All of us are creators of services or goods. So, it is often strange that as a business owner you are supposed to all of these things that you really do not want to do.
So, you have a Proposal. It is awesome. It is pretty. It is geometrically correct with all the lines and spacing and tables and perpendicular triangles. What it is not, however, is a legally binding Contract. Yes, even when the proposal is accepted, it is not a contract.
I get it. You are not a lawyer. This is not what you signed up for. If you wanted to be a lawyer, you would be one (but really, who in their right mind would be a lawyer?)
But you are a small business owner — and that job title comes with many responsibilities and roles. A business owner means treating your business with respect (legal documents, protected entity, proposal, contracts, and chief dog officers). If you don’t treat your business with the professional respect that it deserves, how can you expect clients to treat it as such?
1. While you probably have already communicated the project scope and deliverables in a Proposal, it is important to reiterate them in the Contract (your Contract can be static, your SOWs changeable).
2. Ensure your SOW is very clear about amendments. Projects can be changed for an additional fee.
3. Also, what about things you discussed before the agreement was written, but ultimately decided something different and that was memorialized in the contract. Well, if it is not in the contract, you are not required to do it. This eliminates ANY ambiguity over “remember when we had 5 martinis and you said you would create my website for $7? Well I am holding you to that!”
You: “The contract says $700.00. I wrote it sober. You signed it. Nice try.”