Setting Energetic Boundaries as an Entrepreneur: Insights from Brittany Wright -3

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:00:02

When you started your business, did you do that because you were looking for freedom and flexibility? A lot of us did. And yet, having a business, being an entrepreneur really is more than a nine to five on a lot of days. And when you have clients, their expectations don't stop just because 05:00 comes along. We have a fabulous guest today that talks with a lot about our energy and energetic boundaries and how setting boundaries is a key to preventing burnout and keeping up the business that you care so much about. That's why we're all here. Right? Well, stick around. I think you're gonna get a lot out of today's conversation. Welcome to Authenticity Amplified, your resource for attracting and connecting to your ideal client.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:00:54

The ideal podcast for mindset messaging, marketing, and podcasting for entrepreneurs. Today, we are going to be connecting with a wonderful guest. Brittany is a designer and podcast host for mama and self appointed nature ninja. I love that nature ninja. Brittany comes from a background in sustainable development and commercial construction, and brings both of these areas of expertise into her design projects. Today, we get to know her and get to talk about energetic boundaries, which I feel like is a really important thing and that goes with mindset for entrepreneurs. When not designing for clients, Brittany is either taking care of her four legged family members, but she has a new one, which we've chatted about a little bit today and I'm sure we'll enter the conversation somehow. Competing with her horse or teaching design students how to launch and grow their own businesses.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:01:40

So she's very connected with entrepreneurs and this path that we are all on. She also has her own podcast which I'm sure will also come up. So, Brittany, thank you so much for being here today. Thank you for having me. Yes. So we always have, like, a little warm up opening question. So tell me about a time in your career when you felt the most valued and the most excited about your work. Oh, that's a good one.

Brittany Wright [: 00:02:03

The most valued. I truly feel the most valued when a client sees the space in its completion and they look at me and they go, oh my god. It's so much better than I thought it would be. And it just gives me this, like, warm and cozy feeling that all of that hard work, all of those challenges we encounter along the way. You know, I do renovations. There's always something that comes up. And at the end, you actually hand over a space to somebody and they really truly love it. And then I love even more, like, months down the line where I get the messages that are like, we still love it so much or, like, you should have seen our, you know, our holiday party.

Brittany Wright [: 00:02:40

Everyone was, like, drooling over it. So, like, those types of things are super amazing to hear, and that's where I really do feel valued, for what I bring in that sense of the business. On the side for helping, I really kinda my passion is helping people that are coming up behind me in the industry as well. So I just had a call with, a student who just wanted to interview me the other day. And at the end of the call, she was like, this has been so eye opening. And, like, I honestly feel like I wish I'd spoken to you, like, three years ago. And, like, she's like, I can't believe you said I can call you anytime. Like, it was just so lovely to hear that it felt supportive.

Brittany Wright [: 00:03:21

So I really love that side of things too. Like, I just I just like helping people. That's kind of where I like to land.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:03:29

That's beautiful. And it makes sense you have a podcast because I feel like that's, like, the genuine reason to have the podcast is to be able to give that information and to help people. So Yeah. I love that. And so then what is the advice that you were given? Do you think has made the largest impact on your career that you think that you'd like to pass on to others?

Brittany Wright [: 00:03:48

I don't know if it was advice that I was given, but I think I've learned throughout my career and any of my career before. And maybe at that point, it was feedback from clients. So I guess it is advice in a way, but just being transparent. So, like, just being upfront, honest, and open about whatever's going on. So specifically with issues. So I used to run, before I started my career in design, I used to run a maintenance department for renewable energy. So I would manage large scale solar installations, which in Canada, we have a government program that pays quite a bit of money for green energy generation. And so these projects were generating hundreds of thousands of dollars a month.

Brittany Wright [: 00:04:30

And so when things went wrong with them, people were losing a lot of money. And the best advice I ever got from a client was, like, just be honest with me. Just be honest with me about how what's broken, how long it's gonna take to fix. And I've really carried that into my career as a designer because it's exactly the same. It's, like, I'm really sorry, but the thing we ordered broke. It's gonna take six weeks to get here. And if you try to, like, get around that and be like, oh, it's fine. It's fine.

