Your contract isn’t “paperwork”… it’s your profit shield. 🛡️

If you treat contracts like a formality, don’t be shocked when you get:

Here’s the truth: contracts are leverage. They’re tools to prevent disputes, not “deal with them later.”

✅ The Do’s of Contract Negotiation (profit-protecting):

- Pre-negotiate scope + exclusions (what’s NOT included)

- Put a clear change order process in writing (approved BEFORE work)

- Add payment triggers tied to milestones (cash flow + clarity)

- Include right-to-stop-work for non-payment

- Add late fees + interest + collection costs (so stalling hurts them)

-Protect yourself with clauses like: photos/marketing use, warranties, site readiness

🚫The Don’ts (that get contractors crushed):

- Don’t rely on verbal approvals

-Don’t use vague language (“as needed”, “to be decided”)

- Don’t leave a big balance to the end “to build trust”

-Don’t blindly sign THEIR contract (especially “paid when paid”)

One contractor lost $12K on a $65K job because “what wasn’t included” wasn’t written down.

Quick Win for your next proposal:

➡️ Add a “What’s Included / What’s Not Included” section

➡️ Require written change order approval by email BEFORE work starts

➡️ Add a 3% late payment fee after 15 days

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