Setting boundaries with difficult clients (let’s talk contracts)

Some tools and terms to keep in your back pocket so a shitty client doesn’t become an energy vampire.

Last time, we talked a lot about red flags to look for and how to handle them. That’s all well and good when you’re in the contract/proposal stage, but how do you keep yourself safe from the energy vampires once you’re already in the thick of it.

This, my friends, is why your contract is so important.

You freelancer contracts are your best friends

I’m not being dramatic when I say that my contracts have saved my career, sanity, and my finances more than once. My contracts are air tight, always evolving and (critically) written in plain English. There are no excuses for anyone to miss what it says and what it means. Plus, I’m always open to questions once the initial contract has been sent over.

So today, I’m going to take you through some areas to cover in your contract and how I actually do it. Because theory is great but sometimes you need something practical.

5 critical things to cover in your freelance contracts

The TL;DR is this:

1. Scope of work (and scope creep)

2. Payment terms

3. Late payment fees

4. Attitude and behaviour

5. Meetings and contactability

For more detail and examples from my own contracts, keep reading. If not, I hope you have a lovely day and I’ll see you next time.