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How to Freelance

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Loose Ends

2:39 with Pasan Premaratne

While clients can be difficult to deal with making contracts is necessary, not all clients are bad. There are certain things we can do to make a working relationship better, and in this video we will go over the things we can do to turn a bad client into a long term one.

Sample Contracts

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    Before we close off our discussion on contracts, 0:00
    there are a few stray topics I want to cover. 0:02
    Now we've already been over creating your contract, 0:05
    but the opposite scenario can be true as well. 0:08
    The client can present you with a contract 0:10
    stating their terms and asking for your signature. 0:13
    Just as you would try to protect yourself as much as possible with your contract, 0:15
    the client is obviously doing the same. 0:19
    Set aside some time to go over every single line in the contract 0:22
    before your put your signature on it. 0:26
    If you don't agree with certain terms, 0:28
    renegotiate the contract to come to a more mutual relationship. 0:30
    Now I know I've spent a bit of time painting the client in a bad light, 0:34
    whereas the truth is that that's rarely the case. 0:38
    Sure, you will have clients that are difficult to work with. 0:41
    But rarely will you work with a client that will make you 0:44
    want to stop freelancing altogether. 0:46
    The key to having a longlasting career in this field 0:49
    is that understanding that your goal is not money, but a great working relationship. 0:51
    Even if you work with the best of clients, 0:57
    there are 3 factors where you will often be clashing: 0:59
    money, time, and talent. 1:02
    Everyone seeks to maximize what they can get out of the relationship, 1:05
    and if you view it that way, all clients will be bad clients to you. 1:08
    To maximize your relationship doesn't mean being submissive 1:13
    and accepting whatever the client just hands you 1:16
    so that they can be happy. 1:18
    It means communicating to the client why your price is necessary. 1:20
    It means working with them when the revisions seem reasonable. 1:23
    And it means using your judgment to understand 1:26
    whether certain decisions outside of the norm 1:29
    will be good for the long-term business or not. 1:32
    There will always be bad clients. 1:35
    But as you get better at protecting yourself with contracts, 1:36
    holding your ground, and being professional, 1:39
    you will soon start to see issues that before you deemed 1:42
    as part of being a bad client 1:45
    now just a normal part of running a business that you work through. 1:47
    That being said, there are some clients you just can't work with, 1:50
    and that's fine as well. 1:53
    Learn to identify these people early on, 1:55
    and promptly say no. 1:58
    That should wrap up our talk on contracts. 2:00
    And hopefully I've convinced you that, one, contracts aren't a choice— 2:02
    you should always have one ready— 2:06
    and, two, that there are certain key areas that you must cover. 2:08
    Now, as you create your contract, 2:12
    remember that you don't have to adhere to a template. 2:14
    Most contracts are very strict and legal sounding, 2:17
    but if you don't like that kind of stuff, you can change it up. 2:20
    I've included a few templates in the notes and downloads section below. 2:23
    Pay special attention to Andy Clarke's Killer Contract. 2:27
    He does a great job of writing a comprehensive contract 2:30
    that covers his needs and is super informal, 2:33
    relfecting his personality and work. 2:36

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