Learn how to create a solid freelance contract that protects your work, clarifies payment terms, and defines project scope effectively.
Essential legal documents every photography business owner needs to protect their work, manage risks, and maintain professionalism.
The business world has changed over the years, and many businesses have started using custom contract templates to boost their sales. With the rise of online shopping, business owners are finding themselves with a lot of pressure to sell more products. This may put them into panic and they find it tough to decide where to begin when they realize that some of the items that they’re selling aren’t as appealing as they thought previously. If you want your company to stand out from other players in this industry, there is a need for better marketing strategies. You can do this by producing strong marketing materials. One way through which you can achieve this feat is by using unique contracts that your customers can feel more comfortable and confident purchasing your products from. There are many reasons why people should use these types of contracts, some of which are discussed below. 1) Helping Businesses Improve Their Marketing Strategies. Businesses need good strategies and methods to reach out to new audiences. For organizations like yours, creating attractive packaging is an excellent way to attract attention in order to make sure that you get maximum returns on investment. Your company requires you to produce various packages and come up with ways on how your target audience will respond to each of them. When you create customized contracts to assist you in achieving this goal you ensure that each customer is taken care of well. It helps you improve your marketing skills by offering the best solutions to your clients. All of them will definitely be happy about their purchase knowing that their needs are prioritized and they are attended to, hence boosting their overall satisfaction in life. 2) Promoting Brand Awareness. Creating custom contracts creates awareness for every type of package or product offered by your company. As opposed to sending emails, flyers, leaflets, pamphlets and brochures to everyone who might be interested in what you offer, having a printed document that contains all of the information that you want to provide. This makes the buyer aware of the importance of buying our products and making him/her feel welcomed by us. Once one receives your contract, he/she discovers all of the terms that you have chosen for him/her, making them see that we took care of them and that we cared about what they wanted. A properly designed contract allows customers to know exactly what they will receive at an early stage, giving the client confidence that what they are doing is right. They also feel assured that we’ll deliver it at the same time, ensuring that the transaction is completed in a timely manner without any delay. This makes buyers want to buy from you because they know what kind of experience they will enjoy while they are shopping with you. 3) Enabling Better Deals. When you get involved with designing custom contracts for your brand, you help others when it comes to making better deals. People usually do not wait until the last minute before making purchases. What this means is that they will do everything possible to make sure that the goods are delivered at the desired time. By getting them to sign the document while they are still available, you’ll be able to convince them that they need to make a decision right away. In this way, you’ll also enable better deals. These are usually made by allowing your competitors to try out your offerings while they test them out on their own clients. Through proper delivery of your products you will get to reap the benefits of being different (since you’ve done some research on their needs), as there is no chance that you will face competition from another company that offers the same service. Hence, you will be able to maximize your profits, and thus increase your profitability levels. Since you already understand what your clients’ needs are, you will find it easier to attract their attention and keep them buying from you. 4) Enhancing Sales Rates. As mentioned earlier, by providing discounts or any form of special deals, you can enhance sales at an early stage. Most companies prefer working with established brands, and for this reason, they tend to go for those that offer the most favorable deals. An easy-to-use template assists in speeding up the process of approving your proposals. Not only does your company save the costs associated with hiring employees to look for clients through manual searches, but it also enables new prospects through free trials and trials. This way, even if you don’t need to pay for training sessions or send letters out to prospective buyers with every deal, you won’t find yourself spending too much money as you will already know what’s expected of you from them. Also, you don’t have to spend hours going around to meet potential buyers. Nowadays, this process takes just minutes at most. Some companies are now realizing the significance of having streamlined processes in place so that it becomes easy for both themselves and clients to engage with you. 5) Improving Customer Satisfaction. Customers always expect something extra out of a sale that they are willing to pay for. Getting back from a sale is never the end goal; instead, it should be something that keeps them coming back to shop with you again in future. However, this isn’t the case with a bad experience that leads to poor experiences. Customers are often frustrated with their previous experiences and as a result, they have low expectations for what they expect from you next time. Having a great relationship with your clients makes them be happier. Therefore, by providing outstanding services to them, your organization is likely to perform better than its rivals. Consequently, they’ll be able to give it to your company at lower rates due to the fact that they didn’t experience a bad customer experience. Moreover, customer loyalty increases your revenue levels and the more satisfied you are with your
