boundaries, you’re going to get tired fast. That’s where systems come in.

There are lots of ways to set up small boundaries throughout your workflow, to both enforce your policies and to signal to clients that you’re willing to do so.

One of my favorites is to build this into your scheduling and sales workflow. In many scheduling tools, you can add an acknowledgement of your late cancellation policy to minimize late cancellations and no-shows of sales calls.

I also love relying on auto-replies to set expectations on response times. Everyone who emails me gets expectations clearly set regarding when to expect to hear from me, which prevents frustration on their end and on mine.

You can also create templates for yourself to use when you’re in a tough situation with clients. Some great places to start are a late payment enforcement email template and another for out-of-scope asks.

The more you build boundaries into your operations, the less emotional labor it takes to enforce them, and the more “normal” it becomes to anyone who works with you.

Related: How to Establish and Maintain Effective Work Boundaries as an Entrepreneur (and Why It’s Important)

Most importantly — be willing to lose the wrong clients

This one is hard, but essential.

If your setting a boundary makes a client upset — and at some point, it will — they might not be the right fit. By setting boundaries and enforcing them, you are showing yourself, your team and your clients that you are willing to prioritize the working experience for everyone, over just taking every single client who comes your way.

Ultimately, clients who respect your time, expertise and business will stay. Those who expect you to be endlessly available, do free work or disregard your policies will either adjust or self-select out.

The good news is that clients who do stay will be just that much better and will most likely spend more with you, refer more people your way and sing your praises.

Clients often love working with people who have boundaries. Boundaries signal that you take your work seriously and are a professional. Who doesn’t want to work with someone like that? People might not always say it, but they will absolutely notice, and your business will thank you.