Setting Boundaries With Difficult Clients

Think overdelivering will keep your clients happy? Think again. Here’s how to avoid burnout as a consultant. When you shift from a full-time role to consulting, it’s easy to fall into an old trap: treating every opportunity like a full-time job. Overdelivering. Overextending. And ultimately, burning out. On a recent Business Building call with clients, I shared with them... "The most nefarious thing is the story we tell ourselves, but we’re also setting expectations by overextending." The story? That if we don’t give everything, we won’t land (or keep) the client. But here’s the reality: Overextending doesn’t just exhaust you, it sets the wrong expectations. Clients come to rely on extra hours, unlimited availability, or added scope... without understanding the real value of your work. The result? You undervalue yourself, misalign expectations, and risk sacrificing long-term success. Failing to set boundaries as a consultant creates: • Burnout: You feel drained, losing the passion that made you start consulting in the first place.    • Scope Creep: Projects spiral beyond the original agreement without compensation.    • Misaligned Value: Clients undervalue your expertise because they see your time as endless.    The Fix: Set Clear Boundaries To protect your time and deliver impact without overextending, implement these strategies: 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 Clearly outline deliverables, timelines, and expectations in every proposal. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Set working hours and response times upfront. Example: “I’m available for calls between 9 AM and 2 PM on weekdays.” 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 If additional work arises, renegotiate the contract. Example: “That’s outside the scope of our initial agreement—let’s discuss an add-on package.” 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 Focus on delivering outcomes, not overcommitting your time. Your impact comes from results, not the number of hours you spend. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 Ask yourself: “Am I overextending because I’m afraid of losing the client? What evidence supports that fear?” Boundaries don’t just protect you, they elevate your client relationships by reinforcing your value and professionalism.

I used to let the high-paying clients be jerks to my firm. Then, I got called out by my own employee. I had just rolled out our draft values to the team. One of my favorite values was "No Jerks.” I meant that we wouldn't tolerate disrespectful behavior among our staff. But one of my employees challenged me: "That's not true. You let clients be jerks." He was referring to a specific client who was: • Calling after hours demanding immediate responses • Bullying our team into actions that wouldn't even help their case • Showing zero respect for our boundaries The truth hit hard. I was holding my team to standards I wasn't enforcing with clients who paid us. This client had paid a large fee, which made me hesitant to push back. But what message was I sending to my team? After reflecting, I refunded the client's money entirely—even though we'd invested significant time on their case. It was worth it to never deal with them again. Now, our five firm values apply to EVERYONE: • Family First • Balance • Generosity • No Jerks • Growth And "No Jerks" isn't just for our team. It extends to clients, referral partners, and anyone else we work with. Some firms believe difficult clients are just "part of the business." I've found the opposite is true—the moment you start enforcing your values consistently is when your practice truly thrives. Your team deserves better than mixed messages about what you stand for. #LegalPractice #FirmCulture #Boundaries

Three ways I set VERY clear and mutually respectful boundaries with clients as a ghostwriter. In the last 8 years of me doing this, these have saved me countless hours and allowed me to extract the kind of information that's allowed me to get clients: - Over 500 views - Leads from F500s - Organic features in publications such as the WSJ Here they are: 1. Interruptions "I will interrupt you during interviews. That's not me being rude; it's me respecting your time and mine. I know what I need to tease out of your brain to get you the results you're paying for. If I'm polite and always let you finish talking, I won't get what I need. If you allow me to guide and own the conversation, I will." 2. Granularity "I need you to always start by responding at a high level. Don't get into details; give me brief, executive summaries. Allow me to choose what to double-click into. Again, this is out of an abundance of respect for your time and mine." 3. Pushback "I will pushback against some of the things you say. Strawman them and steelman counterfactuals. Not because I'm argumentative or truculent, but because I want to push you to make your ideas as robust, coherent, and nuanced as possible." The caveat is that you need to be a very, very good interviewer, which is the kind of soft skill that takes years to develop. Questions? AMA in the comments.

I lost a promotion for not being "available enough." I was already: • Working 60+ hours weekly • Answering emails at 11pm • Taking calls on weekends A month later, I quit. BEST decision ever. The "always available" trap destroys careers silently. You think your responsiveness is impressive. Your boss sees it as expected. Your peers start avoiding you. Your health deteriorates slowly. When you're always available, people assume: • Your time isn't valuable • Your work isn't important • Your skills aren't in demand Sometimes, the most valuable people are the least available. The playbook that changed everything for me: 1. Create scarcity. Block "deep work" time on your calendar. Turn notifications off. Don't apologize for focusing. 2. Set clear boundaries. I tell new clients: "I'm offline after 5pm and on weekends." This doesn't scare good clients away. It attracts clients who respect professionals. 3. Increase your standards. The most in-demand people have the strictest boundaries. Their time is protected. Their energy is protected. Their focus is protected. Here's what happened after I quit and set boundaries: • My hourly rate tripled • My client quality improved • My stress level plummeted • My work got dramatically better Because boundaries aren't selfish. They're strategic. What boundary do you need to establish today? ---- If this hit home, repost ♻️ it And give me a follow → Nick Maciag 🙌

I made every rookie mistake building RevenueHoop in year one. Here's what I learned so you don't have to: 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 I said yes to every client request, worked weekends, and answered calls at 1AM. This didn't make me a better service provider, it exhausted me and reduced my productivity. I've learned clear boundaries increase client respect and project success. 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁 That "quick call" to clarify scope will happen 47 times if you don't write it down. Create detailed project briefs, communication protocols, and revision limits before starting any work. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 – 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁. You will miss deadlines that you underestimated, misunderstand requirements, or deliver something that doesn't match your client's vision. It's okay, it happens to the best of us. Over-communicate progress, and have a recovery plan ready. 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁 A smooth onboarding experience sets the tone for everything. Create templates, checklists, and standard processes. We're doing that right now with ClickUp. The 10 hours you spend systematizing will save you 100+ hours of confusion later. 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲, 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 – 𝗯𝘂𝘁 please 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 I thought low prices would win more clients. Instead, it attracted clients who didn't value our work. Price for the outcome you deliver, not the time you spend. 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻. Force specific conversations about success metrics, timelines, and deliverables before you start. Often times you will realize that you are actually not in alignment with your client and avoid expensive problems. 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. When clients ask for "one tiny addition," they're testing your boundaries. Learn to say "That's a great idea, let's scope it as a separate project" without feeling guilty still working on that 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 I learned this the hard way sadly. Now I qualify harder upfront and trust my gut. A bad client relationship will drain your energy for months. Building a service business is equal parts psychology and execution. Master both. What would you add to this list?