Here's how you can establish effective boundaries with clients as a freelance business coach.

Client love, coach boundaries! Here's my plan: Crystal-clear contract: Outline expectations, communication channels, and response times in writing. Know the game before we play. Respect my time: Set specific work hours and stick to them. Protect my evenings and weekends for personal life. "No" is a powerful word: Don't be afraid to politely decline requests outside our agreed scope. My time has value. Boundaries build trust: Clear boundaries show clients I respect myself and them. It fosters a healthy and productive coaching relationship. By setting clear expectations, valuing my time, using "no" strategically, and showing respect through boundaries, I'll build trust with clients and create a coaching experience that benefits everyone.

I believe there are no limits in coaching and encourage my clients to think this way too. I also believe in definitions and agreements. Defining exactly what is and isn't acceptable for both parties is essential. In my coaching, agreements aren't 1-directional, they are 2. We co-create to produce agreements we both appreciate and commit to.

Boundaries are going to save you and your client a lot of heart ache in the long run. You need to set them before you start working together so that you are clear from the start of what you both expect to happen- remember you are forming a relationship and need to be on the same page to make it a good one! I always have a coaching agreement that clients sign which protects both of us. It clearly states what I will and won't do, (and that I don't have super powers- they need to put the work in too!) and also what I expect from them. So far, everyone is happy. I also make sure that I protect what is important to me- like family time- I don't work weekends, and that includes answering emails! You define what matters to you, and protect it.

Au commencement il faut établir les règles du jeu pour ne pas être trop familiarisé avec le client car ceci peut jouer sur ce que vous avez comme objectif à atteindre. Essayer d’être professionnel le plus possible qu’il faut et sachez que vous êtes là pour accomplir une mission précise. Il nécessaire d’avoir aussi un plan d’action pour l’atteinte de ces objectifs/ mission dans la vie de l’entreprise et/ou du client.

Misinterpretation and misunderstanding can create disappointment or confusion. Being clear and direct both verbally and in written form has served me well as a Business Coach, especially when working online. Ensuring the client understands what is and isn't expected and having them affirm both orally and written is a good way to stay on the same page.

Your contract is where you explicitly and legally build the foundation of your coaching relationship and set your boundaries. It's important to set and communicate expectations, including guidelines for firing your client. The contract should protect you and your client; sometimes, there are sound reasons for firing a client in your and the client's best interest. When a client consistently fails to adhere to established boundaries, it is a good reason to fire them because they do not respect your boundaries, which are meant to protect you.

I use agreements rather than contracts. More than just providing the client an agreement to read and sign, we co-create it together before we start working together. This builds rapport, trust and holds all parties more accountable providing the foundation for powerful coaching.

Three ideas are: Set Specific Working Hours Define your availability and stick to it. Example: "Available for client sessions and calls Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM." Benefit: Creates a clear separation between work and personal time. 2. Schedule Regular Check-Ins Plan consistent, scheduled meetings rather than ad-hoc calls. Example: "Weekly check-in meetings every Tuesday at 10 AM." Benefit: Provides structure and predictability for both you and your clients. 3. Use Time-Blocking Allocate specific time slots for different tasks and activities. Example: "Client sessions from 9 AM to 12 PM, administrative tasks from 1 PM to 3 PM." Benefit: Ensures focused and efficient use of time, reducing the likelihood of overcommitting.

Prioritizing tasks and setting clear priorities for both you and your clients helps manage expectations effectively. Identify the most critical tasks and projects, and focus on these first. Communicate your priorities to clients, so they understand the timeline and importance of their requests relative to other commitments. This approach ensures that essential work gets done on time and helps prevent scope creep, allowing you to maintain a balanced workload and deliver high-quality results consistently.

As our most precious resource, we must protect it at all times which is something I model for my clients too... ...and respect for each other's time is also vital. For example, my clients know to be at their session early, preparing themselves for our work.

3 ideas are: Clear Communication Guidelines Establish specific times and methods for communication. Example: "Available for calls and emails Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM." Benefit: Ensures work-life balance and prevents burnout. 2. Defined Scope of Work Outline the services and limits of the coaching engagement in a contract. Example: "Coaching sessions will focus on leadership development, not personal counseling." Benefit: Prevents scope creep and sets clear professional boundaries. 3. Response Time Policy Set expectations for how quickly you will respond to client inquiries. Example: "I will respond to emails within 24 hours during business days." Benefit: Manages client expectations and reduces pressure for immediate responses.

Rather than setting expectations, I help my clients to create commitments. With expectations often comes pressure and potentially stress. It becomes destructive. With commitment comes courage and responsibility and is more intrinsic in nature. We have higher chances to succeed when we are committed, not expected.

As much as coaches would like to think they have super powers, we really can't fix everything! Having clear expectations in place for you and your client is key. You don't know all of their own limitations or background at this point, and they also need to put in the work. The best way to make this clear and friendly is to set those expectations in a coaching agreement at the start. Look at things like timings, increased income expectations, and what you can and can't do. Expectations like boundaries are to make the relationship run smoothly and help your client to have the best results. A win, win.

To maintain professionalism, it's crucial to establish clear boundaries with clients. This applies not only to time constraints but also emotional boundaries. One should cultivate empathy without over-identifying. Once over-identification occurs, an unhealthy closeness can develop, compromising objectivity. In order to facilitate a truly professional process that delivers value, it's essential to avoid such pitfalls, even with clients who may sometimes feel like friends.

Something similar to setting expectations would be to make it more formal and have in your contract. Incorporate specific clauses in your client contracts that outline boundaries and limitations. This may include terms related to project scope, revisions, additional charges for out-of-scope work, or cancellation policies. By addressing these boundaries upfront in a contractual agreement, you can avoid misunderstandings and maintain a professional working relationship. Sometimes having it in writing in a more formal document helps people be able to adhere by them.

As a new coach, it’s very tempting to do a skills swap with people - for instance a situation where the coach will give coaching and the client will give admin support without any money changing hands. I cannot stress strongly enough what a bad idea this is. This is a situation that will diminish your ability to be a good coach because you’ll be less likely to dig into the hard areas that need to be looked at and you will hold back on telling your truth. As the relationship will be codependent it will bring stagnation rather than an interdependent relationship which will provide growth and change without any aspect of your business feeling threatened.