You’re one of a million homeowners in America who are now facing an eviction notice. We have all been affected by the pandemic, however some homeowners struggle with getting their housing back in order and staying in it. This can be due to landlords making you vacate your home illegally. In these situations you need legal help as well as the right lawyer and attorney for your case. This step is called serving an eviction notice. If you’ve ever experienced an eviction while trying to get back into your home or if you’re filing a lawsuit against the landlord, this guide will teach you how to serve an eviction notice legally. The best way to serve an eviction notice is through a real estate agent. But what happens if that doesn’t work out for you? The answer is simple. If you don’t have a lawyer, an experienced attorney will review the facts of the matter. They will also look at your options. Once they determine that there is no merit in your claim, then the lawyer will tell you whether you have grounds to file a suit. Let’s take a closer look at the first step of the process. What Is An Eviction? An eviction is when a tenant files against their landlord. Usually this can happen over several months, but sometimes it can happen suddenly. A few factors lead to an eviction including, among others, bad behavior, property damage (usually from mold), and excessive water usage. Most common tenants in New York City do not receive an eviction notice until they are forced to go away. When rent or mortgage payments aren’t made or even missed, often the landlord is able to find someone else to give them back the keys to your apartment. Since most renters are unable to afford a new place, they don’t really realize until after they’ve been evicted that they ever lost any income from employment. While this has happened to many people across the country over the past five years, this pattern of eviction rarely ends without consequences. What should you do if you haven’t gotten your housing eviction notice yet? Follow this advice to ensure your rights are upheld in court. Is It Illegal To Sue Your Landlord For Not Vacating Your Home The truth is most states have laws that prevent uncooperative landlords from evicting tenants. However, that does not always mean everyone gets what they deserve. Some cases go better than others. Below are examples of tenants who successfully secured rental homes in spite of an eviction notice. The law is on their side and the judge agreed. Another good example is when rent is paid late. Again, the court agrees. Lastly, there are instances where a judge may not rule in either party’s favor. How Long Does An Appeal Take? The time limit for appeal is usually six months. In general, though, there is usually no limit to the amount of time you should wait before filing an appeal. As long as your original complaint is lodged within 60 days of receiving the notice, there is nothing wrong with taking action. Typically landlords who fail to make timely payments to keep tenants, or whose actions create obstacles for re-renting tenants, are more likely to face an immediate loss of income from the lease. Although, because so many tenants have suffered during this pandemic, it would take longer for landlords to recover some money. That said, the majority of landlords know the law and are happy to provide a plan of action if landlords try to cut tenant hours. There are plenty of ways to fight a landlord in court and still keep your job! How Can I File My Own Lawsuit Against A Landlord? If you’ve already filed your lawsuit against the landlord or the state that issued the eviction notice, the key to success is providing evidence for why you are owed money. Whether yours is rental income, medical bills, repairs or just a small child’s college expenses, you deserve compensation. The same goes for those who want to protect themselves against future litigation. Because your landlord is under contract to pay you what they owe, the only thing you have to worry about is obtaining a higher rate of rent. And that’s what we will discuss below. How Do I Make Money From My Rent Back On My Residence? It’s important to mention that many landlords consider us as a liability because we are not keeping up with our monthly rental fees. Fortunately, if you win your eviction, you will be entitled to damages because you were unjustly evicted. Your landlord may choose to use predatory tactics, like harassing you with emails and phone calls, to try to collect rent. Unfortunately, this typically fails because the law makes it difficult to prove that the landlord did anything wrong. So, as much as possible, try to get a reprieve from both sides. Be sure to remember that each party has “skin in the game” here. By settling for less, you will avoid being responsible for their misdeeds and the cost of resolving a legal dispute. Now, let’s talk about the second part of the equation. How Many Months Are There Between Getting A Rental Offer And Having Your Tenant Receive Their First Check? As mentioned earlier, there is little difference in paying late fees between late payments and getting evicted. Both methods can get you in trouble, but late payment results in a lower payout, which means a faster exit out of your situation. Here’s where things get dicey. Late payment amounts can differ greatly, from $30 to tens in dollars. Depending on the circumstances, the amount could range from thousands to even millions of dollars. Also remember that late payment amounts generally have a two year waiting period from the date rent is received to the last paycheck date. Keep in mind that although there may be different dates for late payment, the same rules apply
