Contract Proposal Templates for Creative Freelancers
When it comes to having a successful career as a creative freelancer, Contract Proposal Templates can be a real necessity. This is because you have to cover all the bases when you’re running a business, and that’s essentially what a freelancer is. Even if you’re working as John C. Smith and not under a company name, you’re still basically a business. That’s why it’s essential that you learn all the basics of responsibly running a business, which includes proposals, contracts, and negotiations.
Dealing with the technical details and paperwork is never much fun for anyone, and this is especially true for creative people. They would of course rather focus on what they do well, which is their work. However, not correctly addressing the financial and contractual aspects of a business can be a major mistake. Unfortunately, it’s one that far too many creative freelancers make. Consequently, neither them nor their work are being properly protected.
Freelancing of course means you are completely independent and working on your own. Therefore, since there is nobody else that is looking out for your best interests, it’s you who must handle contractual matters as well. Although a lawyer specializing in this kind of thing would be nice, not everyone has the financial capabilities to hire one. Not a problem, because our Contract Proposal Templates for Creative Freelancers are undoubtedly the next best thing to having your own attorney or contract consultant.
Formal Contracts
Whatever type of service you provide for people, it is usually a good idea to put everything in writing. If it’s something that you create and get paid for, then a Proposal of Services along with some form of official agreement or professional contract is highly recommended. Often times, freelancing involves your intellectual property, and whether it’s via royalties or a fair flat rate, you must state your fees along with everything else that your proposed price includes.
Furthermore, be sure to disclose upfront what your charges will be. This is in case you are required to do extensive revisions or complete any unforeseen work that was not in the initial agreement. There’s nothing worse than a ‘never-ending’ job or a client that requests a ridiculous number of revisions. Therefore, it’s up to you to precisely predetermine the extent of work that you’re willing to do for the dollar amount agreed upon. Furthermore, this must be legibly written out, signed, and dated.
Though there are some freelancing fields that may call for a written proposal and/or formal contracts more often than others, having them can certainly never hurt. Whether you’re a writer, graphic designer, songwriter, illustrator, or practically anything else, the terms of your service should always be clearly stated in writing. In addition, the terms must be ‘officially’ acknowledged as well as accepted by all parties involved.
The way in which freelancers find work, make deals, and get paid has changed a lot due to the Internet, yet the process is actually easier now. Just because you may not be dealing with a client in-person, you can still quickly communicate, negotiate, and establish trust via email and other platforms. Being able to share things via Google Drive or Dropbox is convenient in this capacity. Plus, it’s also possible to use verified electronic signatures with Contract Proposal Templates. That way you can ‘virtually’ create a legally binding contract agreement.
So, now that you know proposals and contracts are necessary, it is time to start implementing them in your business. When everything is spelled out nice and neat in a legal document, you gladly won’t have to worry about it anymore. Then you can finally concentrate on being a phenomenal creative freelancer.
