Contracts: Protect Your Business & Your Sanity.

The Wedding Pro CEO Podcast: Episode 169

With Brandee Gaar and Leah Weinberg

Welcome Wedding Pro CEOs, entrepreneurs, and wedding industry professionals! My name is Brandee Gaar and I am here to help you build a profitable wedding business you love.

On today’s episode of The Wedding Pro CEO Podcast, I am talking with Leah Weinberg of Oduberg LLP. Leah is here to discuss how to create well-crafted contracts for wedding pros. Leah has a unique background, having practiced law in commercial real estate, owning her own wedding planning business, Color Pop Events, and now returning to being an attorney. She will dive into what steps to take to create well-crafted contracts, and how to handle sticky situations such as terminating a contract when it doesn’t allow it, or when it does allow it, but it’s not the best business decision. Leah and I will also be outlining the Harassment Protection Clause Leah used to protect her employees and clients. Get ready to dig in, and get the answers you need to become a successful wedding industry professional!

Leah is the co-founder of Oduberg Law LLP, along with co-founder, attorney and former guest of the podcast Kunbi Odubogun.

Leah is passionate about helping small business owners and creative entrepreneurs protect themselves. Tune in to hear her discuss how to handle sticky legal issues and when it may be time to get an attorney involved.

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Why is it important to create well-crafted contracts?

Creating well-crafted contracts is an essential element of business success for CEOs and entrepreneurs. Contracts provide a legal framework to help protect the interests of both parties involved, and help ensure that everyone involved understands the terms of the agreement. Without well-crafted contracts, businesses can be exposed to a variety of risks, including financial losses, legal disputes, and damage to their reputation.

Well-crafted contracts provide a clear definition of the rights, responsibilities, and expectations of each party involved. They also provide a legal basis for resolving disputes and clarifying any misunderstandings that may occur.

Additionally, contracts can help ensure that both parties are held accountable for their commitments and obligations. By establishing a legally binding agreement, CEOs and entrepreneurs can ensure that their interests are protected and that their business operations run smoothly.

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Follow these steps and invest in your business with a proper contract:

1. Avoid copy and pasting a contract together. Get an attorney to review and draft your contract to ensure that it is in good shape.
2. Understand the emotional side of wedding planning and how to handle tough conversations.
3. Have a clear out in your contract if you need to terminate it.
4. Consider giving clients a refund and a clean break if you need to end the contract.
5. Include a harassment clause in your contract to cover the entire working relationship, including clients and other vendors.
6. Communicate with the client if they are being rude or abusive.

1. Avoid copy and pasting a contract together. Get an attorney to review and draft your contract to ensure that it is in good shape.

This is important to do to protect yourself, as well as to ensure that all of the necessary terms and conditions are included in the contract. To begin, you should first locate an attorney who is knowledgeable about the wedding industry and is in your state and city.

Ask around for recommendations and research online to find an attorney that you trust and who has the experience to properly review and draft your contract. Once you have identified an attorney, provide them with all the details of the contract, including any specific terms and conditions that you would like to include.

The attorney will then be able to review the contract and make any necessary changes or additions to ensure that it is in good shape. They may also provide you with advice regarding any potential risks or legal issues that may arise.

If you purchase a template from a contract shop like LegallySet.com Leah would still tell you to spend the time and money to have an attorney in your state and city to review the template and make adjustments based on the laws of your state.

Visit LegallySet.com for there contract template shop for all wedding industry pros!

2. Understand the emotional side of wedding planning and how to handle tough conversations.

Understanding the emotional side of wedding planning and how to handle tough conversations is an important step in running a successful business in the wedding industry. It can be difficult to know how to address a situation when a contract doesn’t give you the out to end the agreement, or when you have to terminate a contract but it’s not the best business decision.

In this situation, it is important to be honest with your clients and explain the situation. In some cases, it may be possible to pass off the wedding to another planner and cover the difference to save the client money. Other times, it may be best to just refund the client and part ways with a clean break.

It is also important to make sure that your contract includes a clause about harassment and abusive behavior from the client, guests, or vendors so that you are protected during the wedding planning process and on the wedding day.

3. Have a clear out in your contract if you need to terminate it.

If you need to terminate a contract but your contract doesn’t allow it, there are several options to consider. First, you can be honest with the client and let them know the situation. Depending on the circumstances, you may offer to partially or fully refund them for their payments and pass off the contract to another vendor partner.

When deciding how to terminate a contract, it is important to consider the consequences. If you breach the contract, you could be liable for any damages caused to the client as a result.

It is important to put the termination in writing and to keep a copy for records. At Blush, our wedding planning company, we have separate cancellation and rescheduling contracts we send for electronic signatures. These steps will help protect both you and the client if there are any disagreements about the termination in the future.

Make sure the contract includes a clause that details how the termination will be handled. This will help ensure that the termination process is fair and that both parties understand their rights and obligations.

4. Consider giving clients a refund and a clean break if you need to end the contract.

Before agreeing to a refund, check to make sure it aligns with the refund policy of your agreement. Stay true to your contract. Also, it is important to consider the long-term repercussions that this could have on your bottom line and the future relationship with that client.

Will they be using your services again?

Will they be an excellent referral source?

Consider all of this before making a hasty decision when refunding a client. 

If you need to end a contract and your contract does not provide you with an out, it is important to consider giving your client a complete or partial refund. This will help to ensure that both parties are able to move on without any lingering issues or bad feelings.

5. Include a harassment clause in your contract to cover the entire working relationship, including clients and other vendors.

Weddings are high stress and emotion. Protect your team and business with a thorough harassment clause! Take it from me! Listen to this episode for my story that lead me to refine our harassment clause.

Including a harassment clause in your contract is a crucial step in protecting yourself and your business from any potential issues that may arise during the working relationship.

It is important to cover any harassment or abuse that may come from the client, their family, guests, and other vendors. The clause should state that if the vendor experiences any harassment or abuse during the event planning process, or during the event itself, the client will be held responsible.

When drafting a harassment clause, it is important to be specific and clear about the conditions of the clause. It should include all applicable scenarios and any consequences that may arise if the clause is violated. Finally, it is important to make sure that the clause is enforceable, and that there are clear steps that can be taken if the clause is violated. This could include termination, or the passing off of the project to another vendor.

6. Communicate with the client if they are being rude or abusive.

It is also important to remember that clients may become abusive or rude out of fear or frustration. It is essential to try to understand why the client is reacting in this way and to provide reassurance and support.

When having a conversation about their concerns or fears, or offering an alternative solution or approach. It may be beneficial to listen to the client’s feedback and use it to improve your services or products.

Above all, it is important to treat the client with respect and not to take their behavior personally. This can be difficult, but it is essential to remain professional. By remaining calm and understanding, it is possible to successfully navigate difficult conversations and work together with the client to achieve the desired outcome.

In conclusion, creating well-crafted contracts is a key step in ensuring that both parties are held accountable and that their interests are protected. It is important to work with an attorney to review and draft your contract, and to understand the emotional side of wedding planning.

Let’s have fun over there, and, let’s level up your business together!

Thank you so much for being here, and I will see you next time!

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