Last updated: August 2026
These Terms of Business explain how Christabel Creative works with clients. They apply to projects, retainers and other services provided by Christabel Creative unless we agree different terms in writing.
Your proposal, statement of work, quote or booking confirmation will set out the specific services, deliverables, timings and fees for your project. If there is a conflict between that document and these Terms, the terms agreed specifically for your project will take priority.
1. Working together
Christabel Creative provides brand messaging, copywriting, content strategy, editorial and campaign writing, social media management, creative support and related services.
Our work is collaborative. Depending on the service you choose, I may need access to you, your team, existing brand materials, research, accounts or other information needed to understand your business and complete the work.
Both of us agree to communicate openly and provide information, feedback and approvals within the timescales agreed for the project.
2. Starting a project
Work begins once we have agreed the scope, fee and intended start date in writing and any required initial payment has been received.
The scope of work will normally be set out in a proposal, quote, email, booking confirmation or statement of work.
Anything not included in that agreed scope is considered additional work and may require a revised quote.
3. Fees and payment
Fees will be agreed before work begins.
Unless otherwise agreed, project work may require an upfront payment to secure the booking, with the remaining balance payable according to the schedule set out in the proposal or invoice.
Invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date unless we agree otherwise in writing.
For ongoing retainers, payment is due monthly in advance.
Christabel Creative reserves the right to pause work if an invoice becomes overdue.
Where applicable, Christabel Creative may also exercise its statutory rights in relation to late commercial payments.
Any third-party expenses required for the work will be agreed with you before they are incurred unless they have already been included in the agreed project fee.
4. Scope and additional work
Your quote or proposal covers the work specifically described within it.
Projects sometimes evolve. If you ask for additional deliverables, substantial changes to an agreed direction, additional meetings or work beyond the original brief, I will let you know before carrying out work that will incur an additional fee.
Where possible, additional work will be quoted and agreed before it begins.
A change in direction after work has begun may require a revised timeline as well as an additional fee.
5. Feedback and revisions
Unless otherwise stated in your proposal, project fees include two rounds of reasonable revisions to the agreed work.
A revision means refining work in response to the original agreed brief. It does not include replacing the brief, developing an entirely new concept or substantially changing an approved direction.
Please provide feedback as clearly and comprehensively as possible. Consolidated feedback helps keep projects moving and prevents conflicting rounds of amendments.
Additional rounds of revisions or substantial changes may be charged separately.
6. Timings and client delays
We will agree an intended timetable for your project.
Those dates rely on receiving information, access, feedback and approvals from you when agreed.
If feedback, materials or approvals are delayed, the delivery date may also need to move. Where a substantial delay affects other work already booked into my schedule, your project may need to be rescheduled to my next available slot.
If I am responsible for a significant delay, I will tell you as soon as reasonably possible and agree a revised timetable with you.
7. Meetings
The meetings included in your service will be outlined in your proposal or package.
Additional meetings can be arranged where needed and may be chargeable if they fall outside the agreed scope.
Please give at least 24 hours' notice if you need to cancel or rearrange a meeting. Repeated missed or late-cancelled meetings may be treated as additional time or rescheduled according to availability.
8. Retainers and ongoing services
Retainers reserve an agreed amount of Christabel Creative's capacity each month.
The services, expected outputs, meeting frequency and approximate capacity included in your retainer will be agreed separately.
Unless explicitly agreed otherwise, a retainer does not provide unlimited work, revisions or availability.
Unused time or capacity may roll over if agreed in writing.
Either party may end an ongoing retainer by giving one calendar month's written notice, unless a different minimum term or notice period has been agreed.
Work requested outside the agreed retainer scope may be quoted separately.
9. Social media management
Where Christabel Creative manages social media on your behalf, you remain responsible for providing accurate information about your business, products and services.
Where content approval forms part of the agreed process, you are responsible for reviewing and approving content within the agreed timescale.
Christabel Creative cannot guarantee particular levels of reach, engagement, follower growth, enquiries, sales or other results from social media activity.
Platforms, algorithms and third-party services may change or become unavailable without notice, and Christabel Creative is not responsible for interruptions or changes outside its reasonable control.
Unless specifically included in your package, community management, direct-message management, photography, filming, substantial video production, paid advertising and out-of-hours monitoring are not included.
