Not every collaboration is going to be the perfect fit, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck in it forever. You can end them professionally and with grace in a way that protects your work and your relationships.
In this post, I’m going to give you three scripts you can use to pause, mutually end, or tell a collaborator it’s time to part ways. You’ll also get a checklist you can use to close out your collaboration without burning any bridges.
Ready to dive in so you can have calm, clear steps to wind down your collaboration without drama? Let’s get started.
Rather watch?
Psst…would you rather watch than read? Then hit play below!
Ending a collaboration isn’t a failure
Sometimes ending a collaboration is the best move. Maybe:
- they keep pushing your boundaries
- you want different outcomes
- you’ve outgrown it
- the collaboration is no longer aligned with your business
Whatever the reason, the collaboration is not a failure.
Very few things last for time and all eternity. So accepting that it’s time to end the collaboration and closing it out shows that you are a professional.
And when you shift your mindset from “it’s a failure” to “it’s a natural progression” and tie up any loose ends, you’ll keep relationships intact.
The three scripts I’m sharing today will help you step away professionally, protect your energy, and close things out without burning bridges. So what are these scripts?
Script 1. Pause a collaboration
The first script I want to share is when you need to take a pause.
- Maybe something’s going on in your personal life.
- Maybe it’s launch season in your business, and you need to free up some time.
- Maybe you need time to evaluate if this collaboration still fits with where you’re thinking your business needs to go.
It’s a way to be professional and not ghost your collaborator while also hitting pause.
So here’s your script.
Hi [NAME]. I need to pause our collaboration for right now. I’m going to stop all work on my end including [ANYTHING YOU ARE WORKING ON]. And we can schedule a time to pick things back up when it aligns with both of our calendars.
This script is perfect when your life or business gets messy, but also to give your collaborator grace when their life or business is messy.
Because it can be used to handle your overwhelm, burnout, or life chaos. But also help when you are starting to feel frustrated because you feel like your collaborator isn’t able to contribute as much as you expected.
So it’s a script that can be used both ways. You can pause because you need a breather or because you know they need one.
Script 2. Mutually want to end the collaboration
What if you’ve had a discussion and you both agree that it’s best to end the collaboration? Here is your script:
Hi [NAME]. It’s been great collaborating with you. I’m glad we’re on the same page about ending our collaboration. I’ve updated our shared Google Doc to reflect our conversation about how we’re going to wrap things up. Please look it over and let me know if you have any tweaks.
What shared Google Doc am I referring to? It’s the simple collaboration agreement I helped you create in this post. Want the short version? Hit play on the video below.
Script 3. Start a conversation because you want to end things
Finally, sometimes you’ll want to start the conversation about ending things because it’s best for you to walk away. This script will help you do that and start wrapping things up.
Hi [NAME]. Sadly, I need to step away from our collaboration. This isn’t a decision I’ve made lightly, but I believe it’s in both of our best interests to part ways. As outlined in our shared Google Doc, here’s the next steps to start wrapping things up [INSERT NEXT STEPS]. Thank you for this opportunity to collaborate.
What to document when you end your collaboration
All three scripts are only a few sentences long. They’re not complicated. They’re just simple and clear. (You’ll notice this has been a consistent pattern with the collaboration scripts I’ve given you in this series.)
Once you’re in mutual agreement to end your collaboration, then there are six items you should agree on and add to your Google Doc:
- any final deliverables and their due dates
- any payment that will be exchanged and its due date
- if any copyrights will be transferred and/or any licensing terms
- how credit will be given when collaboration assets are used.
- how files will be transferred
- who will archive any collaboration files
Once this is done, you should print all email chains from the collaboration as PDFs and add them to your shared Google Doc.
Then save that entire thing as a PDF, so you have a static document you can refer to later if anything goes wrong.
You aren’t saving this primarily for your legal protection, but for your memory.
Because a year from now, when you want to use that illustration for something else, you won’t remember what you agreed on. So this static document can function as your memory and record of what you agreed to at the time.
Wrapping it up
If you want a guide that will help you as you create these collaboration scripts and agreements, then you should join us in the artist’s Courtyard.
It’s where creatives learn that confidence really is your best contract. You’ll get access to our legal roadmap, a library of legal resources, including workshops, contract templates, and scripts, and our contract decoder that breaks down exactly what contract clauses mean.
Ending these relationships can feel awkward, but being clear, kind, and direct shows your professionalism and protects your business.
You are allowed to make choices that support your long-term goals and well-being. If you want practical next steps and community support while you put these things into practice, the artist’s Courtyard is the place to get that help.
Hi! I’m Kiff! I’m your friendly legal eagle (and licensed attorney).
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