When you’re actively searching for contract templates for your online business, it’s usually not because you just discovered you might need one. It’s probably because you already know you need legal protection, you just want to feel confident investing in the right shop, the right lawyer, and the right template.
And that’s exactly where the doubt creeps in…
There are soooo many contract templates floating around the internet – some written by lawyers, some written by AI, and some that are frankly a copy of a copy of a copy.
This is what can make it hard to know if online business contract templates are actually reliable.
When you’re ready to invest real money into your business’s legal foundation, you want to be absolutely sure that what you’re buying is trustworthy, legally legit, and written by someone who actually understands online business, not just “generic” business law.
So to help you feel 100% confident in your decision of buying contract templates for your online business, this blog post will walk you through the exact things to look for, the red flags to avoid, and why choosing the right contract template shop matters more than most people realize.
What To Look For Before Investing in Online Business Contract Templates
When searching for contract templates for your online business, it can be hard to know what to look for to determine if the template is a good choice. Because after all, YOU aren’t the lawyer here.
You’re simply looking for legal support in your business and sometimes it might feel like you’re just hoping that you choose the right option!
But it’s important to remember that just having a contract in your business doesn’t automatically mean that your business is legally compliant.
It has to be a contract that checks all the right boxes. So to help you understand what separates a trustworthy template from a risky one, here are some things to look for:
Written by a Licensed, Practicing Attorney
This should be non-negotiable. A contract template should only be written by a licensed lawyer who regularly works in the industry and whose name you can find on their website. If the template shop can’t clearly tell you who wrote their contracts… that’s a red flag. 🚩
Experience With Online Businesses
Something that a lot of online business owners don’t understand is that traditional business law ≠ online business law.
Because of that, you want templates written by someone who works with coaches, course creators, designers, service providers, and digital product sellers, not someone who only handles brick-and-mortar businesses or corporate contracts.
Clearly States Where the Lawyer Is Licensed
A reputable lawyer will always tell you:
- Their name
- Where they’re licensed
- What types of businesses they serve
Transparency is essential when you’re trusting someone with your legal foundation.
Includes Ongoing Updates
Any good lawyer understands that laws change, online business platforms evolve, and FTC rules get updated.
Because of that, a trustworthy template shop should update their templates when needed and give customers access to the updated version.
If a seller never updates their templates (or worse, you can’t tell if they do), that’s a sign they aren’t paying attention to legal changes.
Easy-to-Understand Language (Not Legal Jargon Soup)
A good contract template is:
- Written in plain English
- Easy to customize
- Structured so you know what goes where
- Designed for real use in the online business world
If it reads like a 40-page court filing… yeah, not helpful. 🙅🏼♀️
Comes From a Legitimate Contract Shop (Not a Random Marketplace Seller)
Marketplaces like Etsy, Creative Market, and Fiverr are full of “contract templates” that are:
- Not written by lawyers
- Outdated
- Copied from other templates
- Too generic to protect an online business
You want a contract shop with credibility, not a $12 “legal template” that puts you at risk!
How To Know If an Online Business Contract Template is Legit
Once you’ve evaluated the basic credibility of a contract shop and the lawyer behind the contracts, you want to evaluate the template itself, by checking for:
Does it include industry-specific clauses?
An online business contract needs clauses tailored to:
- Refunds
- Cancellations
- Intellectual property
- Client conduct
- Payment plans
- Chargebacks
- Digital product access
- Group program expectations
If a template feels “general,” it’s probablyyy not enough to make your online business legally compliant, especially if you sell digital products, like courses, memberships, PDF’s, etc.
Does it match your business model?
Coaches need different clauses than designers. Designers need different clauses than copywriters. Membership owners need different clauses than digital product sellers. Group program hosts need different clauses than 1:1 service providers.
The point here is that online business owner contracts aren’t a one-size-fits-all.
Your contract should be specifically tailored to the type of work you do and a legit template will clearly tell you who it’s for (along with what it covers).
Is it customizable without breaking the legal protections?
Good templates are designed so that when you edit them, the structure still holds.
Meaning, if a template requires:
- Rewriting half the clauses
- Guessing what something means
- Changing legal language you don’t understand
…it’s not actually protecting you.
Does the seller offer support if you have questions?
You shouldn’t expect personalized legal advice when purchasing online business contracts, but what you should expect is general guidance like:
- What each template is for
- Which template fits your offer
- How to know if you need something different
- How to actually use the template for your business after you purchase
If there’s no way for you to get this type of support from the lawyer behind the contract, it’s typically not a good sign!