Brittany Wright [: 00:04:55

Everything's gonna be okay. You just piss people off in the end. And so my advice is really just, like, be as open and honest as you can and set expectations reasonably because the worst thing you can do is, like, overpromise and underdeliver. I always say you have to underpromise and overdeliver because somebody's gonna be a lot happier if you're, like, listen, it's gonna be six weeks and then in four weeks, you're, like, hey, it's here. And they're, like, amazing. If you're like, it's gonna be here in four and then it's not till six, they're like, dude, you said four. What what's going on? So yeah. Transparency, honesty, and just having integrity with what you are saying to people, say it with kindness even if it's bad news.

Brittany Wright [: 00:05:36

And I think, for the most part, people are generally receptive to that.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:05:40

Oh, that is so beautiful. So I have so authentic connections with my podcast network, and I have found that I just had a call with a potential client yesterday. And on one hand, they were disappointed. They really thought that they were gonna hire me and that they were gonna, like, launch their whole career with a podcast in January. And we had a great conversation explaining, like, this is how it works. Like, yes, I have amazing podcasts. We have one that's launched in the top 5%. Like, most of them launch in the top 10%.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:06:08

Like, great things could happen. Podcasts are amazing. However, there's layers to this, and there's, like, things that you should have in place for that to happen. And a podcast is often one piece of a business and one piece of a a puzzle. And there's a lot of people in the podcasting space that you spent a lot of money just on their workshops that launched your podcast that promise you the moon. And I love that they're so motivational, and they talk so positively about podcasting. And I want more women in this space, but I fear that a lot of women get into this space thinking, oh, this is a magic ticket. This is a magic thing to have a podcast.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:06:41

And those are the ones that have three or seven episodes because they don't get listeners the first day. And it doesn't work that way. It's a long game. Like, you have to invest in due time and there has to be a plan and a launch plan. And there's so much more to it and it is more of a long game. And so I'm very honest and transparent. And I will help you and be there with you every step of the way. And you need to have a list and people that you're talking to your podcast about.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:07:06

Like, just putting a podcast on these outlets, like Apple and Spotify in these places is not gonna just meet, oh, I'm discovered and this is it. Yeah. So being really transparent, I think, and authentic connections with my network is, I think, really key. So that's beautiful. That's great advice. I think for any business to not be afraid of being honest and people will respect you and connect with you when you're telling them the truth. So Yeah. That's beautiful.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:07:31

That's beautiful. So as we talk about working with clients, I love that you have this piece around the energetic boundaries and how to serve people and connect to them because you've talked about how important that is to you while being able to, like, take care of ourselves because I think that's a hard balance for a lot of entrepreneurs. So talk to us more about that.

Brittany Wright [: 00:07:49

So kind of in that, like, flowing from what I said before in terms of being open, transparent, authentic, people feel that. On an energetic level, they feel when you're telling them the truth, when you're when you're in their corner, when you're, you know, when you're really working for them and you have their best interests at heart, they can feel it. It's just how energy works. Right? If you have bad intentions, people can feel that too. So in terms of setting those energetic boundaries, I am more of an empathic person. So I take can feel a lot from my clients. And then when they're stressed, it stresses me out and all those things.

Brittany Wright [: 00:08:24

So early in my career, that was very disruptive to, like I don't wanna say my mental health because it wasn't, like, that big of an issue. But it was disruptive to, like, my state of feeling secure and, like, you know, excited about my day. Like, I'd wake up and be, okay. That client was upset about this, and that kind of was making me feel anxious. And then, like, I have to make sure this, you know, all of those types of things that go with running a business. And it got to a point where I was feeling stressed going to bed. I was feeling stressed waking up. And, like, I was busy, but I wasn't enjoying being busy in the sense that I felt successful and excited.

Brittany Wright [: 00:08:59

I was, like, stressed out because I was taking on all of those emotions. And in what I do being in people's homes and dealing with people's personal finances, like, sometimes what I'm doing for them is the biggest investment they've made besides buying their home. Yeah. So, you know, they're handing me hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that's a lot of pressure. And at some point, you have to put those things into categories and into buckets and allow you like, step away from it. And you have to do that when you're running this type of business. Otherwise, you will go go down a black hole and, like, you just will get so run down and so beat up by that, you know, all of those energetic pulls from all of your different clients and their stressors that you just you can't take that on. So Yeah.

