Taking charge of a business takes a lot of dedication and willpower. You will eventually run into problems with employees, vendors, contractors and customers. There’s plenty of steps you can take to avoid many of the problems companies face. The first thing you need to do is write solid contracts. But, it’s possible contract disputes can arise. Here are some tips for avoiding contract disputes.

It’s smart to live in the present when writing a contract, but it’s also a good idea to plan for future problems. You won’t be able to pinpoint every single problem your company might run into in the future, but planning for a few could help prevent some difficult contract disputes with employees, vendors and other entities.

Make sure every single contract written for your business is notarized. Having a contract notarized makes it more difficult for someone to simply toss it aside in a dispute. When a contract is notarized, it makes it legally enforceable in court. It also makes it more likely that those signing the contract will read it in its entirety and understand the language.

Another important tip for avoiding contract disputes is to verify the ability of the other party to sign the contract. Make sure they are of sound mind and not being forced or coerced into signing the contract. You also want to make sure they are who they say they are and are not forging someone’s signature.

Contract disputes can turn incredibly ugly, especially if the contract you wrote was not as solid as it could have been. Make sure you protect your business as much as possible by writing solid contracts and following the tips outlined in this post so disputes do not wind up ruining your company.