Setting and sticking to weekly goals is hard for most of us. We find it reasonably easy to let ourselves down in places we’d never dream of letting a client down. We certainly wouldn’t stand for someone we were paying slacking in missed goals.

Then we feel bad and plan to do better.

Is this true for you?

You rely on ‘will power’ to get those personal projects done. Or maybe you said you wouldn’t take any client work this month because you’re feeling burned out.

Then someone calls and has some money and you forget to keep that boundary intact, so you take on the new project.

As you fail in setting boundaries for yourself, you need others who will let you know about it in a caring way. – Boundaries

Who are your ‘others’?

Who are the ‘others’ in your life who help you maintain your boundaries?

My first ‘other’ is my awesome wife. We talk about the business every week and sit down every few months to evaluate our overall direction.

Notice I say ‘our’ direction. While I run the business and she raises our kids it’s still our business. We are partners in every aspect of life.

How about you? When things are tough do you let your spouse in to help you? Better than just ‘letting them in’ are they actually ‘in’ all the time, not just when things are desperate?

Do they know approximately how much is in the business emergency fund? Better yet, do they have access to the business accounts?

Do they know your yearly goals and are you reviewing them together?

[Tweet “If you don’t have ‘others’ to walk with in your business, you’re not going to go as far.”]

If your answer isn’t yes to those questions then it’s time to step into adulthood and truly partner with your spouse.

My Mastermind

My second group of ‘others’ is my mastermind group. We meet weekly to discuss business and our goals.

We also have a Slack group that we use daily when we run into issues that we want group feedback on. Maybe it’s the tricky wording needed to break up with a client, or maybe it’s the push to actually start blocking out time so we can get stuff done.

Whatever it is, I know I can reach out to that group of people — that they truly care about my business and me and they will help me work through a rough patch.

They’ll let me know when I should be saying NO to a customer when I waffle around on actually doing it.

So who are your ‘others’? Are you actually being honest with them so they can help you set boundaries?

If you don’t have ‘others’ or you’re not being honest with the ones you do have…WHY NOT?

photo credit: dunechaser cc

3 responses to “Who helps you set your business boundaries?”

  1. John Locke Avatar

    Hi Curtis:

    My one true accountability partner is my girlfriend Amy, who has been my partner in crime for 8+ years. We guide our relationship by honesty, transparency and communication, even about business, even when things aren’t rosy. She’s also starting a business of her own, so this honesty is necessary.

    Aside from that, I have allies in the web industry, but nothing resembling an accountability partner or a person who I talk hard numbers with. Mastermind groups have been something on my mind for several years now, but the people who are available and ready around here are mostly multi-level marketing veterans, and that’s not what I’m looking for.

    I know that successful people choose to surround themselves with people on similar levels of success (sum of five people and all that). Ultimately, when you help others and they help you achieve greater individual success, you are more willing to continue helping each other, and you see each other as peers.

    But how do people outside of these higher-level circles bridge that gap? I would imagine this is a common fear/concern/goal/problem.

    1. Curtis McHale Avatar
      Curtis McHale

      A mastermind doesn’t have to be ‘local’ to you. I have 2 and we’re all over North America. We meet in Slack and on Google Hangouts.

      There are people I’ve never met IRL that are in the group.

      Don’t limit yourself to just those around you, but don’t shortchange them either. Why is the MLM person not good for you? They have lots of insight in to an industry that you don’t have.

      Sure we may feel uncomfortable with some of their suggestions but that doesn’t mean the principle behind the suggestion isn’t valid and can’t be applied in a bit different way.

      1. John Locke Avatar

        I suppose you are right, in that I should use whatever resources are available in order to grow. My reluctance to join a mostly MLM based mastermind stems from my disbelief in that system. I believe in empowerment, but not at the cost of others. Affiliate marketing I can condone to a very wide degree. I guess I see MLM as exploitative. I suppose there are things to learn from everyone.

        I get what you’re saying when it comes to location not being a factor in joining a mastermind. I don’t believe it is a factor either. Proven results, equal status, and trust are most important. I think I am expressing my own personal impatience and dissatisfaction with myself more than anything else.