159 - Best Of Replay - How to Create Contracts for Your Freelance Biz with Ashlee Hightower

This week we're running some of our most popular episodes. Enjoy!

Today’s guest is Ashlee Hightower. Ashlee is an attorney for creatives and the owner of Contracts for Creatives as well as Cobalt Chronicles. In this episode, she talks about what we’re missing in our contracts as freelancers, as well as what we need to do to protect ourselves, protect our businesses, and make sure we’re getting the most out of our contracts.

Ashlee began her career as an attorney working at a large, national law firm. After a few years, she moved into the corporate world (freeing up a lot of her time) and began reading local blogs to find out about things going on in her city, Washington D.C.

Intrigued by the idea of a blog, Ashlee started her own travel and wellness blog. This foray into the creative world allowed Ashlee to connect with more creatives in the D.C. area. She soon realized that many of them were having trouble with contracts, or were afraid of them, because they seemed to complicate the creative process.

As people began to come to her with questions about contracts, word got out and her new business, Contracts for Creatives, was born.

This episode is crucial. It’s one of those things you don’t want to mess around with in your freelance business and that’s why I brought Ashlee onto the show. She has all the education, the background, the knowledge to give us the right advice to create the best contracts we can.

“In the creative space, it’s very important that the intellectual property rights are outlined thoroughly in your contract and that you’re aware of what rights you’re giving away to a client.”

In this episode Ashlee talks about: Her background in law and how she ended up in the creative space What a contract is in its most basic form and the biggest mistakes creatives are making in their contracts How freelancers can keep themselves safe through their contracts Main Takeaways A contract is just a simple document outlining the collaboration between two parties. Make sure every detail, especially payment plans, are in your contract and that there is no confusion on what you’ll be delivering and how and when you will get paid. Be very specific about details in your contract and make sure that you give yourself a way out. Expect red lines (changes) to the contracts that you send over to your clients. It’s a normal process and can actually benefit you. Pick your battles and decide if it the changes are worth potentially losing a client. Links Cobalt Chronicles Contract for Creatives Stay in touch Get The Client Magnet Roadmap Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn