Frank started his small business later in life. For decades, he worked for someone else. While he hadn’t been an hourly employee with set start and end times in years, a clear distinction still existed between work and home. He had a boss and received a regular paycheck that arrived on schedule. Then he launched his own business out of the garage.
At first, the freedom felt energizing. He could create his own hours. If inspiration hit at 9:30 pm, he’d head back into the shop. If a customer commented on social media at 6 am, he’d respond before coffee. There were no rules. And that became a problem.
When you’re a small business owner or solopreneur, especially in the early stages, everything feels critical. Every message matters. Every opportunity feels like it could change the trajectory of your business.
Without realizing it, work begins to spill into everything. Learning how to set boundaries isn’t about working less. It’s about working sustainably. For founders building something from the bottom up, boundaries are what allow sustainable growth.
Let’s look at three areas where they matter most.
1. Drawing Boundaries Between Work and Personal Life
When you work from home, or even from a coworking space, the line between business and personal life can blur quickly.
Frank’s hobby became his job, and his garage became his workspace. There was no commute to signal the end of the day. No locked office. Just a light switch which could be turned back on at any hour of the day or night.
Many solopreneurs fall into the same pattern:
- Checking email late at night
- Responding to DMs before sunrise
- Saying “yes” to one more project
- Working weekends because “it all depends on me.”
While the drive is admirable, the burnout is inevitable.
To set distinctions between work and personal life, start with structure:
Define work hours — and publish them.
When clients know when you’re available, their expectations shift accordingly. You can’t expect people to know your work hours if you don’t tell them.
Create a physical transition.
If you work from home, close the laptop and leave the room. If you use a private office space like Burbity Workspaces, packing up and walking out creates the separation your brain needs.
A cottage business can quickly expand beyond its designated location. After all, the garage isn’t the best space for printing invoices or updating the website. Packaging and marketing pieces start to take over the kitchen countertop. No wonder work and personal life seem hard to separate. When every space in your home is a reminder of work, it may be time to consider a dedicated workspace.
Delay response intentionally.
Not every message needs an immediate reply. Teaching clients that you respond within 24 business hours builds professionalism.
Boundaries don’t mean you’re less committed; they signal that your business is stable enough to operate with intention.
2. Defining Boundaries With Customers
This one may be more difficult. When you’re building momentum, you don’t want to lose a sale. You don’t want a negative review. You don’t want someone to think you’re difficult. So you overextend. You answer texts at 9 pm You squeeze in last-minute requests. You bend policies for old friends. You adjust prices because you begin to doubt yourself.
Over time, those exceptions become expectations. To set boundaries with customers, clarity matters more than rigidity.
Put policies in writing.
What are your payment terms? Turnaround times? Revision or return limits? Office hours? When expectations are visible, you don’t have to defend them repeatedly. It can be difficult to determine all these policies from the beginning. Hey, no one’s perfect, but do your best to think ahead, and if something comes up for which you haven’t made a policy, be sure to correct that going forward.
Avoid negotiating against yourself.
If your rate is $150 per hour, don’t drop to $100 because you feel uncomfortable holding the line. Confidence produces credibility. You have to believe in yourself if anyone else is going to believe in you.
Separate urgency from pressure.
Entrepreneurs struggle with this. A client’s emergency is not necessarily your emergency. Pause and evaluate requests before reacting. Healthy boundaries actually improve customer relationships. They create consistency, and consistency creates trust.
Looking for a Dedicated Workspace to Define Your Business.
Burbity Workspaces has multiple locations with meeting rooms and private office space, to help grow your small business!
3. Defining Boundaries With Other Businesses, Employees, and Freelancers
As your business grows, a new challenge emerges: collaboration.
Maybe you hire a freelance designer or bring on a part-time assistant. Maybe you partner with another Spokane business for an event or promotion. Without boundaries, misalignment creeps in, deadlines blur, and roles overlap.
Part of setting boundaries is communicating clearly. This is where many small business owners hesitate. They want to be “easy to work with,” so they avoid hard conversations. But boundaries protect partnerships and keep people from stepping on each other’s toes.
Define roles clearly.
Who owns what? Who makes final decisions? Who communicates with clients? If you’re working collaboratively, who’s setting the direction? Who’s finalizing the message, the copy, the design?
Set communication norms.
What communication tools are you using? Are personal cell numbers and texting OK? Are Slack messages expected after hours? How quickly should emails be answered? Who is allowed to say what on social media?
Document agreements.
Even simple contracts or written scopes of work reduce confusion.
In coworking environments like Burbity Workspaces, collaboration and networking happen naturally. That’s one of the benefits. But growth-minded businesses still need structure to thrive.
When you establish boundaries early, you prevent resentment later.
Why Boundaries Matter More Than You Think
Frank eventually realized something important. He didn’t start his small business to increase the amount of pressure he was under. He started it for flexibility, autonomy, and the chance to build something meaningful. But freedom without limits isn’t freedom. It’s chaos.
Small business owners and solopreneurs often assume boundaries will limit opportunity. In reality, boundaries create capacity, protect your energy, sharpen your focus, and improve professionalism. And they allow growth without consuming your life.
If you’re having trouble setting boundaries, consider your environment as well. Working from a dedicated space, rather than your kitchen table or garage, can change how you operate. When you step into an office environment, you think differently. You structure your time differently. You leave at the end of the day.
At Burbity Workspaces in Spokane, we help entrepreneurs build their businesses while maintaining boundaries between their work and other areas of their lives. Solopreneurs who move into a well-organized environment gain clarity, not only about their schedule but also about how they want to run their business.
Boundaries aren’t barriers. They’re frameworks. And for small business owners building something that lasts, they’re essential.
