Contract templates. I bought one, now what?

Are you a small business owner trying to legalize your business? There are so many incredible resources online (including ours!) to help you launch and manage your business– to make money, to protect your assets, and to scale your business.  To do any and all of these things… you need solid contracts. 

But you already know that because you bought a contract template for your business. Maybe it’s a terms and conditions clause or maybe it's a photography services contract. Whatever it is, we’re here to help you make sense of what you purchased. 

FIRST.

Chile you better read that damn contract!! If you expect your clients to read a contract and understand their responsibilities within it… you better know them through and through. I just simply cannot emphasize this enough! In my wedding photography business, I frequently have clients ask me questions about the contract before reading it, while preparing to sign it, and after having signed it. It’s so important as a business owner that you have the answers for them! 

SECOND.

Tailor it to your specific needs. It’s important to remember that you purchased a template– not a contract written directly for your specific business needs. For example, many wedding photographers charge travel fees but every one of them does it differently. I’ve seen people do: flat fees for domestic and international travel, percentage fees, reimbursement, etc. While templates provide tons of valuable information, only you can input the factors that directly reflect your unique business model. Don’t worry, we made it easy for you by highlighting the specific sections you’ll need and giving you support with them through our included reference guide. 

THIRD.

Fill in the highlighted sections and put it in your CRM.  Make sure your business name, your location, and your contact information are fully loaded into the template. Also use your CRM as you should and insert the auto-populated options. For example, I use Studio Ninja (use code BBFU6CG8L8HY65 for 20% off) in my photography business. In my contract templates, I have the auto-populate options directly in the template like %clientname% and %jobdate% to make the contract so easy to actually use in your business. 

If you still have questions, here are some great places to head next:

• Our IG! Send us a message!

• Other blog posts on our site. 

• Join our mailing list! 

If you’ve realized you need an additional contract template to protect and manage your business, we got you here!

Xx,

The Lawnch Team