For some people, the act of doing a deed is boring. It takes away from their sense of adventure and time spent with loved ones. What they are missing out on in exchange for these mundane tasks is the opportunity to experience new things. When it comes to real estate and property transactions, there are many types that you can choose to do that will put a smile on your face instead, including closing costs, insurance premiums, taxes, maintenance of the structures involved in the transaction, and more. Let’s take a look at how each type of deed impacts an individual’s life. Deed Closing Costs & Taxes Any action taken by any person or business that involves the transfer of any property/land or asset is normally associated with fees and charges that must be paid to the seller. The process involves several steps which determine whether the buyer agrees to pay the fee or not. This includes title inspection, legal research, mortgage application, inspection of the structure under construction, surveyors’ reports, etc. Not only does the closing costs vary as per the amount of money being transferred, but so does the cost of hiring professionals for these activities. If one would like to avoid the hassle involved along with the fee, then this may not be the best option. Most often, the higher up a purchase price is, the less upfront fees one has to pay. But sometimes there are certain structures and properties that require more attention and effort so it might make sense to pay a bit extra out of pocket to avoid paying unnecessary expenses. The other thing to note is that if you are buying a home or property and the property is already fully built, then having a lawyer review the documents and provide advice on what to do is mandatory. Some buyers do want to keep the paperwork private but in most cases, you are going to need to see something before even looking into purchasing anything. Depending on where the property is located, the number of fees included can reach thousands of dollars. There are also additional costs such as stamp duty payments which are a part of the costs too. In India, the stamp duty of land is usually a nominal 8% according to Indian laws whereas for apartment buildings it stands at 15 %. Other fees include water charges, electricity charges, internet charges, property management fees, and professional fees in-house. Aside from the usual costs, there are specific types of taxes that are applicable for some transactions. They include income tax, capital gains tax, statutory rates on sale of immovable assets, and custom rates based on market conditions. As mentioned previously, depending on where one resides or the price of the asset being sold or acquired, there are different taxes applied. Here is a list of some common and relevant tax deductions and exemptions that could help offset any potential overheads. Insurance Premiums Any transaction involving any type or kind of loan will lead to some forms of loans being made. Before financing and executing an agreement, you might not be sure of the exact amount of money you have to repay back. Whether the lender is willing to lend with 100% or just 75%, the difference may be significant. Insurance plays a huge role in this particular situation. You will either need to choose between building or buy an insurable interest bond to cover the loan. One way to save on premiums is to build your own home; however, this will cost you a considerable sum upfront. Another way to lower those premiums is to get a fixed rate mortgage. However, it can actually increase the amount payable when compared to a variable rate mortgage. A fixed rate means the value of the mortgage keeps changing every few years based on various factors, such as inflation and interest rates. With a fixed rate mortgage, the monthly payment stays the same no matter what happens in the economy and the borrower is given stability by the lender. While there are advantages to this type of mortgage, there are also disadvantages. First, the monthly payment for the loan may never change; therefore, it is almost impossible for a homeowner to reduce the monthly payment when faced with financial hardships, especially since they might still be earning. Second, a fixed rate mortgage requires greater funds than a variable rate loan. This can add up to considerable amounts of debt within the lifetime of the mortgage. Third, unlike mortgage lenders who only offer variable rate mortgages, fixed rate mortgage providers will typically charge higher monthly payments and there are more chances for default and foreclosure due to the increased costs. So overall, getting a fixed rate is probably the safest choice for homeowners. Recording Property Registration Details Any investor wants to avoid risks associated with fraud and negligence while transacting with others. The federal government mandates all business enterprises to register their books of accounts. It is one of the reasons why owning a corporation provides investors with necessary protections against losses caused by negligent behaviour from the side of its managers. Nowadays, companies can easily use electronic filing system (EFS) to register their records. These systems allow them to electronically file their information, which helps them simplify the processes. EFS also allows them to store important data on a single piece of paper for a long time without losing it. Once files are registered and updated, it becomes easier to track down past financial information about the business. To improve transparency, organizations are allowed to share this data with clients and the public. Additionally, businesses are required to comply with disclosure regulations. These include rules and rules regulating compensation in response to fraudulent actions. Lastly, the requirements set by US Code § 931(a) for reporting and record keeping are enforced through local governments and state authorities. Every company has their own system for recording, which makes it easy to access company details.
