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I always thought a handshake deal was fine for small jobs, but a local contractor's story changed my mind.
I was having a beer with a guy who runs a small landscaping company here in town. He told me he did a $5,000 patio job for a neighbor based on a verbal agreement. When he finished, the neighbor refused to pay the full amount, claiming they never agreed on the price. He had zero proof and ended up eating most of the cost. I found a stat online that said over half of small business disputes come from bad contracts or no contract at all. I used to think written agreements were just for big corporations, but now I see they're basic protection. For those of you who run your own small service business, what's the simplest contract you've used that actually holds up?
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ninas672mo ago
That's brutal, @casey682. A simple one-pager saved me.
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reesel502mo ago
It's wild how many people still operate on good faith alone. You see it with dog walkers, freelance designers, even people selling stuff online. That trust works until it doesn't, and then you're just out of luck. A basic written agreement isn't about being a lawyer, it's just making sure everyone remembers the conversation the same way next week. It saves more friendships than it hurts.
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