I hate firing my clients and yet, I still do. I fire my clients. I let them go, make them redundant, or however you want to say it.
Some of you may be confused at this point. Some of you may be saying to yourself, “She fires her clients? Why would you fire someone who is paying you?”
Why? Because I have boundaries, that’s why.
If a client steps over one of my boundaries, I let them go. And I do that because my boundaries keep me happy and worry free. That’s why I created them in the 1st place.
- Pay me in advance
My first boundary is that I get paid in advance of any service that I provide. This keeps me happy because I know that my services are valued. It keeps me worry free because I’m working with someone who can afford me. It keeps my clients protected because financial worries are some of the biggest ones and it isn’t right freaking out about your finances just so you can make significant changes in your life. I hate stressing out over fees, negotiating, doing ‘energy exchanges’, and the like. If someone really wants results and wants my expertise to guide them to those results, I need to get paid up front. If a client isn’t happy, I have a massively flexible refund policy that I’ve never used. First, you need to show me your serious.
- You must want to EXCEL
My second boundary is that I only work with people who really want to stretch themselves and grow in a big way. Doesn’t everybody? No! Some people just like throwing away good money to complain. I’m not a shrink! I’m the “Build a Better You!” lady. I’m the “Raise Your BAR” lady. I’ll be your biggest cheerleader and biggest pain in your butt all at the same time. There are no couch potatoes working with me. If you want to complain, find someone else. I’ll even help you!
- Honesty
Lastly, and my newest boundary is about honesty. I didn’t actually think I had to state this as a boundary until a company in Singapore, NO, a particular individual from a company in Singapore changed my mind. If you lie, I’m also not your trainer/presenter/1-on-1 coach. There’s no doubt that having someone lie to you – right to your face – is a little annoying. I don’t want to feel that way so it’s going in my contract. Honesty is important!
Those are my 3 boundaries. Simple ones. Easy to decide one way or another. For me it is anyway.
How about you? Do you have boundaries? Do you have boundaries at work or in your relationships or with your health?