Brittany Wright [: 00:09:46

I had to cultivate kind of a way to still care about my clients and obviously put in the time and ensure that I was giving them the absolute best service and value that they could get from what I was doing for them without taking on their emotions about, you know, going through renovation, being in a messy house, fighting with their husband because they're living in this destroyed house for six months, you know, spending all of their savings. You know, they chose to spend their savings. I didn't go in there and rob them and force them to do it. Right? So you have to kind of put that block in place and support them through it without allowing it to, you know, really get to you. And, a few ways that I I really started with that is I made firm boundaries around when they could contact me. So one thing that really stressed me out a lot was because people have full time jobs and they're out of the house all day and I'm working eight to five doing my job for them, they'd get home at five, look at everything that happened that day, and then be like, text, text, text, text, text, email, email, email, call, call, call. And I'm on the phone till 10PM with people being, like, well, I looked at this and I don't really think I like how that lines up. And, like, can we talk about it? Do you think you could come over? Like, it's like Yeah.

Brittany Wright [: 00:11:03

You you kinda have to be, like, at some point, like, you you wanna serve them and you wanna be a good customer service person and you wanna, like, be there, but you can't work 8AM to 10PM and not take a break. And anyway, so it got to a point where that was, like, wearing me down and just burning me out and stressing me out emotionally. And I just finally said no. So I put in place, like, just a automatic email responder that was, like, I do not answer the phone after 5PM. There is no such thing as a design emergency. Like, you don't like the color of the piece?

Brittany Wright [: 00:11:35

They will still be that color tomorrow. You know, if your house is leaking, call the contractor. You know, like, it's Yes. It was very much like I had to get firm in that sense that I am here for you. We will solve this problem, but we're not solving it in my time in the evening that I'm spending with my family or when I'm doing things to feed my soul and fill my cup. Like, I have to do that for me in order to serve you tomorrow. And that's where that really comes into place. You have to be firm for yourself.

Brittany Wright [: 00:12:05

You don't have to be rude. You don't have to be unkind. You just have to say, I am going to help you. We're gonna solve this problem, but we're gonna do it tomorrow because I don't answer the phone after 5PM.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:12:18

Side note with this. But I remember when a friend, like, a friend, somebody went to high school with, had posted on Facebook about how upset they were and how inconsiderate it was when people texted him or called him, because he was a plumber, when people texted him or called him in the evenings and how and completely inconsiderate it was, and how you should never do that, and how disrespectful it was, and blah blah blah. And I remember at the time thinking I didn't have a good enough relationship with them to respond to it, but in my head thinking, just don't answer. Just don't respond. I was like, because I'm gonna call a plumber in the evening or text them in the evening. I don't expect them to answer. I don't expect them to respond, but I can't be expected to psychically know that this plumber needs to have dinner with his family, and I can't call them or text them. Like, I call and leave messages for my friends in the evening. I call and leave messages for colleagues.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:13:10

Like, if I'm your boss, I need to know to not leave do stuff and I need to set my timer and not send things. My emails need to go to during the day because I'm setting a precedent as your supervisor. So as your supervisor, I need to have those boundaries. But as a customer, I need to be able to reach you. You need to decide not to respond. Does that make sense? And so so what type of thing is that us having the boundaries as business people that we feel this pressure to respond and really we feel that pressure. I think as a consumer, I understand that you may not answer the phone. Certain consumers, I think, will be upset if somebody doesn't respond, but that's them.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:13:47

That's their response. There's lots of consumers that don't expect you to, but this is when they see it. This is when they're thinking of it. They need to offload. They need to leave a message. They need to whatever else. And that may be all they need is somewhere to leave a message, is somewhere to respond, and you can get back to them when you can get back to them. But I remember when I saw his thing, it was like going, I can't be expected to not get home and have my dishwasher not work and be like, I need to make time during my work day tomorrow to call a plumber instead of being like, I need to go through the phone book right now and leave messages for all the all the people that, like, you know, this is when I have time to do it.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:14:17

And so I don't expect you to answer, but that makes sense that that's when I.

Brittany Wright [: 00:14:20

That's a great way to frame it, and that's a perfect example because that is where most entrepreneurs get to first. They get to a point where they're pissed off and they're like, hella. Why?

Brittany Wright [: 00:14:33

Why are you calling me at 7PM? This is bullshit. You know? Like, that that is. You get to a point where you're just you're so burnt out that you feel like that plumber did. And you are absolutely correct that it is not on the customer. It is on you as a business owner to develop those boundaries and to keep them in place. Because nobody has control over your time except you. And if you are working for homeowners, which I am a plumber is, anybody that's doing that, guess what? That's the time that they are thinking about their project. I know my homeowners deal with my emails in the evenings because they're at work all day.

