I have a client, 16 years tattooing, who becomes friends with most everyone she tattoos

I have a client, 16 years tattooing, who becomes friends with most everyone she tattoos. Once that happens, she can’t bring herself to charge them what she actually needs to charge.

But she’s not undercharging because she doesn’t know. She’s undercharging because the boundary and the friendship are in conflict.

And now this has gone on so long that it’s turned into chronic burnout.  But burnout is really just a misalignment signal, and hers was showing up as guilt every time she tried to raise her rates.

But the truth is that, that boundary will never wait for the relationships to feel less risky. Instead, the uncomfortable gets less and less over time because you actively work at it, or you'll never reset it at all.

Hold it anyway. The client relationship either survives or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, it makes room for the next round of clients.

Real friend clients know you gotta pay the bills too. And real friend clients know tattoos are a luxury.

Comment or DM COACH if you want help resetting your tattooer boundaries.

#candidcolorcoaching #tattooartistlife #tattooburnout #tattooboundaries #tattoocoaching