This isn't legal advice, but rather practical advice for you to double check that you've included these things, and crucially, updated them for each individual client.
Your contract is a crucial piece of business documentation, protecting both you and your clients.
Important things to ensure you have in your contract are:
Your business name and address
Your rates and terms of payment (how you want to be paid and within what timeframe)
Your terms of doing business. Think about when you will be available to the client. How do you want them to communicate with you?
GDPR data protection clause
Notice periods. Consider how long each party has to give in order to terminate the contract.
Use these points to go over the contract you are using, and again whenever it needs updating.
It is important that you understand YOUR contract and are comfortable with it. Clients may ask you specific questions before signing on the dotted line and you will be in a better position if you are confident in what is covered. Spend time going over your contract and exploring areas you may not currently be familiar with.
Making sure you have all your ducks in a row with your contract will support you should you find yourself working with a tricky client. You can point them back to the document and remind them of what they signed.
If you don't yet have a contract, I can recommend KoffeeKlatch (and you can get 10% off with my code Cozpr10) as an excellent contract provider, and I also supply one to my 1:1 coaching clients as part of their VA documents bundle!
The legalities, business setup, and documentation are a vital part of establishing your dream VA business, and this is all part of what I support my clients with. If you want some support with your setup or a chat to check that your ducks are in a row, then book a strategy call with me. If you feel you need more support, I offer coaching programmes where I help you with every stage of business set up, from the admin foundations, to SOPs, ideal clients, visibility and more.
Looking forward to chatting and getting you set up right for 2023
*This blog contains affiliate links where one or both of us may receive a fee or discount if you buy. I’m only recommending products I’ve used myself.