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What are Contracts?

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Your Text: Insert Slimies » Insert UBB Code » Close Last Tag \| All Tags UBB Help	Given the experiences I've had (and am currently going through), I would recommend the following: 1. Incorporate. That will give you some corporate immunity in civil matters, and that's important (although it doesn't do much in criminal matters). I used [url=http://www.estime.com/]http://www.estime.com/[/url] many years ago, and it was a positive experience. LLC vs C-Corp or S-Corp depends on your situation, and you may wish to consult with a business attorney as to specific advantages (liability, taxes, etc) of each. Estime sent me a real nice little binder with all the paperwork in it. I found some generic corporate forms online, and I use them to update the binder regularly, as well as keeping electronic versions. 2. Have an attorney write up a contract. And scan that contract into your computer and OCR it back to text (or get an electronic copy from the attorney). That way, you can edit it for future use with other clients. OR, write one and have a lawyer look at it. Either, way, cover yourself. [url=http://www.justice4pat.com/]I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH![/url] hyperbole has some great ideas listed in his reply. 3. Document EVERYTHING. Every email, every phone call, every in-person meeting. EVERYTHING. I use Intuit's [url=http://quickbooks.intuit.com/]QuickBooks[/url] for time/billing. It's really nice, and can handle all of the financial matters for your business. You can also handle merchant (e-commerce) transactions, credit card processing, etc, with it, and use a PDA timer to synch time to it. There are different versions, but I highly recommend using it. And document EVERYTHING in it, even if it's no-charge. When you send an invoice, the no-charges will be on it, and there won't be any questions (plus it looks good to the client when they see all the no-charge stuff). 4. Make sure that any online design work (such as a full site) has a [url=http://web.archive.org/web/20020826021356/www.macombsheriff.com/article.php?aid=60]usage policy[/url]. And have the attorney look at that the first time (use a canned version thereafter). 5. Backup EVERYTHING, and regularely store it offsite. EVERYTHING. With me, TOS is pretty small. We tell you up front what you can't host (drugs/porn/hate groups/anti gun), and that first offense is the last. I've got a new version of the site almost done, and that TOS page will be quite prominent. I've NEVER had a problem with TOS abuse, although my target market is pretty narrow. You can always update it as issues arise. Be flexible. Interesting requests, issues, and problems will arise, and you'll have to be creative in how you solve them. But be consistent. The customer is NOT always right. There are worse things in life than losing a client. Some will jump ship just because the guy down the street running a hosting business out of a trailer is cheaper. That's business. Seriously. [url=http://www.justice4pat.com] [img]http://www.runningwolf.com/j4p_link.gif[/img] [/url] Loading...
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