Running a business often means focusing on visibility, clients, and growth. But behind every collaboration, every project, and every opportunity, there’s something less visible that quietly supports it all: the agreements you put in place.

Contracts are rarely the reason someone starts a business. Yet at some point, they become essential. Not as a formality, but as a way to create clarity, protect what you are building, and support the relationships your business depends on.

This is where this month’s Online Networking with a SPIN conversation began, together with Gayk Ayvazyan from EMPIQ.

Instead of overwhelming the conversation with legal complexity, Gayk focused on three practical questions every entrepreneur eventually faces.

1. When do you actually need a legal entity?

One of the most common doubts is when to move from operating as an individual to setting up a legal entity.

The key idea shared during the session was simple: the moment your business starts generating consistent income and taking on responsibility, structure matters. Not just for administrative reasons, but for protection.

A legal entity helps separate your personal and business risk. It creates a boundary that becomes increasingly important as your business grows, especially when working with clients, partners, or when scaling internationally.

It’s not about rushing into it, but about recognising when your business has moved beyond experimentation.

2. What agreements should you have with clients?

If there was one area where clarity made an immediate difference, it was this one.

Many entrepreneurs start working with clients based solely on trust and conversations. And while that can work in the beginning, it often leads to misunderstandings later. A clear service agreement changes that.

It defines what is included, what is not, timelines, responsibilities, and expectations on both sides. Not to make things rigid, but to make collaboration smoother.

One important point that came up: templates or AI-generated contracts can be useful starting points, but they are rarely enough on their own.

Having a legal expert review your agreements ensures that what you sign actually protects you and reflects how you work.

3. What are the essential foundations every business should have?

Beyond client work, there are a few key elements that most businesses should not overlook.

These include:

  • Terms and conditions that define how you operate
  • A privacy policy and cookies policy for your website
  • The right contractual setup when working with freelancers vs employees
  • Agreements for partnerships, co-founders, or investors 

These are not “nice to have.” They are part of building a business that can grow without constant friction or uncertainty.

From foundations to growth

Knowing which contracts to put in place is about protection, but more importantly, it’s about creating the conditions for your business to grow more easily.

When expectations are clear and agreements support how you want to work, you create space to focus on what really drives your business forward: relationships, visibility, and meaningful conversations. That’s also the intention behind these sessions. 

Online Networking with a SPIN takes place every month, creating a space to explore the topics that shape how entrepreneurs build and grow together.

And sometimes, those conversations need to go beyond the screen. The next in-person event takes place on Thursday, July 2nd, in Amsterdam: Let’s Touch Base: Get Your Taxes Right, focusing financial aspects of their business.

Whether it starts with contracts or marketing, the intention is the same: to build a business that grows through relationships, not just transactions.