Today, let's talk about… contracts.
I love them.
Why?
Because they set and protect parameters.
Without parameters, we are lost.
April marked eight years since I started working in branding and marketing.
In these past eight years, I've seen and experienced almost every client to service provider dynamic imaginable.
I have been the grunt, and I have been the manager.
I have serviced both goliath corporations and local mom & pop shops.
I have charged tens of thousands of dollars for my work and I have charged nothing.
I have seen the businesses I've serviced both thrive and shut down.
I have seen hundreds of hours of work dissolve in a click of a button (fully developed projects collapsed back to square one because the CEOs had delegated themselves out of the process).
I have managed multiple differing opinions at once, across states, countries, and continents.
Most importantly, I have witnessed the most well intentioned freelancers get (excuse my French) fucked over by predatory contracts and misguided business relationships.
Eight years of doing this B2B thing, my contracts are airtight.
Scope creep clauses, IP ownership, payment terms that don't leave me stranded. The multiple levels of protections needed on both sides for a project to go smoothly.
Most people are too quick to say yes to situations, especially when they need the money. Long term, that desperation is what ruins business relationships.
If you don't know what parameters you need to do your best work, you are a liability to the people who engage with you.
I believe one of the most important skills to develop is understanding the parameters of excellence. Excellence of craft and service requires self-knowledge and accountability.
When you agree to something you don't align with, the margins of error increase exponentially.
This applies to who you serve as much as it applies to how you serve them. And it applies to what you protect before you need it.
A few months ago, I found out a Chinese company was buying up domains adjacent to Jegayo. So I finally filed for a trademark.
Succeeding at business requires understanding how to calculate and manage risk.
At the end of the day, people will be people. They will hold grudges, they will resent, they will slow down when they lose motivation.
If you're hiring someone, and you genuinely want them to do a good job, give them the space to expand, get to know you, and understand what they will need from you. Everyone is different, and that's part of the beauty.
I've made it a rule to only work with people who love what they do and know themselves well enough to stand firm with their parameters. For my business, that's a form of insurance.
There's a question I encourage you to start cultivating:
"Can I afford to walk away if I know the conditions aren't right for me?"
Maybe you can't right now, and that's okay. But maybe you can work to give your future self that choice.
There's too much at stake not to know where you stand.
People's entire life's blood is poured into companies that close down due to poor relationship management.
Know yourself, know your psychology, know others, predict outcomes.
The limit is you.
The cost is you.
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