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Last updated March 11th, 2023
When I first started The Lazy Millennial (previously AVAS), it was beaten into my head that I need to have some sort of contract in place. It surprised me to hear how many business owners, especially those that provide a service, do not have one in place.
Contracts are in place to protect both parties. You are providing the service, so the contract is placed for you to uphold that service or otherwise stated. The client’s side is their promise to pay their portion, do the work, etc.
Verbal agreements are great, but it is not consistent. As much as we would love to believe that everyone in the world is honest and will stick to their word, the reality is that this is not the case.
It is said to consult with a lawyer about your contracts, and I fully agree. Having a lawyer look over or create a contract for your business is the safest bet for an airtight agreement.
** While we’re on the topic of lawyers, here’s an interview I did with one of our lawyers here https://youtu.be/MgjCF1e_Glo **
Sometimes though, you just don’t have the funds to do this. This is why I wanted to give you a few suggestions that (and past clients) have used to create and download a contract for your business.
Legal Shield– The next best option for legal support in your business with custom plan options. If you need to be pointed to a representative, you can reach out to us on Social Media or simply post in a Social Media group or your own network for suggestions.
Rocket Lawyer- As someone that outsources her own tasks and has other 1099 contractors working within her business, I needed something that was legit and something I could afford. Luckily, Rocket Lawyer has a free plan available, but it is super limited. If you are someone that will need different contracts on a consistent basis, I would recommend using one of their paid plans. Also, you can have access to one of their lawyers with one of their paid plans. Super bonus! **You can use other third party websites that are similar as well!**
Google Docs- I seriously love Google. If you have a google account (which I strongly recommend you have), you can simply go to your Google Drive, Go to Google Docs, and find a service agreement template. You can adjust it, however, you need it.
JotForm- They have an assortment of templates for any industry to choose from. Under their free plan, you get up to 5 forms, 100 submissions, 10 payments, and more. Visit the Jotform site to learn more.
Your CRM of Choice: If you need a rebrief on what a CRM tool is and a couple of examples, look at the resource article I wrote. CRM tools such as Zoho, and Honeybook (one of our favs!), contain contract templates from different backgrounds that business owners can edit and use for their personal use.
Really great article. Having contracts in place is super important because you don’t need any loose ends in business.