Negotiating Short-Term Projects

I’ve had 4 legal battles since starting my business. Could I have avoided them? Probably. But I didn’t have the funds for a proper lawyer. I didn’t have the founder network to ask the right questions. I was figuring it out as I went - like most of us do. So, let me help you not learn the hard way. Here are 5 clauses I now include in every contract to protect my work, my business, and my sanity: 1. Non-cancellable, non-refundable agreements If you’ve qualified your clients properly, this shouldn’t be a problem. But if someone signs, onboards, and then disappears? We still get paid. And so should you. 2. Immediate or short payment terms We don’t do 30- to 90-day terms. You wouldn’t work for 3 months without pay - so why should your business? Cash flow isn’t just admin. It’s survival. 3. Enforceable payment protection Your contract should include: Interest on late invoices A “stop work” clause if payment isn’t made A clause that guarantees you still get paid even if the client delays the project Your time is not free. Put it in writing. 4. Intellectual Property stays yours Anything we bring to the table = ours. Anything we create for you = yours. Clear. Simple. No grey area. We once had a client record a training session… and try to resell it behind a paywall. Now our contract includes a £10,000 fine per breach. And in that case, per breach = per view. 5. Don’t work with d*ckheads. Not a legal clause - more like legal wisdom... 😂 🚩 If they’re pushing for discounts before asking about outcomes 🚩 If they want to start work before signing or paying 🚩 If they delay, ghost, or act shady in the first 10 days… Walk away. Trust me. Yes, contracts are important. But court is expensive, stressful, and slow. The best legal advice I can give you; - Protect your business. - Trust your gut. - And don’t work with d*ckheads. Learning from someone else’s mistakes is a hell of a lot cheaper than learning from your own. You’re welcome 💜 😉 P.S - Want to finally get the confidence to start building your personal brand online? This is your sign. I’m hosting a FREE Zoom masterclass SEPT 10th. Join here: https://lnkd.in/gMwytmS3 and I'll show you exactly how to build your personal brand (and the life you want!).

This SVP hired a senior sales director from a big brand. After 3 months, the client was asking questions. One year later, he became their top performer. The SVP I spoke to was frustrated with the slow start… They’d hired this senior sales director from a big-name brand. With impressive projects listed on his portfolio. Their choice looked promising… But after 12 weeks, the pipeline wasn't where they expected it to be. "Louise, we thought he'd be making an impact by now," This is where I slowed the conversation down. When you bring in a senior salesperson, you’re not buying momentum… You’re asking someone to rebuild it. They’re learning new solutions. Understanding a different go-to-market motion. Building credibility with prospects who’ve never heard of them. Figuring out internal politics, processes, and decision paths. All while selling into a market where deals take 12–24 months to close. At their previous company, success was fuelled by conditions that no longer exist. Brand recognition. Established relationships. Solutions that opened doors before the first meeting. Now this person has to start from zero. And yet many organisations expect ROI in 3  months. The reality is closer to 9-12 before you see real impact. 9 months later, that hire was exceeding quota. After a full year, he is now their top performer. Too many brilliant salespeople get written off as "disappointing" Simply because leadership had unrealistic expectations about the timeline for ramp-up. But senior sales success isn't just about individual capability. You have to give talented people the time and support they need to rebuild what they had at their previous company. If you're not prepared to invest in the proper timeline, You're setting everyone up for failure. No amount of talent can outrun impatience.

