10 tips on how to run a calm online business as an HSP

Jul 29

Are you a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) running an online business? Then you probably know that wearing so many business hats – CEO, CFO, marketeer, customer service agent, content creator, educator, the list goes on – can leave us feeling overwhelmed, chaotic, and out of control.

I’m here to say it is totally possible for your online business to feel calm and well organized while being profitable and sustainable.

It’s all about energy management and that starts with rock solid boundaries.

Boundaries in business are about managing expectations through clear communications, discerning website copy and automation. Setting boundaries keeps your nervous system regulated while also creating a calm, transparent and helpful experience for your clients.

Here are my 10 best tips for establishing those boundaries and running a calm online business:

1. Start with a clear, simple website

As HSPs we appreciate environments that feel calm and spacious, our online homes are no exception! Think soothing colors, simple designs with room to breathe, no unnecessary clutter. This not only means that your website reflects you and you values, it also creates a calm and welcoming place for your customers to land. They’ll love the clarity and being able to quickly and easily find out who you are and how you can help them.

Start with a review of your website: how do the colors make you feel, is your messaging clear, does your design have good spacing, balance and flow? Make a list of things you notice and then start improving them.

2. Decide on your communication channels

It’s important for an online business that people can easily get in touch with you but you don’t want to get inundated with messages from everywhere: emails, Voxer, phone, Insta and Facebook DMs, or online chat. Decide how you prefer to communicate and then set your boundaries around that, using clear messaging and automation.

My own preference is email and I created a dedicated customer service email address that is managed by my studio manager who alerts me to anything that needs my attention. All of my boundaries – basically everything I list in this post – funnel into this preferred communication channel.

3. Be clear about response times

The next step is to decide and communicate when you will be available. What are your office hours, when do you respond? As an HSP you care deeply about your clients but you don’t have to be chained to a device 24/7 to deliver great customer service. Once you are clear on these boundaries you’ll be all set for the tips that follow.

Here is what I say on my contact page: “Couldn’t find an answer on the FAQ page? Then we’d love to hear from you! Please note that we usually reply within 48 hours Monday - Thursday, sometimes we may take a little longer but we promise we will get back to you. Thank you!”

4. Set up autoresponders

Once you’ve decided on your preferred communication method, set up autoresponders so that they will get a response as soon as they get in touch, no matter the time of day. We’re all familiar with email auto-responders but social channels like Facebook Pages and Instagram offer this feature, too.

Autoresponders help reassure the sender their enquiry will be dealt with while managing expectations. Essential info to include: your response time policy and any links to important information that may help them while they wait, such as a FAQ page or key blog posts that tackle common enquiries.

5. Have a great FAQ page

This is one of the most effective pages on your website! If you manage a growing online business you’ll know that email is both the savior and bain of our existence. I used to get inundated with email enquiries so I created an FAQ page to help me manage this more effectively. The FAQ page not only offers quick answers to the enquirer but has also significantly cut down email enquiries and even increased my course sales!

I link to my FAQ page from my contact page, website footer, email auto responder, email signature and Facebook auto responder.

6. Have a Contact and Post-Submit page

The Contact page is one of the most frequently visited pages on a website and a great place to set some boundaries! Make sure it includes info about your office hours, response times and a link to your FAQ page. If you’re using a contact form link it to your dedicated customer service email.

After your customer submits the contact form, redirect them to a P ost-Submit page where you once again reiterate your response times and link to your FAQ or any other helpful links. Create the page and then go to the form block’s Content tab and select Post-Submit > Redirect to link it.

7. Create a dedicated customer service email (also with its own auto responder)

We have a separate customer service email address that both Shauna and I can access. This means customer questions are never lost in the weeds of my other business email accounts. Plus, we can both easily “switch off” from customer queries outside of working hours.

We also have a friendly autoresponder email that thanks customers for their query, repeats our business hours and response times, and links to the FAQ so we can be helpful while they wait.

8. Hire someone to help with customer service emails

If you get to a point where you’re having a hard time keeping up with your email enquiries, it may be time to hire some help and free up some HSP energy. Make it calm and simple by creating a text library of common questions that your assistant can use for replies. Over time your assistant will get to know your business and learn how you prefer to handle things and how to reply using the appropriate ‘business voice’.

Having Shauna manage my customer service enquiries has been a game changer for my business! Her help gives me so much peace because I trust her 100% to take good care of my customers.

9. Consider offering 1:1 AMA sessions

If you frequently get “Can I pick your brain?” requests, you might want to offer Ask-Me-Anything sessions, where people can ask their questions on a 1:1 call for a fee. Then, when someone emails asking for advice, you can save a lot of energy by simply pointing them to the AMA page! This can also be a great additional income stream and by giving them an option to pay for your time you’re not leaving your customers empty-handed, either.

As an HSP, just be sure to factor in your preparation and recovery time when pricing the sessions and deciding on your booking capacity.

10. Put on your business blinders

Saving the best for last: this is my top tip for HSP solopreneurs!

Our online world can be very loud and full of shiny new things and noisy hustlers who pull at our attention and make us feel nervous, inadequate or like we are always running behind. Add to that the noise from our fears and inner critic, and you have the perfect storm that will leave you feeling rattled, exhausted and questioning your own path.

My advice? Put on your blinders and ignore the outer and inner noise!

Stay in your own lane and focus on doing things your way, one step at a time, one decision at a time. Whenever I feel myself being pulled down the hustle or self-doubt rabbit hole I literally say to myself: “Blinders, Kerstin!” It works!