Brittany Wright [: 00:15:14

They're not taking time out of their work day to email their designer. They're doing it in the evening when they sit down after dinner. Their kids have gone to bed. And they're going, hey, hon, we need to look over these kitchen drawings and get back to the designer. So I used to be like, how dare they email me in the night? And then I'm like, guess what? I just don't have to answer. And I have a very, like, kind email response that's like it literally says something along the lines of, like, you have reached us outside of our business hours. We understand that people have different hours and we will happily respond to you tomorrow. You know? And it's Yeah.

Brittany Wright [: 00:15:47

Very much you just have to put you have to do that for your own business. Right?

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:15:51

Yeah. Yeah. And I think it's great if their voice like, for that plumber, if his voice mail says, thank you so much for reaching out. This is if you're calling after 5PM, I'm probably spending time with my family. I will get back to you in the morning. Like, you could just leave that message and then just don't answer your phone. And my phone has, two different so you could actually get, like, a separate an app phone number for your phone. So I have a separate work number.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:16:16

So I have a separate work number, and I only answer that number during certain hours. And so you can have, like, a separate phone number even. Doesn't even have to be your phone number so then you know that when you're gonna answer it or not answer it so that people can have that demarcation of when they answer. But, yeah, outgoing messages that say, like, this is what's going on. This is when I respond. And and I even have people that have the emails that say, like, I only respond to emails at 10AM and 2PM because we had somebody on my other podcast, The Grit Show, that talked about, like, how distracting email can be. And so it's good to turn off even your email inbox if you're somebody who works from a computer a lot that you're not just, like, constantly, like, in the middle of this flow project and email, and you get a response to email, and then flow and then because it takes you, like, fifteen minutes to get back into your other project. Exactly.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:17:05

Like, you need to decide what works best for you and just communicate that. And going back to your transparency and honesty being really good about communicating, like, this is how I do things and people can understand that. Exactly. And I've had clients in the past who, you know,

Brittany Wright [: 00:17:21

they don't love that and they're like, well, that's the time I'm available. I need you to be available to speak to me at 7PM. I said, no problem. I have an evening and a weekend rate. If you'd like to book time with me in the evening or the weekend, you have to pay extra because I work all day. So that's what had that's how I I nipped that and they go, oh, k. Well, I guess I can make time on my lunch break. They're like, great.

Brittany Wright [: 00:17:42

That's when we'll have our phone call. If you need to have a phone call every week, you don't like, I'm happy to make time at 7PM. But if I'm gonna make that time, I need to be compensated for that beyond, like, you know, that's time I don't get to go ride my horse. That's time I don't get to take my dogs for a walk. That's time I don't get to sit down with my husband. So you yeah. That needs to be it needs to be an equal exchange, and that's where the energetic part comes in. It's gotta be an equal exchange of energy.

Brittany Wright [: 00:18:08

Those things are valuable to me. So my value goes up during the times when you are taking away things that are valuable to me.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:18:14

That is brilliant. That is brilliant. I love it. Or even having it, if you're somebody that doesn't mind, like, one night a week that you work, say, okay. So Thursdays, I work until seven and these are the slots available. Exactly. They're filled, they're filled.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:18:29

Yeah. I know that with my recording podcast that I record with folks in Australia and other countries that are totally different time zones. And so for that reason, like, I intentionally have, like, usually one night a week that I work later and one night a week because I'm also on the West Coast in The US. And I don't I don't like recording before nine or 10AM because I need to wake up. But I have folks on the East Coast, so I always have one morning a week that I start at 8AM. But it's only one morning a week that I start at 8AM. And because I don't like starting at 8AM. So I start 8AM one morning a week for folks on the East Coast Of The US, and I stay until seven well, usually 6PM is all it takes.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:19:07

I usually stay till 6PM, one night a week for folks that are in other countries so that they and they get up early to start their day with me, which is really generous for those times. And so to find, like, when you can do that and then just plan accordingly of, like, if you have one late day and and then work your schedule so you get up early on Fridays because you work late on Wednesdays or Thursdays to come Yeah.

