What problems are you exposing yourself to if you don’t have a freelance contract?
Today’s episode is inspired by numerous posts I have seen in various Facebook groups and emails that I tend to get about whether or not freelancers really need a contract, where to find one, and what should be included.
So, today I am only going to focus on one particular aspect of the whole contract debate, which is: what happens if you don’t have one. You’ll learn the consequences of not having a contract, how it keeps you from being taken advantage of, and the legal protections it provides.
Here are some things we covered in this episode:
- What could go wrong if you don’t have a contract
- When you don’t need a contract
- How a contract prevents clients from underestimating the scope of a project
- When you may need a written record that a job exists
- A contract defines what you and the client agreed to
- How to prevent yourself from being taken advantage of
- Why you need to clarify the distinction between employee and independent contractor
- The importance of defining the number of work revisions in the contract
- Defining payment terms in the contract to ensure that you’ll get paid
- Enforcing the contract when you need to take legal action
- Should you hire an attorney to create a standard contract?
- Why a contract protects you when you need to exit the business relationship
After listening to this episode, share your action steps and take-aways with our group:
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Laura Briggs is empowering the freelance generation. Through her public speaking, coaching, and writing, she helps freelancers build the business of their dreams without sacrificing all their time, family, or sanity. Laura burned out as an inner-city middle school teacher before becoming an accidental freelancer with a Google search for “how to become a freelance writer.” Since then, she’s become a contributor to Entrepreneur, Business Insider, and Writer’s Weekly. She worked for more than 300 clients around the world including Microsoft, Truecar, and the Mobile Marketing Association. She’s delivered two TEDx talks on the power of the freelance economy for enabling freedom and flexibility and how it’s being used to address the technical skills gap in the U.S. Laura is the host of the Advanced Freelancing podcast, a sought-after public speaker on the gig and digital freelance economy, and a freelance coach focused on aspiring six-figure freelancers. Laura’s books, courses, and coaching have reached over 10,000 people.
As a military spouse, Laura is passionate about serving her community and founded Operation Freelance, a nonprofit organization that teaches veterans and military spouses how to become freelancers and start their own business.https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=19656152