Are there clear instructions or a video walkthrough?
Along those same lines of being able to receive guidance, a trustworthy template shop should ultimately want you to understand what you’re buying – not just download a document and hope for the best.
Ideally, your contract templates should come with:
- A walkthrough (written, video, or both)
- Explanations
- Notes
- Guidance on what to fill in
If there’s no instruction at all, it's a red flag.
Why a Contract Template From The Boutique Lawyer Is A Good Choice For Your Online Business
If you’ve been searching and searching for the best online business contract templates, but can’t seem to find what’s best for your business, it could be because you’ve yet to find The Boutique Lawyer… until now!
In our humble opinion, TBL’s online business contracts are the BEST for a couple reasons:
Affordability
First things first, the affordability factor is something that can’t be beat. As a business owner, one of your main goals is making money and the last thing we want is for you to have to spend thousands of your hard earned dollars just to protect yourself and your business.
Each template in our shop is a fraction of the cost of hiring a lawyer for a 1:1 service. With our legal services starting at $2,500 and only increasing from there, purchasing a template that’s specifically designed for your industry means you’re getting a massive discount on a lawyer-drafted document, allowing you to protect your business without breaking the bank.
Niche-made for Online Entrepreneurs
As mentioned earlier, traditional business law isn’t the same as online business law and that’s something that makes TBL’s contracts so unique. As a practicing lawyer who also runs an online business, I understand the unique needs of online entrepreneurs.
I’ve been in your shoes, selling digital products and navigating the challenges of the online space. Things like chargebacks, refund requests, copycats, and more.
This firsthand experience has helped me ensure that each template in the TBL Contract Shop is crafted with your specific needs in mind, helping you avoid potential legal pitfalls that are all too common in our industry.
Industry Tested
Even though I’m well versed in both the legal and online space, I still make it a point to have every contract in our shop peer-reviewed by industry-specific experts. This means that each template is thoroughly vetted to include everything you need and nothing you don’t.
Customizable
Although our templates are created with specific industries in mind, we also understand that every single business is different.
For example, there might be two copywriters who purchase our Copywriter Services Agreement, but Copywriter A offers website copy services while Copywriter B only offers email copywriting services. Same industry, different focuses.
It’s for that reason that our templates are designed to be user-friendly, with easy-to-use fill-in-the-blank and find-and-replace options so that you can tailor the contract to YOUR business specifically.
Not only that, each purchase includes a customization guide that walks you through the process of how to edit the document with ease so you aren’t left wondering how the heck to edit the document once you download it!
Ease of Use
Lastly, we’ve made sure that the contract templates you purchase are SUPER easy to implement. I know what it's like to buy digital products online and feel confused on how to use them, which is why I’ve made it a goal from the very beginning of launching the shop to make getting started with your purchase easy peasy.
When you purchase a contract template from TBL, you get instant access to your template as a digital download in Word, PDF, and Google Doc formats. No waiting, no delays – because again, what good would that do?!
The straightforward format means you can start using the template LITERALLY right away, giving you peace of mind with minimal effort!
Overall, when choosing to purchase a contract template from The Boutique Lawyer, you’re choosing those 5 things:
✔️ Affordability
✔️ Niche-made for Online Entrepreneurs
✔️ Industry Tested
✔️ Customizable
✔️ Ease of Use
The Most Reliable Contract Templates for Your Online Business
So, if you’ve been searching up and down for the best and most reliable contract templates for your online business, you can stop your search!
The Boutique Lawyer has everything you’re looking for (and probably even more!).
Whether you sell:
- 1:1 services
- Group programs
- Courses
- Memberships
- Workshops
- Digital products
OR need contracts to protect your:
- Affiliate programs
- Blog
- Earnings
- Podcast
- Conference
- Speaking engagements
and MORE… there’s a template that fits exactly what you’re offering.
And if you’d rather have everything in one place, The Chief Legal Officer Suite gives you nearly every legal agreement you’ll ever need as a multi-offer entrepreneur!
CLICK HERE to browse the TBL Contract Shop to find the reliable online business contract you need!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, AMBER GILORMO – ATTORNEY AND FOUNDER OF THE BOUTIQUE LAWYER
Amber Gilormo is the cool lawyer behind The Boutique Lawyer – a one-stop contract template shop for creative entrepreneurs, online business owners, coaches, and service providers.
From client agreements to digital product terms and everything in between, our lawyer-drafted templates take the guesswork out of staying legally protected online (no legal jargon required).
Here’s how you can stay connected:
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