How boundaries support sustainable small business success
- Coastal HQ
- Oct 10
- 3 min read
Running a small business often feels like juggling everything at once. Your work becomes part of your identity, your phone never stops buzzing, and it’s all too easy to blur the line between life and business. At our most recent small business meet-up, we invited Alex Howarth of Align with Alex to run a workshop on boundaries. What followed was a session that gave everyone in the room the chance to reflect on how they work, where they struggle, and how they can create healthier patterns.
Where these sessions began
Our monthly gatherings first grew out of training courses we ran with public funding last year. What was meant to be a short pilot turned into something bigger: people didn’t want the conversations to end. They asked us to keep bringing business owners together - not for stiff networking, but for something more human, practical, and supportive.
That’s how the Small Business Meet-ups were born: free, face-to-face workshops with time built in afterwards for open conversation. Most months we focus on marketing topics, but after getting involved with the Norwich Yoga Festival (which Alex runs) we decided to experiment - and boundaries turned out to be the perfect theme.
What is your “boundary personality”?
Alex began with a light-hearted but thought-provoking quiz. Participants were given everyday scenarios. Anything from an email pinging late on a Saturday night, a client calling just before you’re due to meet a friend, or a chatty guest derailing your workshop. For each situation, you had to choose how you’d really respond.
The scores revealed different “boundary personalities”. These ranged from the unshakably self-assured to the people-pleasers still learning to say no. The exercise sparked honest discussion, laughter, and a few surprises, as people realised how they actually behave compared to how they wish they would.
Stories that resonated
Alex then shared her own journey from corporate life to yoga teacher, describing how passion and hustle quickly slid into overwork and burnout. During lockdown she was teaching from morning to night, fuelled by client praise but left with no time for herself. Eventually her health and wellbeing forced her to stop. That’s when she began to rebuild her business with stronger boundaries.
Her honesty set the tone for others to share. Participants spoke about the guilt of juggling family and business, the constant temptation of email notifications, and the difficulty of working alongside partners or spouses without bringing “work talk” into every corner of life.
Practical tools to take away
The workshop wasn’t just theory - Alex guided everyone through practical exercises designed to turn awareness into action:
Spotting the signs: recognising when your boundaries are leaking (often showing up as irritability, resentment, or exhaustion).
Knowing your values - writing down what really matters to you, and checking if your working week reflects it.
The Perfect Day exercise: imagining your ideal workday, from morning routine to finishing time, then identifying small, realistic steps to move closer to it.
The “container” approach: treating work, family, friendships, and personal time as separate spaces, each deserving its own boundaries.
Practical fixes: from deleting work apps off your phone, to using out-of-office replies, to scheduling time when you don’t check messages.
More Than Just Learning
As with every Small Business Session, the workshop was only half the story. The conversations over coffee afterwards were just as valuable - swapping challenges, sharing what’s worked, and finding reassurance that no one is struggling alone.
In a world where small business owners are often expected to be “on” 24/7, it was refreshing to have an open conversation about how to step back, protect your energy, and build a business that’s sustainable in the long run.
Boundaries aren’t about shutting people out. They’re about protecting what matters most, so you can show up at your best - for your business, your customers, and yourself.