Dear freelancers, This year, I need you to run your strictest programme yet. No more “let’s just see how it goes” energy. We’re moving like strict businesses. okurrr. Start here: 1/ Have contracts in place. Every time. 2/ Set communication hours. You’re not a 24/7 helpline. 3/ Stick to your T&Cs. Boundaries are part of the service. 4/ Take deposits. Your calendar is not a free holding space. 5/ If a potential client is giving you the runaround, run away. 6/ Get clear on the scope before you start. “Can you just…” will finish you. 7/ Don’t undercharge yourself just to “secure the bag.” Cheap clients are rarely low stress. BUT. By doing all this, you also need to make sure your service is matching the standards you’re setting. Professionalism isn’t one-sided. So also: ✨ Deliver on time. Or communicate early. ✨ Make the process smooth, not stressful. ✨ Overcommunicate progress so clients feel secure. ✨ Take pride in the details; quality is your reputation. ✨ Leave clients feeling like they made the right investment. This isn’t just about helping yourself. It helps the whole freelance community. When you undercharge, overdeliver for free, ignore contracts, or move messy, it lowers the standard for everyone else trying to run a serious business. We can be kind. We can be flexible. But we cannot be unserious. Yours sincerely, A seasoned freelancer

When working on a new project, we engineers almost always start with the most fascinating part. But, while it's exciting for us, it's not always what's best for the project. The easiest way to become an effective lead/manager is to break down the project into tasks and prioritize the most important items. So, it is always a good idea that before the work begins, step back and ask 1. what is the most critical piece? 2. which items are highest risk and need early attention? 3. which deliverables provide the most immediate value? We naturally gravitate towards easily doable, less impactful, and tangential parts of the project. This happens because of a lack of a broader context. So, if you are leading a project, make sure, 1. define a clear roadmap and align it with business outcomes 2. define milestones and priorities A good leader doesn’t micromanage but ensures that the team starts on the right foot. Check-in periodically to ensure the alignment while giving engineers ownership of their tasks. Prioritization is what separates effective leads from those simply managing tasks. As a lead, you are not just there to oversee execution but to set the direction. #AsliEngineering #CareerGrowth

🚫 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 ≠ 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲. This might sting a bit. However, many leaders believe their job is complete the moment they assign a project manager. "Here’s the timeline, some tasks, and a vague target. Good luck." And then they wonder why delivery derails. The truth? 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀. But only if you empower them to lead. Not micromanage them. Not sideline them. Lead. Want better project outcomes? Then stop handing over checklists — and start giving them: ✅ Decision-making authority ↳ Let them escalate and resolve blockers without layers of approval. ✅ Unfiltered access to leadership ↳ Politics shouldn’t decide who gets heard. ✅ Strategic visibility ↳ Not just tasks — they need the why behind the project. ✅ Trust to challenge the status quo ↳ If they can't question assumptions, they can't steer impact. ✅ Time to build real relationships ↳ Because momentum comes from people, not plans. Here’s what I’ve seen time and again: 💡 Empowered PMs don’t just manage delivery. They drive alignment. They lead innovation. They create momentum. So yes — assigning a PM is easy. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲? 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. ♻️ Repost to help your execs and PMO leads see the difference. 💾 Save this post to revisit next time you're building a project team. ➕ And follow Markus Kopko ✨ for more. #ProjectLeadership #EmpoweredExecution #PMStrategy

You don’t need better clients. You need 5 contract lines that hold the line. But do you know the problem always starts with a "yes." • Yes to a small revision. • Yes to a quick call. • Yes to "just one more thing." And just like that, you’re not running a software business anymore. You’re running around in circles. I see this a lot with new dev agencies. Talented founders. Good at the work. But no systems. No structure. No line in the sand. Their contracts? Vague. Their offers? Open-ended. Their projects? Delayed, bloated, and underpaid. And the reason’s simple: They said yes too often. • Yes to low-budget clients. • Yes to unlimited revisions. • Yes to timelines that made no sense. And most agencies have no boundaries. Projects drag. Clients take control. They stay busy but broke. But do you know what changes this? • Defined rules. • Added limits. • Clear contracts. That's how your work has weight. That's how clients respect the process. That's how the profits stop bleeding. But if you don’t set the rules, the client will. And their rules? They’ll always cost you more time than you think. Now if you want to run your business with peace, then draw lines in your contracts. Here's a few ways I recommend this: 1) Limit your revisions You have to set a clear number of included revisions. For e.g., "Two rounds of revisions are included. Additional changes billed at $X/hour or per change." Also, define what counts as a revision, so there’s no confusion. 2) Prevent extra work Make sure to be clear on what’s included in the project scope - and what’s not. And add a process for handling extra requests such as:  "Any work outside the agreed scope will require a new quote and timeline." 3) Set communication boundaries Define your working hours and expected response times in the contract. Make sure to limit the number of "urgent" calls or meetings per week/month. 4) Payment milestones & delays Break payments into milestones tied to deliverables, not just dates. And add late fee clauses for overdue payments, and pause work if payments are delayed beyond a set period. 5) Timeline management Write what happens if the client delays feedback or approvals. For e.g., "Project timeline will be extended by the number of days feedback is delayed". This protects your schedule from endless pauses. The end goal is to draw the line. Write the terms. And make your "yes" worth something. --- ✍ Question: Do you set boundaries in your projects?

