🧾 Boundaries, Contracts & Scope Creep: The Holy Trinity of Staying Booked (Not Burnt Out)

Minolta Walker

Aug 7 • 💬 CLIENT COMMUNICATION

Let me say this louder for the ghostwriters in the back:

If you don’t set boundaries, your client will.

And they’ll set them in their favor, not yours.

You’re not a writing robot.

You’re not “on call.

”You’re a professional with a service, a process, and a limit.

So let’s talk about the 3 things that’ll keep your peace (and your payment):

✅ 1. BOUNDARIES ARE A BUSINESS TOOL

Boundaries aren’t “mean.

”They’re strategic clarity.

They protect your time, your creativity, and your reputation.

Here’s how to build them in:

✅ Office hours → “I’m available M–Th, 10–4 EST. I respond to messages within 24 hours.”
✅ Turnaround time → “All drafts delivered within 5–7 business days unless otherwise agreed.”
✅ Feedback deadlines → “Revisions must be requested within 5 days of delivery.”
✅ Communication policy → “All project communication stays in Slack/email/Notion—not texts or DMs.”

✨ Boundaries don’t push clients away.

They attract better ones.

✅ 2. YOUR CONTRACT ISN’T OPTIONAL—IT’S YOUR SHIELD

No more “casual” projects. No more “they seem cool.

”If there’s no contract, there’s no project. Period.

Your contract should clearly state:

✔️ Scope of work (deliverables + deadlines)
✔️ Payment terms (when & how they pay)
✔️ Revision policy (how many + what counts)
✔️ Termination clause (what happens if either of you backs out)
✔️ Ownership terms (who owns the final content)

No contract = No clarity = Endless headaches.

And yes, you CAN enforce a contract even if you're just starting out.

✅ 3. SCOPE CREEP IS YOUR ENEMY (AND YOU LET IT IN)

Here’s how it happens:

You agree to 1 blog post →They ask for 2 extra emails →They want you to “just tweak” their About page →Now they’re asking if you do YouTube scripts too…

All for the same price.

🚫 Stop it.

Here’s what to say:

“That’s outside the scope of our original agreement, but I’d be happy to add it as an additional service.

Would you like me to send a quote?”

👆🏾 That one line has saved me hours of free labor.

You’re not rude. You’re running a business.

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