Thinking back to my first year freelancing versus now, the change in how I handle project scope is night and day.

I used to just agree to whatever a person wanted with a handshake and a 'sure, I can do that'. Last year, a project for a bakery's website ballooned from a simple 5-page site to over 20 pages because I didn't say no. Now I use a detailed project brief and a signed agreement before I even open my design software. It saved me from a similar mess just last month. Has anyone else found that a solid contract is the only thing that stops scope creep?

4 comments

4 Comments

flores.mark1mo ago

Totally get that, but @keith164, contracts save friendships too.

sullivan.quinn1mo ago

Oh man, this is the real talk right here. That bakery story sounds way too familiar. Learned the hard way that a handshake deal is just a plan to work for free later. A solid contract isn't just a piece of paper, it's the only way to have a real conversation about what "done" looks like before things go sideways. It turns "can you just add this" into a talk about the project plan and, yeah, sometimes more money.

keith1641mo ago

@sullivan.quinn Contracts can scare off good small jobs though. I did a simple logo for a friend's food truck with a handshake. It worked because we talked through every step, not because of a paper. Sometimes the paperwork just adds lawyers where a clear talk would do.

ben_fisher19d agoTop Commenter

Tbh that "handshake is a plan to work for free later" line really got me, I used to be all about handshake deals too but yeah that changed my mind.