In my last role, I led two super important 0 → 1 projects. One failed, one succeeded. Here are some learnings: The two projects: Project 1: Hey, can we take this existing unpaid feature & unbundle it to make revenue? Day 1. I’m excited! First, I need a Notion to make sure everyone is aligned. Day 10. Analysis-paralysis. Ok I think I have the structure. Let me just do a little more research. Day 20. Imposter syndrome. I have no idea what I’m doing. I'll get fired. Ugh. Project 2. Hey, for our WAU metric, I think hosting great leaders in the community weekly will be great. Day 1. Action. I’m not sure what the format should be, or who these leaders are. How does one even go about this? Let me go ask some people & speak to users. Day 3. Calendars blocked, topic closed. Now we have to announce it so people show up. Day 7, shipped. Now, what was different? 1/ Commit to a deadline before knowing the "how" In project 1, I had too much freedom without constraints. In Project 2, we decided we wanted to host the first event in 7 days. Booking the calendars of members before closing the speaker was scary. But we had now made a user commitment, we had to figure it out. When you’re doing new things, setting the deadline & then figuring it out always works. You could make the commitment in different ways: book the venue, book a meeting for a team review, just pick a launch date. 2/ Make small decisions, iterate as needed We’re taught to plan → iterate plan → build. I tried that. But, hovering at 30,000 ft gave no feedback. In reality: build → iterate → plan works. In the second project, blocking the date forced us to figure leaders we want to get, a host, structure & the GTM in time. By shipping tiny pieces, we wrote the strategy on the fly & could judge it against reality, not theory. Eventually, we were hosting great leaders every single week. We built the playbook by doing. Drafting the final launch copy, landing page, hero image kills analysis paralysis & makes things tangible. Add a ‘beta’ label on anything new; the word alone lowers the stakes. 3/ Make your project more people’s problem In Project 1, I acted like a lone-wolf. I had to do it by myself to prove my worth. This threw me into a spiral of self-doubt. In the 2nd project, I asked for help (loudly, clearly, often) & the project became the team’s project. That allowed me to get more input & support. In the end, when it was a success, it became a shared win. Way more fun, trust me. Getting buy-in isn’t automatic though. Here are three things that work: 1/ Get the founders to buy-in to your idea first. Their urgency becomes everyone’s urgency. 2/ Bring your manager along for the ride. The more they know about what you’re doing and your challenges, the more they will figure out how to support you. 3/ Use public slack channels, tag specific people for asks. Don't DM for favours, it tilts incentives.

