Ep 32: How To Set Boundaries in Your Business – Are You Really Responsible For Your Client’s Results?

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Setting Boundaries in Your Business: Responsibility TO vs. Responsibility FOR Customers

Running a business can be both rewarding and challenging. As a business owner, you are responsible for delivering value to your customers and helping them achieve the results they desire. However, this responsibility can sometimes weigh heavily on you.

If you've ever felt the weight of responsibility for getting your clients and customers results, lost sleep because someone wasn't making progress in your program, or over-delivered to the point of burnout, then this topic is for you. In this article, we will cover the importance of boundaries and a crucial mindset shift that can assist you in setting better boundaries.

Why Healthy Boundaries are Essential for a Successful Business

Having healthy boundaries is crucial for any business owner or community manager. Boundaries help you create a clear line between what you are responsible for and what your customers are responsible for. They enable you to focus on delivering value to your customers while also taking care of yourself and avoiding burnout.

One of the most important reasons why healthy boundaries are essential for a successful business is that they help you manage your responsibilities effectively. When you have clear boundaries, you can identify the areas in which you need to focus your energy and attention. For example, if you have a course that you offer, you can focus on creating top-notch resources and templates, and structure the course in a way that customers are more likely to retain the information and actually put it into action.

Responsibility TO vs. Responsibility FOR Customers

One mindset shift that can help you set better boundaries in your business is understanding the difference between responsibility to your customers and responsibility for your customers. As a business owner, you are responsible to your customers, meaning you need to deliver the value that you promised and increase the likelihood of them achieving the results they desire. However, you are not responsible for your customers, meaning you cannot control their actions or their results.

For example, my Cultivate Training Program is a self-study community training program. I put a ton of effort into taking a decade of knowledge and experience and putting that into my training. I created top-notch resources and templates. I created a guide that makes it easier for you to implement, and I've structured the course in a way that customers are more likely to retain the information and actually put it into action.

For the investment, I'm confident that it's an incredible program that provides immense value. If you go through the program, I know that you'll get results. If you implement what I teach, you'll get results that yield financial returns well beyond the price of the program. But if someone emails me and asks for a one-on-one phone call to strategize as to how a certain strategy in that program applies to their particular business, I'm not going to give them that phone call.  I fulfilled my responsibility to that customer in the delivery of the program, and that's where my responsibility ends.

Two Dangerous Mindsets on Responsibility 

While you are responsible to your customers, you're not responsible for them. This can lead to two dangerous mindsets that can harm your business and your customers.

The first danger is blaming your customers for not achieving results. I have a program that helps people unearth their customer success stories and testimonials so they can leverage them in their marketing to get more sales. But I emphasize that it has to start with getting people results. Now, some of you are avoiding the fact that your program sucks. People can implement your program and not get results because your program sucks, not because of that person's ability to implement. Maybe you're teaching something you've never actually done before, or you're just doing the bare minimum and not really providing a return that is beyond the customer’s investment. So do me a favor. Don't use this concept of responsibility as an excuse to sell a crappy product.

The second danger is using responsibility as an excuse to ghost your buyers.  Many times I see online entrepreneurs launch a program, and when asked about customer success, they start talking about how it's not their fault that people don't implement the program.  We all know completion rates for most programs are terrible. And yes, ultimately you aren't responsible for your customers, so you can't make them do the work. But don't use that as an excuse to ghost your buyers. 

It's important to care about your customers and help them succeed. You need to be invested in figuring out ways to get your buyers activated in your program and to keep them engaged. You still have a responsibility to be there for them and not just disappear.

Building Healthy Boundaries

Setting boundaries takes time and effort, but they cannot be built overnight. You need to give yourself grace as you figure this out and start building healthy boundaries little by little. Remember that the future of your business depends on your ability to set and uphold healthy boundaries. 

Setting healthy boundaries is essential for any business owner or community manager. Understanding the difference between responsibility to and responsibility for your customers can help you set better boundaries and avoid over-delivery, burnout, and guilt. By investing in your customers' success and taking care of yourself, you can create a successful and sustainable business that delivers value to everyone involved.

If you want more information on managing your community and setting healthy boundaries, go check out my Cultivate Training Program. 

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