Brittany Wright [: 00:19:27

Exactly. Or, like, take the morning that day if you're gonna stay Yes. If you if you do a job like mine or say you're a realtor or something where you have to be available in the evening for whatever reason or you have clients that can only do the evening and you need to make that time, then if you own your own business, you have flexibility in your schedule. If that's what you're gonna do, then do a twelve to 8PM one day, if that's what you like, in in the morning, go to a yoga class or do whatever it is, like, clean your house. Whatever you need to do that you can't do in that evening, just shift it to the morning. So there's ways to work around it, but I think yeah. I think what you need. Yeah.

Brittany Wright [: 00:20:01

Exactly. Yeah.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:20:02

And I think that the big thing is that having that mindset of why you're doing it and understanding the toll it's taking. Because I think sometimes people do things begrudgingly and to people please and because they think they have to. And that takes such an energetic toll on us when we're doing it for that reason. Instead of realizing, no. These are choices I'm making. I'm choosing to answer the phone during dinner and walk away from the table in my family or I'm choosing to be angry at my clients because they're calling me at these times. And these are all things that I can that I am choosing.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:20:35

And so I can choose to not work during this time and I can choose to be clear about my boundaries. I can choose to charge more if I am gonna be available during these times. And so to figure those things out. I love this. This is so helpful. And I think for entrepreneurs, this is so valuable to be able to have this balance as we're setting up our ways to do things and maintain our energy because we have to have all of us in this. It's not just our mind of, like, oh, to be successful, I have to work twenty four hours a day and do all these things. Like, no.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:21:04

We can do this in a way that feels good to us and we need it to feel good and flow with all of us and be good for our well-being. Like, as you said, like, mental health well-being piece, like, it needs to, yeah, go for it.

Brittany Wright [: 00:21:14

And as creatives, like, so my podcast, The CEO Podcast, it's for creative entrepreneurs on fires, like, the CEO part. I love it. But also, you know, it's kind of tongue in cheek. But you have to, like, for for anybody who does something like you and I do, like, you do podcasting, that takes a ton of creativity, but then you also have to run the business. And that's so much energy. And it's energy that's drawn from, like, different areas. Like, the business energy is very masculine.

Brittany Wright [: 00:21:40

It's very strong. It's very, like, I need to do this, this, this, this, this, get it done. The creative energy is very feminine. It's very, like, head in the clouds. And you have to be able to shift between those things. And if you're constantly being, like, pulled in a bajillion directions with phone calls and emails and you have no structured time and structured, like, ways that you tap into that energy Mhmm. You're you let don't just don't get anything done. Like, you end up exactly like you said, like, you're in the flow and then an email comes in and, like, that's a perfect example of how we have to create these boundaries not only with clients, but with ourselves and be strict with ourselves to be, like, today is a day for creativity.

Brittany Wright [: 00:22:19

I will not do any billing today. I will not check my emails today. I am going to sit here and I'm gonna be in the flow. And that's really hard for creative people because we do have, like, oh, a little bit I find anyways with myself. I'm I love to hop around. It's, like, I have 20 screens open, like, most of the time on my computer and I'm like, do a little bit here, do a little bit there. But it's not the most productive. And I find I'm more productive when I'm able to, like, hone in and be like, okay.

Brittany Wright [: 00:22:47

I'm working on this right now.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:22:48

Yes. And that's so true. And it's so hard because we tried like, we may try to batch things. We're like, okay. So this morning, I'm going to do billing, or this morning, I'm going to do this, like, concrete project. But then we can't get to our creative energy because we need, like, entire days. We need entire like, we need chunks of time for that. We don't need just, like, these ten minutes or this two hour like, you need time.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:23:12

And you need to go on a walk first. You need to, like, sit with your cup of tea. You need to, like, get in these flows and get in these spaces to get to your creative energy. And I really feel that Absolutely. That that something that you need to give yourself room for and just expecting yourself to be like, oh, boom. Right now, I'm gonna be creative and come up with this podcast that connects with people and feels really genuine and, like, no. Like, you need like, you're coming up with your topics for things and you're coming up with your ways to, like even we're talking about messaging for clients and how to, like, market to clients and talk to our clients. If we're not doing a podcast or doing other, like, copy and content marketing, like, to be able to connect with them, we need to get in this space of really, like, okay.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:23:53

Who is my client? Who am I talking to? Like, what am I doing with this? And, like, you need to get in this flow of space, and we can't just expect ourselves to, like, immediately just transfer like that. That's a really, really good Yeah. I really like that.

