Today I’m talking with lawyer Autumn Witt Boyd all about creating contracts that protect you and your clients. Autumn and I had worked together on a contract for my own business and so I was excited to bring her on to talk about her process and some tips for creating contracts that protect you and your business while still making sure that your clients get the best deal possible. The goal of your contract is that you can both be confident that you would be protected if something were to happen and how that makes it so much easier to work while knowing you have a contract to back you up.

Autumn Witt Boyd is an experienced lawyer who helps high-achieving and ambitious business owners reach their big goals, faster and smarter. Autumn guides creative entrepreneurs with big dreams as they grow from one-person-shows to bigger deals and collaborations. She has special expertise in copyright and trademark issues.

Autumn also hosts the Legal Road Map podcast, which teaches business owners how to protect their rights and stay out of legal hot water. She lives in Chattanooga, TN with her husband Dave, twin boys Sam and Tyson, and daughter Vivian.

Topics Discussed:

• Why a contract is the most important legal protection for your business
• Why your contract should protect both you and your client
• Your first contract should be a client agreement
• How you can create a basic contract yourself starting out and why you should
• The most important things to have in your contract with a client
• Why your contracts should be strict upfront to allow you room to make decisions based on circumstances in the future
• What to do if someone wants you to sign their contract
• How to create a contract that protects you and your client
• Use your previous experience to create a contract that serves your business based on the issues you’ve had in the past
• How to communicate the benefits of a contract to your clients
• Why a contract gives you freedom to do your best work
• Other contracts you may need in your business
• The steps to take if you need to enforce a contract

Resources Discussed:

• Being Boss Podcast
• Contract Templates
• Tara Gentile
• The Magicians
• Being Boss Clubhouse

Connect with Autumn:

• Website
• Facebook
• Facebook Live Videos
• Legal Road Map Podcast