Saying No is Saying Yes to You

What are you giving up to have your business?

Do you feel like your business is like a horse and buggy that is running out of control and you are just doing your best to control the reins? 

That sometimes you are playing a game of “catch up”?

That you are fitting your life around your business?

Did you just tell your son or daughter, “Just 5 more minutes” and when you look up from your computer an hour has passed?  Does this happen more often than you care to admit?

Is it more common than not to tell your spouse, “I just have one more email, and then I’m done” only to find you went down a rabbit hole and when you finished they’d gone to bed?

Do you take weekends off to rest, refresh and reconnect with yourself/family/friends or do you find yourself saying yes to clients’ last-minute requests?

Do you find that you will dig deep to get it all done and serve your clients but that in digging deep you are stealing soil from your marriage/partnership, children, friends, and your wellbeing?

I’ll ask again, what are you giving up to have your business?

I’m not talking about Life/Work balance because there is no true balance.  

Truth Bomb:  If you find yourself constantly digging deep to make things happen for your clients, you are stealing soil from somewhere (or someone).

Most of us are in business because we are client-centered.  We serve.  We give of our time, expertise, and knowledge.

I know I do.  

I want to provide all that I can to give my client the best chance at online success.   

You can absolutely provide the very best to your clients within the boundaries you set for your business.  

It’s when you find yourself having to dig deep, again and again, to make that happen on a consistent basis that can lead to resentment, burnout, and “cost” you dearly.

Truthbomb:  Saying “No” is saying “YES” to you.

Let me help you to build your business around your life and help you avoid resentment, burnout, and the real potential of losing your business and robbing the world of your expertise. 

I want you to take a moment and write down what you are unwilling to give up.

These are the “lines” that you will not cross.

Here are the things I’m unwilling to give up to have my business:

• I choose to work Monday - Thursday from 10 am - 5 pm Mountain time. 
• If I choose to work outside this time it is after my family has gone to bed and I will be in bed no later than 11:30 pm to ensure I get a good night’s sleep.
• I take Fridays - Sundays off.
• I will attend my children’s doctor appointments & be present at all school activities.
• When on vacation, I am ON vacation.
• I will charge for any task that is 10% over scope.

How does this show up in the everyday running of my business?

In the Proposal I give to my prospective clients and Welcome Kit I provide when onboarding new clients, I am very clear on business hours where I can meet, that I return any form of communication during business hours, what scope creep is, and how we will address it before I move forward and other areas so they (and I) have a clear reference of what my boundaries are. 

I truly believe clients can ask for anything, any time of the day or night.  

But it is up to YOU to uphold and honor YOUR boundaries.  

“I know you’re off on Fridays but I need you to do XYZ for me…”

“I need XYZ done by Monday” (and it’s Thursday)

“I made a change to my ABC so can you take a quick look, I go live on Monday”. (and it's Saturday)

“I know you are on vacation, but I decided to (XYZ) at the last minute, can you go in and do this?”

When asked by your client (and it would violate your boundaries), ask yourself, “When I dig deep to provide this service, what soil am I stealing from?”.

Here are some ways to respond to help you build up the muscles of saying “No” to say “YES” to you:

If you are going to say, NO, the magic phrase to remember is, “What I can do is….”

If you truly have the time and are willing to give up something in order to do the task, then say this…

“What I can do is take care of/complete/take a look at XYZ but since this is outside of our agreed schedule (or I’m on vacation) I can get this done tonight/tomorrow for (2-4x your rate) as a “rush surcharge” OR I have time next week on (and then look at your schedule and tell them a date and time) Tuesday and where there isn’t a “rush surcharge” to get this done.  Which do you prefer?”

If you don’t have the time (holding firm to boundaries), then say this…

“I’m unable to fit this last minute (or “expedited”) request into my schedule today/this week, but what I can do is take care of this tomorrow/Monday of next week (look at your schedule and tell them a date and time).”

If it is truly more than 10% outside of scope…

“The agreement we have is to do XYZ. In order for ABC to happen we must (list actions/deliverables) which places you 10% out of scope.  The investment to complete these additional tasks/services is $$$.  If you agree, I can send you an amendment to the contract and an invoice for the new scope of work by the end of the day.”

What if it is a true emergency?

I want to be clear if anything has broken down tech-wise on what I’ve created for a client or they are in the midst of open cart time and it immediately impacts and keeps people from logging in to access their new purchase and/or buying, my family knows that it is a true emergency and I WILL respond outside of my set boundaries above. 

I will give you an example of the blurb I send to clients in my Proposals and Welcome Kit as inspiration.

I will now ask this question in a new way, “What are you unwilling to give up in order to have your business?” and how do you relay this to your clients?

Yours in success,

Kimi Brown

The Joyful Contrarian