Brittany Wright [: 00:24:06

Yeah. For sure. And I I totally agree with what you said and I feel that so deeply, especially in weeks where, yeah, where I've got, like, meetings kinda scattered. And I'm like, okay. I will get to, like, this today. And then I finally have, like, a two hour window and I'm like, I need tea. I need to sit down. And then, like, met an hour and a half.

Brittany Wright [: 00:24:25

And I'm like, okay. Okay. Here we go. And, like, you're like, I can't do it tonight.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:24:29

I can't. It's not there. I'm not there. I know. It's not happening right now. Yeah. No. It's yeah.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:24:33

Exactly. Or it takes me, like, five hours, but I think it was gonna take twenty minutes because I need to, like, actually do it. And then my day takes more time than I want it to. And so then that can lead to the resentment and frustration and the burnout. So that's why we need to give ourselves space for that and understand that those things take space and take time. Yeah. That is so fabulous. That is really, really helpful. And so, we're doing this is so valuable. Thank you so much, Britney. I'm so glad that you're here today. Why? You're very welcome.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:24:59

Yes. And that's actually this is actually perfect because, like, the next piece with it, the sharing, the expertise part of it is really trying to, talk about, like, what can our listeners do trying to better amplify their message and better connect to their clients. And I really feel like that what you just said with us getting into the flow when we're trying to connect with our clients is probably one of the best things we can do. Have you found that that's one of the better ways to connect with your clients is be in that space for them? Yes.

Brittany Wright [: 00:25:26

I think when I'm feeling burnt out or overwhelmed or just, like, run around the clock, it's very hard for me to, like, get to a client's meeting and be, like, here I am. Because I'm, like, I gotta do this. I gotta order that. I gotta do all these things. So I think yes. I think clients deserve especially in my business, they're paying it's a luxury service. They're paying a premium to have your opinion, to have your time, to have your energy, to have your creativity. They are buying your creativity.

Brittany Wright [: 00:25:56

So I think it is a disservice to them to rush through that or to, you know, not allow them to get out everything they need to get out. So we have, people usually ask, like, when I when they call for their first meeting, like, how do you how do you function? I said, okay. Well, our first meeting is, like, one to three hours. And they're like, what do you mean it's one to three hours? I said, like, it's whatever you need. Like, it all costs the same. And if you only need one hour, cool. If you need three hours, cool. Like, it's you know, it all is what it is.

Brittany Wright [: 00:26:29

But, you know, we have to go through that. And some people are like, I have this project, this project, this project. I want you to focus on that. And you're like, great. Anything else? They're like, nope. That's all. And so they are, like, organized and good. And some people, like, they need to, like, talk you through how, like, they spend time with their family in that space and, like, how they want it to be in the future.

Brittany Wright [: 00:26:47

And, like, I can't rush that. Like, that is something that people have to be able to share. That's the most important meeting because we get all of that information off the hop, and that's, like, where we build the whole project from. So if we don't have that time with them and the time to just, like, settle into what they need and the time to, like, feel each other out, it it's like that's where the foundation's built, I guess, is what I'm saying.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:27:11

Yeah. Yeah. No. Exactly. You need to make sure that you have that connection in that space and you give them room to feel connected and that you don't rush your clients and that you you make sure that connecting with your clients when you give them that time is a priority. I think that's beautiful because I think that's very important.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:27:30

Oh, look at that. I always talked to my microphone over.

Brittany Wright [: 00:27:32

That was awesome.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:27:33

Keeping it real here. Keeping it real. That's awesome.

Brittany Wright [: 00:27:35

Yeah.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:27:36

So today, I think so. What is the one thing that you feel, like, people can just, like, implement from today? And I feel, like, the one thing might be around those boundaries. Like, looking at what boundary do you need to set in an honest clear way and how can you set that. And to actually make a voice mail or an email message or some way to clearly set that boundary for yourself, if not publicly for other people. I think it's the first step that people can really take to really apply this. Wouldn't you think?

