Mutual NDA
Create a mutual non-disclosure agreement for both parties
Non-Compete Agreement
Restrict post-employment competition and protect your business
Independent Contractor Agreement
Define freelance and contractor service terms clearly
Consulting Agreement
Outline consultancy terms, fees, and confidentiality
Copyright C&D Letter
Demand unauthorized use of your copyrighted work stops
Late Payment Notice
Send a professional reminder about overdue payments
Influencer Agreement
Define influencer campaign deliverables and payment terms
Business contracts for founders, freelancers, and small teams
Handshake deals fall apart at exactly the moment they matter: when a contractor claims ownership of the code they wrote, when a partner shares your pricing with a competitor, or when a client goes quiet on an unpaid invoice. Each template here exists to settle one of those questions in writing before it becomes a dispute.
The set covers the contracts a small business actually signs: NDAs before sensitive conversations, contractor and consulting agreements before work starts, non-competes and influencer agreements for specific relationships, and cease and desist or late payment letters when something has already gone wrong.
Which business contract do you need?
Mutual NDA
You are exchanging confidential information with a partner, vendor, or investor and both sides need to keep it private. Sign it before the sensitive conversation.
Independent Contractor Agreement
You are hiring a freelancer, or working as one, and need scope, payment terms, contractor status, and IP ownership in writing before work starts.
Consulting Agreement
You are engaging an advisor on an ongoing or retainer basis, where the value is expertise and advice rather than a single fixed deliverable.
Non-Compete Agreement
You want to restrict a departing employee or partner from competing against you, within the duration and geographic limits your state will enforce.
Influencer Agreement
You are paying a creator for sponsored content and need deliverables, usage rights, exclusivity, and FTC disclosure obligations spelled out.
Copyright C&D Letter
Someone is using your copyrighted work without permission and you want a formal, dated demand that it stop before you escalate legally.
Late Payment Notice
A client's invoice is overdue and you want a professional written reminder that documents the debt, late fees, and next steps.
Common business contract mistakes
- Using the wrong kind of NDA: A one-way NDA only protects the disclosing party. If both sides will share confidential information, as in most partnership talks, you need a mutual NDA.
- Treating contractors like employees: Setting a contractor's hours and tools while calling them a 1099 worker invites misclassification penalties and back taxes. The agreement should reflect genuine independence.
- Leaving IP ownership unstated: Without an assignment clause, a contractor can own the work you paid for. Every contractor and consulting agreement should say who owns the work product.
- Writing overbroad non-competes: Courts routinely strike down non-competes with excessive duration or geography, and states like California will not enforce them at all. Narrow terms survive; broad ones do not.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a lawyer for standard business contracts?
For routine agreements like an NDA before a vendor conversation or a contractor agreement for a small project, a well-made template is how most small businesses operate. Bring in a lawyer when the stakes rise: equity, exclusivity, large sums, or anything you would litigate over if it went wrong.
What is the difference between an independent contractor agreement and a consulting agreement?
A contractor agreement fits project-based work with concrete deliverables, such as building a website. A consulting agreement fits ongoing advisory relationships billed hourly or on retainer, where the deliverable is expertise. The legal core, scope, payment, IP, and confidentiality, is similar; the framing of the work differs.
Are non-compete agreements still enforceable?
It depends heavily on the state. California, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Minnesota ban them for most workers, and many other states enforce them only if narrow in time, geography, and scope. Where enforceability is doubtful, an NDA plus a non-solicitation clause often protects the same interests more reliably.
Note: These templates are a starting point, not legal advice. Every situation is unique, so for complex matters have your document reviewed by a qualified attorney, or use TheLawGPT's AI assistant to understand the requirements that apply to you.