What I Wish I Knew Before Letting Clients Cross the Line
Let’s talk about something that took me way too long to learn in this beauty game: boundaries.
Initially, I thought being booked and busy meant being available 24/7. I took early morning calls inquiring about last-minute appointments, responded to DMs like a chatbot, and scheduled appointments well past midnight because the girls had places to be. I was proud of my hustle that drove me for so long. I was proud that clients could always count on me, even at the expense of my homelife. What I didn’t realize was—I wasn’t counting on myself. I wasn’t respecting my own time, space, or sanity.
And that right there? That’s the problem.
Crossing the line didn’t happen overnight. It crept in slowly. A no-call, no-show that you let slide here. A “Can you just squeeze me in real quick?” there. Then came the late payments, the “girl, let me call you real quick to talk about this style,” and the constant texting after hours. I worked hard to create a booking system and build a whole website, yet people were still sliding into my DMs asking if I was free on Saturday at 10.
But the real wake-up call? When a client called me early one morning, not to confirm an appointment, but to casually chat about makeup, vent about life, and then ask for an appointment. That day, I had to check myself. I was exhausted, irritated, and honestly... a little mad. But not at her.
I was mad at myself.
Because somewhere along the way, I taught people that this kind of access was okay. I blurred the line between client and friend because I wanted people to feel cared for. I’m a girl’s girl all day, but I have to wonder, as humans, whether we even consider whether this person can absorb all of this at this moment. But at what cost?
Let’s be clear: I love my clients. I truly do. I’ve laughed with them, cried with them, and watched their lives evolve in my chair. But I also have a life now. I’m a wife, a mother, and a business owner wearing 10 different hats on any given day. I cannot be everybody’s 911.
And I shouldn’t have to be.
There’s a fear many of us have as service providers—especially women, especially Black women—that if we’re not always available, always kind, always accommodating, we’ll lose the client. We’ll lose the opportunity. We’ll lose the money. And when you’ve got bills to pay, that fear gets real.