Brittany Wright [: 00:28:05

I do. I think it's identifying what causes you the most pain. Like, identify the pain point for yourself. So is, you know, is your pain point people calling you in the evening? Is your pain point that you don't feel you have quiet time in your day? Like, that's one thing I do personally because I I have a business where, you know, there's projects going on and I have trades calling, like, at 8AM, my phone starts to ring. And Yeah. It doesn't stop until their day is done at five. So it's like, for me, I get up at 04:30. I read my book for half an hour because I like to wake up that way.

Brittany Wright [: 00:28:43

I work out. I answer emails. And I or I do what I call deep work. So if I'm working on a course or if I'm working on, you know, something that needs a lot of my attention, I do that in the morning before I, basically, am, like, open for business because it's, like, before I basically, I'm, like, open for business because it's my time where I know it will be quiet. So if that's something you need, do that. You don't have to make it a public thing. It can just be how you shift your schedule, how you time block to allow yourself the space you need in your business so that you're not you know, by 9AM most days, I'm like, I'm good. I got my workout done.

Brittany Wright [: 00:29:19

I got, you know, I got the things that needed to be done off my list. And now the day if the day blows up, I can roll with the punches because those things are finished. So I think prioritizing, like, your most important tasks at the beginning of your day is important. So if that is kind of where you're leaning, do that. But if it if it is like the client's calling at the end of the day, then implement those boundaries, implement your business hours, and create that transparent communication to your clients. Like, put it on your website. You know? We are available nine to five. Yeah.

Brittany Wright [: 00:29:55

You know, it's very simple to put it in place. It's literally one auto responder email and, like, there's even text auto responders. Like, if you have a business phone or a business line, you can do, like, an auto responder text too.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:30:08

Start and you knowing what your those boundaries are, you following those boundaries instead of

Brittany Wright [: 00:30:13

Yeah. Like, be strict with yourself.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:30:15

Yes. Yes. Yes. You hold yourself to your boundaries first. That's, like, the probably the hardest part is holding yourself to it. Absolutely. Yeah. Especially if we're in these, like, I wanna say, like, mission driven businesses or, like, really connecting with client businesses where we really care about our clients and serving people. Like, it's kind of hard for us to be like, oh, but I wanna be helpful and I wanna answer this call. Like, you need to do that for you and to make sure that you can be your best self and you're not burning yourself out.

Brittany Wright [: 00:30:36

So those Like, there's that saying, like, you can't pour from an empty cup. And it's Yes. It's absolutely that. Like, you are doing nobody a favor. Yes. You are not being a % yourself and you cannot deliver the value that the client is paying you for. You're actually, like, being you're stealing from them at that point if you are delivering to them out of emptiness.

Brittany Wright [: 00:31:04

You have to be able to be in a place where you are full to be able to serve them in the way that they deserve to be served. Yes. Yeah. I love it. If it's a struggle for you, I think it's a good way to reframe it Because I think, you know, well, no, I have to answer that email. I have to do this. It's like, don't steal from your clients. And then you're like, shit.

Brittany Wright [: 00:31:27

Okay.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:31:28

Yeah. Okay. I'm a I'm a client. Okay. I understand. Yep. No problem. That's amazing.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:31:33

So what is the best pace for people? We'll have it in the show notes as well. What's the best way for people to connect with you and find you?

Brittany Wright [: 00:31:39

So, for the podcast, it's the CEO podcast. It's Spotify, Apple, everywhere you find your podcasts. And if you're interested in the design side of things, we're best placed Instagram. So @bswdesign is our tag there. So we're based in Toronto. We operate all over the GTA, but we will take on projects elsewhere if anyone's interested.

Shawna Rodrigues [: 00:32:04

So yeah. That's amazing. Thank you so much. And thank you for being part of our audience as well.

Speaker C [: 00:32:13

Isn't there so much for us to learn on this entrepreneurial journey? Thanks for spending time with me here on the Authenticity Amplified Podcast. It is a joy to grow together with you. If you're interested in learning more about the subscription on Apple Podcasts so that you can get up close with our guests and gain additional insights and wisdom, as well as get your episodes two days earlier, be sure to head over to Apple Podcasts. Subscribing is also a fabulous way to support this podcast so we can keep producing this valuable content. Don't forget to pass us along to someone you know who could benefit from one of the many nuggets of wisdom and value you gained from this conversation today. Until next time, remember, just because you are a solopreneur doesn't mean you have to do this alone. Keep being authentic, authentic to who you are, what you bring to the table and to this work, and the impact you will surely make. Until next time.