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If you operate
a small or home office business chances are that you work as an
independent contractor. You might be a consultant, graphic
designer, construction, an engineer or any of the 1001 other
types of "service" businesses. Chances are pretty good
that you also do a lot of your work without having written
agreements.
With the
explosion of small business start-ups providing services either
on a business-to-business base or directly to the consumer there
is a lot of business being done on a hope and a prayer. While in
years gone by it was OK to do business on a hand shake, in
today's litigious word, "If it isn't in writing, it
isn't!" Which means the growing need to have written
contracts for just about any type of work done.
The problem is
that not many small businesses can afford $150 an hour attorneys
to write and review every contract set up, so the result for
many SOHO businesses … we shake hands and hope for the best.
Or worse, we copy someone else's agreement that, unknowingly,
has so many holes in it that you might be better off without an
agreement.
So what is a
SOHO business to do? One answer is get your hands on Consultant
& Independent Contractor Agreement published by Nolo
Press. While Nolo will be the first to tell you that their book
isn't a complete replacement for good legal counsel, this book
will show you when and where you need to have written agreements
and then, not only give them to you in written form but also on
a disk that you can load on your computer and massage into the
type of agreement you need.
Whether you
are contacting your services to others or hiring independent
contactors to work for you, it's essential to get everything in
writing. If you don't, you could lose time, money and
credibility. With Consultant
& Independent Contractor Agreement, you'll get all the
plain-English instructions and easy-to-use forms you need to get
the legalities straight, stay out of trouble and get the job
done.
If you're
contracting your services … take the legal steps necessary to
document each new project that comes your way, If you get
audited, you'll be glad you did. This easy to use book gives you
all the tools you need to:
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Put
your agreement in writing
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Define
a project's scope, components and duration
-
Satisfy
the IRS requirements
-
Get
paid on time and in full
-
Avoid
disputes with your client
-
Drum
up new business
If you're
hiring independent contractors … using independent contractors
can get you great results and say you money, but you need to
know what it takes to avoid the ire of the IRS while protecting
your business and intellectual property. Consultant
& Independent Contractor Agreement has everything you
need to protect yourself and be sure you have the right
documentation.
An overview of
some of the areas of contracts and agreements covered in Consultant
& Independent Contractor Agreement include:
-
General
independent contractor agreements
-
Consultant
agreements
-
Agreements
for household services
-
Agreements
for salespeople
-
Agreements
for accounting and bookkeeping services
-
Agreements
for software consultants
-
Agreements
for construction contractors
-
And
more ……
Our courtrooms
are filled with civil litigation. Sadly most of that litigation
comes from disputes between parties who "weren't clear on
the terms of some form of agreement". Often this comes from
poorly written and unclear agreements or not having an agreement
at all.
And just about
any dispute in business comes primarily from one source … poor
communications. That generally translates into not having a
clear cut solid written agreement where all parties put their
signature to paper stating that everyone understands and agrees
to the terms and conditions of the work to be done.
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