For the majority of work I engage in—especially with individuals or small operations—I work without a formal, written contract. I partner with numerous instructors throughout the year, and I pay them in the four figures, often without a contract. I’ve worked with conferences on a handshake agreement only. I don’t issue a formal contract with newsletter sponsors. And so on.
Catch up on previous columns!
For the majority of work I engage in—especially with individuals or small operations—I work without a formal, written contract. I partner with numerous instructors throughout the year, and I pay them in the four figures, often without a contract. I’ve worked with conferences on a handshake agreement only. I don’t issue a formal contract with newsletter sponsors. And so on.
Have I ever regretted it? No, and that’s because the minute you have to refer back to the contract in a one-on-one business relationship to enforce behavior or terms—“Here’s what the contract says”—there’s a good chance that relationship is over. Or, at the very least, you have a serious problem on your hands and the contract won’t fix it.
Let me break things down to help demonstrate my point and make all this practical for you!
