Navigating contracts as a freelancer can be (unnecessarily) confusing.
Especially when you’re new and unsure of what should be there, what will come back to haunt you in a few months, what’s unreasonable to ask, etc.
You may be tempted to avoid contacts altogether, but that leaves you vulnerable to scope creep, delayed payments, miscommunications, or worse…
Allow me to simplify that which is freelance contracts (which most people over-complicate), so you don’t get hung out to dry with your next project →
The problem:
Your contracts aren’t protecting your time or income.
Projects seemingly never end and payments arrive when the client feels like it.
The benefit of solving it:
You have clear expectations, timelines, and boundaries with your client, ensuring you’re both on the same page about the project and what happens if things change.
Why what you’ve tried has failed:
You avoid contracts because they seem too complex and instead you rely on their verbal word, leaving you with no ground to stand on when things change in the project.
Here’s how to solve it:
A contract at its core is very simple…
It’s no more than a document that shows what’s expected from each party, by when, and what happens when either of those things change or aren’t met.
Let’s break down each of those components:
What’s expected from each party: for you that’s the deliverables, for the client that’s any assets necessary to complete the job, notes when requested, and money.
When: for you that’s delivery schedules, for clients that’s payment and notes schedules.
What happens when those change: Conditions like…if the deposit doesn’t arrive, the project doesn’t start. If notes are late, the project gets delayed or more expensive. If your deliverables change mid-project (aka scope changes), the project gets delayed or more expensive, etc.
These are the most important parts of a contract for you as a freelancer.
An important reminder, though…
You could have the most iron clad contract ever written, but if you rely solely on it and things go wrong, you still have to enforce it.
For example, if you decide not to collect a deposit because your contract says you can sue them if they don’t pay you, and then they don’t pay you, you still have to go through the sometimes years-long process of suing them.
That’s why you shouldn’t rely on contracts alone.
It’s best to have a contract AND a process that protects you.
So pair your contract with a payment process, like the one I talked about last week, that protects you at each phase of the project.
Best,
Jamie
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