Written by Andrea Stolpe How to Find a Great Collaborator There are a lot of reasons why finding collaborators is difficult. Maybe we don’t feel ready, don’t know how or where to find them, or even don’t like to collaborate in the first place. But great songs come faster and more frequently when we work together. As solo writers, it’s much more difficult to break out of our limited perspective to grow into creative spaces we don’t even know exist. If you’ve never tried writing a song with another writer, it’s time to try it out. Even if all your collaborations up until this point have been characterized by awkwardness, unproductiveness, or even a power struggle, I urge you to keep trying. I, for one, have experienced all of these feelings at various times, but I find that a good rule of thumb is to start where it’s comfortable. Look within your circle of friends, songwriters, and musicians you already know and work with to pen some songs together. If you’ve explored every avenue and are still a loner, try enrolling in a local community college course or extension course. Group guitar, songwriting, and voice lessons are all great places to find musicians with common interests and goals. Ask around for a referral to a private instrumental teacher who might also write songs. This is especially important if you are a lyricist in need of a strong instrumentalist to add that framework to your songwriting. Locate a songwriting group in your area. NSAI, ASCAP, BMI, and many other local and regional groups have workshops and monthly meetings. Many of these organizations also have songwriting vacations or retreats. Go out and listen to music you love at venues you feel comfortable in. Get to know your local scene and the artists who play it. Go to their shows, support them, and eventually you will be part of that scene and already making collaborative connections. It’s a great idea to make short term goals you can achieve. I used to strive to meet two new writers a week, whether at a show, through another cowriting venture, in the studio, whatever. I’d keep track of the names and make sure I kept up with the people I really enjoyed being around. For material in a co-writing session, I suggest being flexible enough to use song pieces you haven’t been able to finish on your own. If you’re a fast writer or feel more creative sparks flying when you’re in a room with someone, you might walk in with simply a concept or a title. But if you need to simmer awhile on your ideas before you settle on a direction, I recommend preparing some song pieces ahead of time so that you can feel you contributed to the session, and guided the session towards a creative result you’re happy with. Before leaving the co-writing session, it’s always a good idea to agree on the song split percentages and publishing rights. I recommend making your own song split sheet including the names of both writers, publisher name and address, and percentage of ownership when it comes to publisher’s and writer’s share. Usually, an even split is appropriate unless other elements are at play. No success in music happens alone. If you are limited in the time you spend making your art, keep in mind that even cowrites that don’t result in great songs are part of the learning curve. When we observe others writing with a process different from our own, we expand our available tools. Eventually, this fine tunes our ability to “see” what is really working in our own songs, and repeat those successes with more consistency. Collaborating with others is also a necessary part of networking. We may not write the best songs we’ve ever written with most of the collaborators we meet, but those people may be integral in getting our music heard in the future. Happy writing and collaborating, Andrea
By Judy Stakee, Owner, The Judy Stakee Company COWRITING: Playing Well with Others Politeness is the poison of collaboration. — Edwin Land Cowriting is when two or more songwriters collaborate to create a song. I can hear melodies in my head and love writing lyrics, but it’s been a few years since I’ve played piano, so I like to collaborate with musicians to bring songs to life. I am always in awe of the writers who can do it all by themselves. If you do need someone to help you out, however, then I suggest finding a cowriter. In my years of experience in the music industry, I have come across many writers who would benefit from collaborating, but who strongly resisted it. Fear, pride, selfishness and distrust are all obstacles that stand in the way of a writer being willing to cowrite. However, I strongly believe that collaboration can be crucial to your career. Think of it as an investment strategy that will help propel you towards accomplishing your dreams. Cowriting helps shed light on exactly where you are in the development of your craft. Everything we are about in this life is in relation to someone or something else. For example, I am small compared to a building and huge compared to a flower; where you are weak, someone else is strong. If you are talented at writing lyrics and melodies, you can benefit from a partner who is an excellent producer or multi-instrumentalist with a working knowledge of music theory and chord structures. You both win and help each other at the same time. Building relationships (whether it’s through cowriting a song or otherwise) directly builds your network. As a songwriter, you want to have a network of people in place who know who you are (your character) and what you do (your skills). This network of people can open up opportunities you never would have come across otherwise. For instance, your cowriter may know someone whose friend or relative is a record executive at a big music label. You never know what possibilities are waiting for you! One of my favorite quotes is this African proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child.” I don’t know anyone who can achieve greatness all on their own. We all need others to help guide, educate, and inspire us. Here’s some advice for your next cowriting project: Be intentional. You are always faced with a choice when you find yourself in the room with another writer; you can guide, follow, or meet head on. How you navigate depends on your wants, needs and desires. Do you feel like leading the songwriting? Or would you rather sit back and see what transpires? What happens if both you and your cowriter want to lead today? Being aware of how you work best, how much you are willing to bend, and how much you want to be challenged is your ticket to a cowrite you feel confident about and can learn and grow from. Part of my purpose in writing this book is to help you know yourself better and become more conscious of your