10. Accuracy and claims
I take reasonable care when researching and producing work, but you know your organisation, products, services and industry best.
You are responsible for checking factual information, claims, prices, product information, legal or regulatory statements and other business-specific information before publication.
Where your industry is subject to particular legal, regulatory or professional requirements, you are responsible for obtaining any necessary specialist or legal approval.
Final approval to publish remains with you unless agreed otherwise.
11. Intellectual property
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, Christabel Creative retains copyright in concepts, drafts, working documents, unused ideas and other materials created during the development process.
For final deliverables created specifically for you, copyright will be assigned to you once all related invoices have been paid in full.
No intellectual property rights transfer until all fees relating to the work have been paid in full.
Third-party materials — including fonts, photography, stock imagery, software, templates or other licensed assets — remain subject to their own licence terms and are not transferred to you beyond the rights permitted by those licences.
12. Portfolio and credit
Unless confidentiality has been agreed, Christabel Creative may display completed, publicly released work in its portfolio, website, social media, presentations and other promotional materials.
Where appropriate, I may identify your business as a client.
If a project is confidential, under embargo or you would prefer the work not to be used publicly, please tell me and we can agree this in writing.
13. Your materials
You confirm that you have permission to provide and authorise the use of any materials you give me, including copy, photography, illustrations, logos, trademarks, data and other intellectual property.
You remain responsible for rights relating to materials supplied by you or by third parties acting on your behalf.
14. Confidentiality
Both parties agree to keep confidential information received through the project private and to use it only as necessary to carry out the work.
This does not apply to information that is already publicly available, was lawfully known beforehand or must be disclosed by law.
If particularly sensitive information will be involved, we can also enter into a separate confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement.
15. Data protection and digital tools
Both parties agree to comply with applicable data protection law when handling personal data.
Christabel Creative uses digital tools to support its work and may use AI-enabled tools for specific administrative or creative-support purposes.
AI-generated material is never supplied as finished original work without human review and editing.
Further information about the tools used, personal data and how information is handled is available in the Christabel Creative Privacy Policy.
Where a project requires Christabel Creative to process personal data on your behalf in circumstances that require a separate data-processing agreement, we will agree the necessary terms before that processing begins.
16. Cancellation and postponement
If you need to cancel or postpone a project after booking, please tell me as soon as possible.
Payments already made are non-refundable where they relate to work already carried out or capacity reserved.
If work has already begun, you will be invoiced for work completed up to the cancellation date, together with any agreed non-refundable costs or committed third-party expenses.
Where a project is postponed substantially, I cannot guarantee that the original delivery dates will remain available.
If Christabel Creative needs to cancel work and cannot reasonably reschedule it, you will be refunded for any paid work that has not been completed.
17. Ending a project
Either party may end an agreement if the other commits a serious breach of its obligations and does not remedy that breach within a reasonable period after being asked to do so.
Christabel Creative may also suspend or terminate work where invoices remain unpaid, necessary client participation is repeatedly unavailable, or continuing the work would require me to act unlawfully, misleadingly or contrary to agreed professional or ethical standards.
You remain responsible for fees for work properly completed up to the termination date.
18. Results
Creative, strategic and marketing work can support business performance, but results depend on many factors outside Christabel Creative's control.
Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, I do not guarantee particular commercial results, sales, conversions, media coverage, search rankings, social-media performance or other business outcomes.
19. Liability
Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful.
Subject to that, a solicitor is to confirm appropriate limitation of liability.
Neither party will be responsible for delays or failures caused by circumstances outside its reasonable control.
20. Independent business
Christabel Creative provides services as an independent business.
Nothing in our agreement creates an employment relationship, partnership, joint venture or agency relationship between us unless expressly agreed otherwise.
21. Changes to these Terms
The Terms that apply to your project are those accepted when we enter into our agreement.
Any changes to an existing project's terms must be agreed between us in writing.
Christabel Creative may update these standard Terms for future work.
22. Governing law
These Terms and our agreement are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
The courts will have jurisdiction over disputes arising from our agreement.
23. Questions
If anything in these Terms is unclear, please ask before accepting a proposal or beginning work.
Clear expectations make better working relationships, and I'd much rather we resolve a question at the beginning of a project than discover an assumption later.