It’s been my experience that mission-driven organizations often leave project approvals to those who control the money and resources. We adopt our funder's approval process or grant application process. If we get the money or resources, the project’s approved! But when we put too much reliance on funding approvals as our only approval process, we often miss other important considerations: 🧭 Project Alignment - How well does the project align with our strategic priorities and objectives? 🪫 Project Feasibility - Is this project feasible, given our existing staff and resources? Or will we need to build capacity in some way or get funding or resources? And if we already had that capacity or those resources, is this how they'd be best put to use by our organization? 🌿 Project Impact - What are the short-term and long-term impacts of the project and its outcomes on our team, organization, and community? Are we able to sustain the outcomes that the project will build? Even if your project can’t move forward without a funder’s approval, I recommend having your own project approval process that considers alignment, feasibility, and impact as a precursor to pursuing funding. ❓What factors do you consider most important when approving a project? #projectmanagement #projectapproval ________________ 👋 Hi, I’m Jami—a project management and planning consultant for mission-driven organizations. I share practical strategies and real-world insights to help leaders bring clarity to complexity and guide projects, teams, and planning with confidence. 🔔Follow for fresh ideas 💬 Join the conversation ✉️ Reach out if you’re ready to turn vision into action.

"What if I make the wrong decision?" "What if users hate my product?" "What do I tell my manager?" Every product manager sometimes fears making decisions because our decisions have long-lasting and drastic impact on our users and the business. If you fear making a decision, the solution is 𝗡𝗢𝗧 to avoid it. Instead, it is to make the "𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲" given the knowledge, information, and experience you have. When I am in situations where I need to make a critical decision with limited information, this is what I do: 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗮𝘀 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻 I gather more information via user research, market analysis, stakeholder input, and competitive analysis. The more information I have, the better the decision. 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲 This helps me focus on the most critical decisions. It helps me not get distracted by irrelevant/less important aspects. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. I like to, first, think of multiple options. Then I weigh the pros and cons of all options using as much data and information as possible. This approach forces me to objectively think of the positive impact and compare it to the potential risks. This improves my decision quality. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. Different perspectives expose me to ideas I wouldn't have thought of alone. These new ideas make my decision more thorough. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘁 There is never a perfect time to make a decision. When I have the information I can get quickly, I go ahead and make the decision. I then document my approach, reasoning, and rationale for making the decision. This document acts as a quick reference for later and keeps improving my decision-making process. 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲. Even if I make one wrong decision, that does not always mean that all future decisions will be wrong, so I stop, evaluate, measure, and improve after every decision. -- In most situations, PMs will never have the perfect information required to make the perfect decision. So, always aim to make the "best decision" based on the information you have. Data, logic, open-mindedness, and critical thinking help make the "best decision possible" in most situations. Remember: Perfection is not the goal. Progress is.

When I started drafting contracts for international clients, I made a checklist that I still rely on today. Sharing it with you because it truly saves time, errors, and embarrassment: 1️⃣ Title Make it clear, industry-recognized, and aligned with the relationship. 2️⃣ Recitals This is the story behind the contract. When written well, it removes 80% of future confusion. 3️⃣ Definitions Your in-house glossary. One well-defined term can prevent an entire dispute. 4️⃣ Scope of Work (SOW) Who will do what, how, when, and with what deliverables. If something goes wrong, this is the first clause everyone opens. 5️⃣ Term & Termination Start date, end date, renewal, and exit routes—because no contract should trap either party. 6️⃣ Payment Terms Amount, timeline, taxes, milestones, late fees. Include everything. 7️⃣ Confidentiality Protect what must not be shared. Especially in founder–freelancer or startup–consultant relationships. 8️⃣ IP Rights Don’t assume ownership. Write it. Highlight it. Reconfirm it. 9️⃣ Liability & Indemnity Your risk-management heartbeat. Saves clients from unnecessary surprises. 🔟 Governing Law & Dispute Resolution Because knowing where a fight will happen is half the battle. If not structured properly, you might end up losing more in travel than in litigation fees. I hope this helps you draft with more confidence and fewer mistakes. I am attaching a more detailed document with this post that is downloadable. Happy learning! --------------------------- Hi, I'm Arshita, your legal mentor and compliance partner. I guide law students and legal professionals through mentorship and practical training, and I work with founders and startups to simplify contracts, compliance, and legal issues. If you are a law student or legal professional who needs guidance with internships, jobs, freelancing, or legal consultation, you can book a consultation call here: topmate.io/arshita_anand