Beg, borrow and steal, Reader,

That seems to be the way of it with small business contracts.

We live by an unspoken agreement that we'll all borrow each other's terms and hope to god no one actually takes us to court.

But not any more folks! I've engaged the help of a brilliant small business solicitor and they've written me the most wonderful contracts.

And I don't say that lightly.

Because for many years, I used ProCopywriter's Plain English contract.

It's hard to beat this contract if you're in the writing space. Its tone and meaning are spot-on.

But because I've not been exclusively in the writing space for years, I've bastardised that contract to high heaven, mixing it with other terms and clauses that sort of fit the bill.

Stepping into this new space that is Embedibble (right now, it feels like we're best described as a white glove freelance marketplace for marketing teams), I knew I needed to address this.

Working with Emma Gooding of the Good Legals Club has been a) effortless and b) eye-opening.

Eye-opening because I didn't expect so many of our operations to be influenced by the sense Emma has made of how we engage clients and contractors.

I'm subsequently addressing our onboarding comms, fee review process, expenses protocols and invoicing dates.

Oof!

No one tells you about this stuff when you start running a business!

But I can highly recommend Emma for a straightforward and supportive process. She's my kind of person - warm, efficient, to the point. She's collaborative and wise. When I've queried a clause, she's met me with explanations and options. You can find her on Instagram here.

Updates on selling and marketing

A little lead landed in my inbox this morning for Embedibble. Cue a frenzy of excitement because it came via my Actual Landing Page. WOM drove that person to my landing page. But there's one degree of separation between me and them. It's growing, folks!

Another frenzy on the PR front here and here. And that's hot on the heels of my talk at the Freelance Business Pricing Forum.

I can't help but think this stuff really helps. Yes, it's a long game. But it's a bloody lovely long game!

On the sales front, I'm sitting down with a sales psychologist this week to understand how to move sales conversations on. Sounds fascinating, right? I'll report back.

Do you find updates on what's working and what's not useful? Let me know :)

Good things to know about

​Airtable - startlingly powerful. I was scrabbling about for a CRM solution. This now houses my leads, sales, marketing plan and freelancer directory.

​

“In an era of rapid innovation, there’s an analogue rebellion brewing” - Shannon Mahanty for ELLE Magazine via Vikki Ross. Someone buy me a Polaroid!

​

Neck fans - I've checked the map, UK readers. Unless you'd like to drive to the very top of Scotland (which I highly recommend - but not right now because midges) where it's two degrees cooler, we're going to swelter this weekend. There's nowhere to go!

So how are you beating the heat? I'll be keeping my curtains closed. I'll be taking the duvet out of its cover. I'll be filling the paddling pool and buying a gazebo! We'll be going to the supermarket at least twice. If I didn't have a toddler, I'd be off to the cinema every night. And if I lived near a large shopping centre, I'd pop along in the very early morning for a coffee.

As it is, I'm in a middle-aged house that has a hot flush most days. Wrapped by a large flat garden that's a building site - no grass! So maybe I'll buy one of these.

Good luck to you, friend 🥵. And remember, this too shall pass.

Thanks for reading, Reader,

Helen

How to work with Incredibble in 2025

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