Running a small business doesn’t come with a manual or clear set of directions. The mantras you choose early on tend to set the stage for how your business will operate and if you’re not careful, can make or break your success.

These three business mantras have enabled me to grow a thriving, successful business. Today I’m giving you a peek behind the scenes and how they work for me.

Set Clear Boundaries Early

One of the mistakes I made early on in my business was allowing myself to be available to clients 24/7. If a client needed help with their blog at 8 pm, I emailed back instantly with resources to help them. If a client wanted to have a call on the same day I already had three meetings, I squeezed them in.

Essentially, I trained my clients to expect an instant response from me, and in the cases where that was not possible, I suddenly looked unavailable and non-responsive. 

I now have office hours where I dedicate a few hours a week to answer client questions and hold all related emails until those hours. I turn off my work email at 4:00 pm each day, and I check it just once more during my evening. 

Setting clear boundaries has helped me lessen the burnout factor in the past year, and I have never received a complaint from a client. 

Use the “Top Three Method” For Prioritizing

I love a good to-do list. I live and die by my Simplified Planner, and on any given day, I might have 10-12 to-do list items. However, the real magic to my productivity comes from two different methods:

• I begin every to-do list item with an action verb. So, for example, instead of writing “home page edits” in my task list, I write “swap out header photos” or “rewrite headlines.” By defining what I mean by home page edits, I am more productive. Otherwise, I’m likely to open my website, get distracted, and never do the thing that I needed to do.

• I use a small post-it notepad that says “Today’s Top Three.” Every morning, I look at my to-do list and choose the top three items that I must complete. I write those on my sticky note and get to work. Then, after finishing those, I repeat the process. Sometimes I only do one set and call it good. 

Keep Your Private Life Private

There’s been a great quote floating around Instagram lately that says, “Normalize knowing the difference between downtime and be available,” or something to that effect. 

It’s not unusual for clients to find my personal social media sites and request to connect with me. However, I typically decline these requests. I like knowing that Andrea, the owner of One Nine Design, is private from Andrea, the mom of two and book lover. 

I’m not trying to hide anything, and I’m not a different person when I run my business versus how I spend my weekends. But having a disconnect between my professional life and my private life allows me the space to be me without any pressure or feared judgment. 

I know fellow business owners who look at this differently and consider it all networking, and I respect that. I’m just at the point in my business where networking isn’t all that important to me. 

Keeping distance between professional and personal lives also means that entrepreneurs who use a coworking space or work around others may not want to bring their home life into the workplace. You may do things at home that may not be acceptable in the workplace and need to be discreet. You may want to use items like preroll packaging, separate mobile phone cases, and different bags so you can keep your private and business life separate. 

There are no right or wrong options here. This is a look behind the scenes of One Nine Design, and your business may look very different from mine. That’s one of the reasons I love being an entrepreneur -- you can blaze your own path! 

What are some ways you separate yourself from your business?

Until next time,

Andrea

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