Tag Archives: contracts

Remember What You Contracted For

When you sign a contract, whether to buy a house or a car or an item on hire purchase there are certain things both parties agree to do. Once the contract is signed, both parties are required buy law to adhere to it. When we get married we also sign a contract. We contract to love, honor and cherish, or obey, depending on the version of your marriage service. We contract that we will keep on loving each other and being committed to each other for better ‘for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health,’ … Continue reading →

Consider More Flexible Contracts

There is an impression that a contract has to be an iron-clad, rigid agreement between two parties. More and more—both in the business world and in other realms—people are looking for and expecting more flexibility in their contracts. Instead of trying to pin everything and everyone down to rigid rules and regulations, more people are looking for contracts that allow room and encouragement to change and expand. In your home business, you might consider how creating more flexible work agreements with our clients, customers, and vendors can help you grow your business and adjust to changing expectations. You might not … Continue reading →

You Can Always Give the Money Back and Cancel the Sale

When you are feeling especially trapped by an uncomfortable situation with a challenging client or customer I think it is important to remember that we can always say “no.” It can be easy to forget that we really do always have the power to cancel a sale or contract, give back the money and walk away. Sure, it might hurt our bottom line, but in the long term, it might be the best possible move. I know that you have seen the following sign posted on the wall or door of many of your favorite businesses: “We reserve the right … Continue reading →

Make Sure People Know What They Are Getting Into

The other day, I wrote about how important it is to read the fine print when it comes to business contracts and agreements. While I was writing from the perspective of our begin consumers as well as home business owners, I realized that we need to make sure that our customers and clients understand what they are getting into when it comes to our businesses too. It may seem like that is “their problem”—but unless we want to trick someone or rope them into something, it is better for us if everyone is on the same page. It has been … Continue reading →

Fine Print Matters in Home Business Too

I am sure you have heard the saying: “Be sure to read the fine print” meaning that we need to make sure we pay attention to all the details in any contracts we might sign, agreements we make, etc. While reading the fine print matters in our personal finances, we have to watch the fine print in our home businesses too… Make sure you read all the information and fine print when it comes to anything financial with your home business—a business bank account, loans, credit cards, shipping agreements, insurance, etc. Even when working with a trusted institution with financial … Continue reading →

Negotiating? Do Your Homework

Negotiating is not one of my favorite parts of working independently and having my own business. As a matter of fact, I never really thought of myself as someone who did all that well with contracts, bookkeeping, accounting and the “hardball” part of business. BUT, since I am a one-gal shop, negotiating contracts and payments is one of the things I have to learn and get better at. The one thing I do know is that the more prepared I am, the more confident I feel and the more successful I am likely to be at the negotiating part. So, … Continue reading →

Updating Contracts

We have talked before here in the home business blog about the importance of using contracts in our home businesses. Even though you may be getting used to drawing up contracts when you begin a business relationship or project, it is also important to make sure that you update those contracts periodically to make sure they still apply. There are natural places and times when it becomes obviously necessary to update a contract. If a contract expires (many will be for a specific period of time or for the duration of a specific project), or if details change in the … Continue reading →

How to Find Work if Interested in Subcontracting

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I just finished explaining subcontracting from the point of view of the contractor. Now we’re on to finding the work if you’re interested in becoming a subcontractor yourself. I am the member of a popular WAHM (work-at-home moms) forum, and I am realizing now, more than ever, that one of the best parts about being active in those kinds of forums is the work that comes from them. I have gotten a handful of jobs in the past several months from other posters on that forum either posting a “Help me!” post that I responded to, or by them PMing … Continue reading →

Do You Know the Difference Between an Invoice and a Purchase Order?

Starting your own home business can mean that a person needs to become educated and business-savvy very quickly. While some of us have a background in business and a better handle on terms and contracts—others of us have to create a very short learning curve in order to get up to speed and operate our home businesses. A lot of the terminology and details in the business world can be confusing. I thought I would focus on some of the basics and offer a brief explanation of the difference between and “invoice” and a “purchase order.” Many people use them … Continue reading →

Writing As A Business

Most people who write find their way to writing due to passion, skill and talent. It tends to be something we do because we enjoy it and develop into being fairly decent writers over time. Making the leap to treating our writing as a business can be the last thing we ever think we’ll do! While in a dream world, writing for pleasure and writing for pay would be exactly the same—that is not necessarily the way things go. There are plenty of typical business details that need to be considered when one decides to write as a business. Just … Continue reading →