genuine potential. Play well with others. The better you are with relationships, the easier the cowrite will be. Are you agreeable or difficult? Are you flexible or unchangeable? Remember that you are part of a team the moment you involve someone else in the songwriting process. Team-building results in self-development, positive communication, leadership skills, and the ability to work closely together to solve problems. One evening, while I was guiding cowrites in my weekly workshop, I noticed one participant was badgering her cowriter rather than clearly expressing what she wanted. Not surprisingly, her partner got defensive and shut down communication. He was reacting negatively to her tone of voice and behavior. If she had simply expressed herself more clearly and directly, her cowriter would have most likely been more open to her suggestions. She did not realize that she needed to ask him to come to the workshop prepared with musical ideas so that she could focus on the lyrics, and the cowrite was suffering as a result of this. The way we use our words and how we communicate can make or break a cowriting relationship — and ultimately the end product. Protect yourself. When you cowrite, you agree to create a product together, which can result in a music placement of some type (cover, cut, license, etc.) that has the potential to pay royalties. Before you leave the room, it is important that you and your cowriter have an agreement in place about song splits (who owns what percentage of the song). At the end of this section, you will find a form to assist you in this process. Pay attention to the chemistry. Cowriting songs is like co-owning a startup company. You are partnering with another individual to create a product that combines both of your perspectives and experiences. The right combination creates magic. Pick cowriters who complement your skill set, are pleasant to be around, have good character and have synergy with you. Good chemistry is so important. True story: I heard Keith Urban for the first time when he performed at the Academy of Country Music Awards show in 2001. His voice was rich, his songwriting was clever, and when he played that guitar of his— well, there were just no words. I had just signed songwriter John Shanks, who was coming off producing the Michelle Branch album The Spirit Room, and was guiding him to integrate more country into his repertoire. From the get go, I knew that John and Keith would be great together. They were both talented guitarists who would inevitably bond over their shared respect for their instruments. I called Keith’s manager to pitch John as a possible cowrite and before I knew it, they had spent their first day together. Keith walked in with an opening riff, and the rest is history. Their hit song
By Liz Leahy, CEO of Section 101 If you’re a singer-songwriter, composer, producer or music company, you’re likely spending more and more time thinking about what online strategies are valuable to you, and what is worth your time, energy and, ultimately, finances. For example, social media is something that people who want to self-promote tend to invest a lot of time in. I always tell Section 101 clients that it’s smarter to be consistently visible on a few social networks, rather then run hot and cold on many. If you spread yourself too thin, you won’t captivate anyone. One item that often goes overlooked by music creators is your website. You can’t get away with not having one at all, but it always surprises me when I’m at events and people I meet don’t think it’s all that important. If you were to do a web search for a company, and they didn’t have a website, would you still be interested in what they do? Probably not! The same holds true for those in the music world – when a booking agent, manager or a magazine is pitched on your band/brand, one of the first things they do is look at your website. Not having one is kind of like someone without a cell phone. Sure, those people exist, but…they’re outdated. A professional website takes more of an investment of time and money than a Tumblr or Facebook page. There are free website tools, but let’s be honest, there isn’t a lot of variety when you work with one of those. They’re “cookie-cutter” and tend to look alike. If your website doesn’t look unique, it isn’t going to garner a second look. And it won’t reflect what’s distinct about you as a music creator, either. Whether you’re a songwriter, a producer, a performing artist or a record company, there are many steps to creating a level of public awareness, and a good website is central to all of them. We live in an “I need to know right now” ecosystem, where people have the ability to get information at any time they want. They don’t even have to be in front of a compute犀利士 r anymore – mobile has become just as dominant, which is why your website should be optimized for the mobile experience. Your website should be your home base, the place that people know they can go to find the answer (whatever the question may be). There’s also control in having your own website. Yes, Tumblr allows you to do some design work, but it’s still a Tumblr URL. From a discovery perspective, if someone finds out about you, they can see and experience your art the way you want them to. You’re in control of what they see and hear first, and you will be able to get feedback on what’s working with our metrics. Your goal is to keep people engaged. Emerging artists and brands don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a website that looks good. If you’re interested in having a presence online, look around and see what you like. Section 101 sites have social media and e-commerce plugins, blog capabilities, music and video players and more. And what’s really cool is that you can design your website to support a specific tour or release, and then change it in a few months when you’re working on something else. The bottom line is that if you choose music as a career, it is ultimately your business, and your website is your calling card. A part of anyone’s success is having a distinct, unique, vibrant website that looks good and is well maintained in both content and design. It’s as much a part of your career as releasing a new single, giving out postcards after a performance or promoting a free show at a local college so you can get people to sign up to your mailing list…which, ahem, you’d need your own website to be able to do effectively! Look at it this way: when you go to a meeting, you want to put your best foot forward. Ultimately, perception is reality. All the things you do to get ready for that big moment culminate in your success, so why wouldn’t you make your website part of that process?
