You're going to be working with employers. Sometimes the engagement goes through Crewed. Sometimes it goes off-platform. Either way, you'll need contracts.
Why contracts matter
A handshake deal is fine until something goes wrong. Then it's worthless.
A contract establishes what was agreed to, protects both parties from misunderstanding, creates a paper trail if there's a dispute, and is required for many business activities.
Crewed records the existence of an engagement. Crewed doesn't generate, sign, or enforce contracts. That's your responsibility.
Types of contracts crews need
1. Independent contractor agreement (between crew and employer)
Used when your crew works as 1099 contractors. Defines scope of work, duration, pay, ownership, confidentiality, liability, termination, dispute resolution.
2. Employment offer letter (W-2 employment)
Used when an employer is bringing you on as actual employees. Defines position, start date, compensation, benefits, at-will status.
3. Crew working agreement (between crew members)
Used to define how your crew operates internally. Defines who's the leader, how profits are distributed, what happens when members come and go, conflict resolution, ownership of crew name and brand.
This is the most overlooked contract. Crews that have one weather conflict better.
4. Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
Used when an employer wants to share confidential information. Most NDAs are simple and one-sided.
5. Statement of work (SOW)
Used in addition to a master contract for project-based work. Defines deliverables, timeline, milestones, specific pricing, acceptance criteria.
6. Mutual non-solicitation agreement
Used to prevent the employer from poaching individual crew members for direct hire, or vice versa.
What every contract should include
- Parties. Names, addresses, business entities.
- Scope. What's being agreed to.
- Term. How long this lasts.
- Compensation. How much, when paid, payment method.
- Termination. How and when either side can end the agreement.
- Intellectual property. Who owns what's produced.
- Confidentiality. What information is private.
- Indemnification. Who's responsible for what damages.
- Insurance requirements. What insurance each party must carry.
- Dispute resolution. Court? Arbitration? Mediation first?
- Governing law. Which state's laws apply.
- Signatures and dates.
Getting templates
Free: SCORE.org, state bar associations, industry associations. Generic. Quality varies.
Paid subscriptions ($30-100/month): LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, Bonsai. Better than free templates.
Lawyer-drafted ($500-3,000): Custom contract for your specific situation. Best quality. Worth it for master agreements you'll reuse.
Many lawyers will draft a master template for $500-1,500 that you can reuse with minor edits.
What NOT to do with contracts
- Don't copy a contract from one industry and use it in another
- Don't skip lawyer review on important contracts
- Don't sign contracts you haven't read
- Don't accept "we'll figure that out later"
- Don't sign one-sided indemnification clauses
- Don't agree to non-competes that ban your crew from working in your field
Sample structure for a crew working agreement
- Article 1: Crew formation and purpose. Crew name, members, governance.
- Article 2: Roles. Leader, members, decision-making authority.
- Article 3: Compensation. How payments are received and distributed.
- Article 4: Membership changes. New members, departing members, asset distribution.
- Article 5: Crew assets and IP. Ownership of name, brand, client list.
- Article 6: Decisions and disputes. Internal conflict resolution.
- Article 7: Termination. What happens if the crew dissolves.
- Article 8: Confidentiality.
- Article 9: Non-solicitation.
- Article 10: Governing law and dispute resolution.
Hire a lawyer to draft a custom version.
Final advice
Contracts feel like overhead until you need them.
Get the basics right: master independent contractor agreement (lawyer-drafted, reusable), crew working agreement (lawyer-drafted, reviewed annually), NDA (template is fine), and SOW template (draft per project).
Total upfront investment: $1,000-3,000 in legal fees. Saves you 10-100x that.