Listen To Your Clients Or Set Firm Boundaries? Advice From A Successful Designer
Can you set boundaries in biz and still listen to your clients?
Or does being a small business owner mean you get to run things your way, all the time?
One of the biggest mistakes I some people make when they start their own business, especially online (where other people can seem far away and relationships less personal), is subscribing to the idea that they need to dominate over their clients.
"This is my business and I make all the rules. If you don't like them, don't hire me!"
Have you ever run into a business owner who made you feel that way? (I have, and it's an icky feeling.)
Boundaries ARE important -- particularly when it comes to essential biz operations like payment policies -- and it's not bad to have them.
But as in all things in life, when they are taken to the extreme, they can stop being healthy and start being used as an excuse to treat people badly.
And that doesn't just hurt clients or customers, it hurts our businesses, too. It's difficult to run a thriving brand when people feel as if their needs + wants come in third, fourth, or last place!
In this interview today, Fashiony Fab owner Maru Ramirez (a favorite classy boss lady of mine) talks about this very issue -- as well as shares her best practices when it comes to email replies to clients, how she helps recurring clients feel extra special, and what crucial (healthy) boundary she learned to implement early on in her biz.
Check it out below:
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