You love collaborating, but it keeps turning into extra admin, resentment, or lost rights. What if one small tweak stopped that before it even started? 

In this post, I’ll show you the simple reason most collaborations break down and the tiny tweak that stops it in its tracks.

Rather watch?

Psst…rather watch the short version? Then hit play below!

https://youtu.be/A_CrC84OiJM

Why most collaborations break down

Here’s the short version: Most collaborations break down because of a gap in assumptions.

Most collaborations fail for one simple reason: everyone starts with different unstated assumptions.

You’re assuming who: 

• owns the finished piece
• decides what changes are needed
• pays for specific things
• makes final decisions
• is responsible for certain boring admin tasks

And only after your collaboration is underway does it become clear that your assumptions were never aligned. 

You usually realize this after a problem crops up. Maybe there was a miscommunication, or a ball got dropped because you thought your collaborator was handling it.

And once a problem happens, and emotions start to increase, it’s hard to get on the same page and resolve that assumption gap.

How to remove the assumption gap

So how do you get aligned before you even start? You make sure that assumptions are out in the open.

The reality is that we don’t write contracts because we think the other side will screw us over. We write contracts to remove this assumption gap.

Contracts make sure you don’t unintentionally disappoint your collaborator because you had different assumptions about how the project was going to proceed.

Contracts don’t have to be complicated 

A contract gets everybody on the same page by literally getting everybody on the same page. 

And a contract doesn’t have to be long or stuffed with legal jargon to be valid.

In fact, it can be as simple as, 

Susan will be in charge of design. Sally will be in charge of production. Each collaborator will get one round of feedback for the other collaborator’s contribution. If feedback isn’t provided in five days, it is considered approved. Each collaborator keeps copyright in all previous work used by the collaboration and any work created during the collaboration. Any use of the work outside of the collaboration must be agreed to in writing by both collaborators.

That can be your entire contract. It can be as simple as one paragraph sent via email.

How to start collaborations off on the right foot

I tell clients all the time to have an initial collaboration conversation. And then once that meeting wraps, write an email summarizing: 

• the roles and responsibilities of each side
• any assumptions that weren’t explicitly discussed

And then send this summary to their collaborator. 

In the email, ask them to hit reply and say “yes” if they agree with your summary. Or let you know if you got anything wrong.

And guess what? That process creates a valid contract that you can take to court if things ever go sideways. 

But it also:

• spells out any assumptions you are making
• confirms your collaborator was making those same assumptions

What if you are already in a collaboration?

If you have already launched a collaboration, it’s time to air out some of your assumptions. Because remember the #1 mistake in most collaborations is unstated assumptions.

So let’s state them now, and avoid problems later.

And that’s exactly what I’m going to challenge you to do, right now.

I want you to send an email to a collaborator and state one assumption you’ve been making. Then ask them to confirm if you are on the same page. 

This quick step will eliminate one potential misunderstanding.

Here’s a simple script you can use: 

Hey [NAME]. I’m loving how our collaboration is going so far. But I realized that we’ve never discussed [INSERT TOPIC YOU HAVE AN ASSUMPTION ABOUT].

Before we go any further, I want to make sure we are on the same page.

Do you agree that [INSERT YOUR ASSUMPTION]?

Let me know your thoughts.

I challenge you to send that script right now.

Want more simple tasks like this? That’s exactly what I send each Friday. A simple 20-minute or less task that helps you add ease to the legalese. Join us by entering your email below.

Next Steps

Most collaborations fail not because you don’t work well together. They fail because you don’t realize until it’s too late that you were making different assumptions about how the collaboration would proceed.

And the simple fix that stops this assumption gap is sending a quick email that outlines any assumptions you are making.

If you want a supportive place to get feedback and guidance, that’s exactly what we do inside the artist’s Courtyard. I mention this because doing new things can be hard, but it’s easier to do when you realize that you aren’t alone in your struggles.