Being an American in a country like Japan means feeling like a brand-new baby.

You don't know any of the rules! So someone has to tell you!

I am forever forgetting to take my shoes off before stepping into a fitting room.

(There are signs everywhere. I still forget in my excitement.)

Every single time, someone gently reminds me.

More than once, I’ve accidentally wandered into a part of a temple or an entrance to a park that was definitely not meant for visitors.

A guard will immediately and FIRMLY redirect me.

Each boundary-setting moment comes with the appropriate emphasis of tone to match my, uh, acting like an idiot tourist.

And every time, I am so grateful.

Because when someone shows you what’s expected, they’re helping you avoid embarrassment, confusion, or crossing a line you didn’t even know existed.

I know I know I know - boundaries are always a hot topic in business.

(Cuz we all still seem to be learning them, forever).

So here's your reminder:

✨ You can be warm, approachable, and kind to your clients and STILL hold strong boundaries.

Sometimes it feels like we are saying "NO" to our clients when we need to enforce boundaries.

BUT REALLY, we are just allowing them to have a better time when they are visiting our business as a customer!!

Boundaries tell your clients:

“Here’s how to work with me in a way that gets you the best result.”

And boundaries are 1000000x easier to communicate when they are baked into your systems.

⚠️ Do you have an actual system for how clients communicate with you?

Not just “they can email me whenever.”

How do they ask questions?

Where do they submit things?

When can they expect a response?

And when do you meet: what’s the rhythm, the structure, the container?

What happens when they communicate with you outside of this container?

⚠️ What’s the system for clients sending you the things YOU need?

How do they submit materials?

What’s the deadline?

What happens if those deadlines are missed?

Does the project pause, restart, get bumped to next month?

If you don’t define this, you end up absorbing all the consequences.

⚠️ And what’s your system for projects that go out of scope?

When something extra pops up, what chain of events does that trigger?

Is there an additional call?

A new estimate? Hourly billing?

How and when is that communicated so there are no surprises?

Mapping out your offer's process allows you to bake in the boundaries that allow you to do your best work, and then communicate those boundaries with your client.

PS: still writing these from Vietnam 💛 Do you want a series like this about my time in Vietnam? Respond to this email and let me know!