"We'll Take Care of You Once It Takes Off": Put a Revenue-Share Deal in Writing Before You Start

I once took on work on the strength of a single sentence: "If this goes well, I'll take care of you." It did not end well. And because I had relied on words alone, I had nothing in writing to show for it.

So these days, when someone offers to share future revenue but wants to hold off on the contract "until we see some results," my advice is simple. Do not start until the agreement is on paper. I hold myself to the same rule.

This post is for freelancers, solo business owners and creators who are looking at an offer like that right now. It covers why "we'll write it up later" is riskier than it sounds, what to settle before any work begins, and how to raise the subject without making things awkward.

"Let's sign once we see results" usually means "let's not sign"

The idea sounds reasonable at first. Nothing exists yet, so deciding how to split it feels premature. But follow the two possible paths and you can see where it leads.

If the project does not take off, there is no longer any reason to write a contract. The time and effort you put in simply disappear, and the conversation tends to close with "well, there was nothing to share anyway."

If the project does take off, the share is suddenly real money. Once actual figures are on the table, agreeing on a percentage gets much harder than it would have been at the start. And the person who has already done the work has very little leverage left, because what they contributed is already in the other person's hands.

Time plays its part as well. Memories of who did what, and how much, drift a little toward whatever suits each person. Nobody has to be acting in bad faith for that to happen; it is simply how memory works.

Either way, the contract does not get written.

A spoken promise can be a promise, but this one is empty

In Korea, where I work, a spoken agreement can still count as a contract, and the same is true in many other places. Not having a document does not make the promise vanish. The hard part comes later, when you need to show what exactly was agreed. Whoever relies on the promise generally has to prove its terms.

There is a deeper problem, though. "I'll take care of you if it goes well" has no terms to prove. What counts as going well? How much is "taking care of you"? When? None of it is defined. A promise with no content offers hope without committing to anything, and that is exactly what makes it risky.

Seven things to settle in writing before you start

You do not need legal language. You need an answer written next to each of the points below. I have left the percentages blank on purpose: the right number depends on the work and on what each side brings. What matters is that a number is written down at all.

1. A percentage of what? Decide whether you are getting a share of revenue or a share of profit after costs. If it is profit, list which costs come off the top. Without that list, the same percentage can shrink to almost nothing.

Example: "X% of sales revenue, excluding refunds," or "X% of revenue after advertising and production costs only."

2. From when? Does the split start with the first sale, or only after the initial investment has been recovered? If it is the latter, write down who calculates that and how.

3. When and how are you paid? Set the settlement period and the payment date.

Example: "Monthly, closing on the last day of the month, paid by the 10th of the following month."

4. Can you see the numbers? Agree that each settlement comes with the revenue and cost figures behind it. Without this, your percentage is just a number someone tells you. This is not a clause about distrust; it simply lets both of you look at the same figures.

5. What happens to your time if there are no results? If your only pay is a share, your time is worth nothing when the project stalls. Taking that risk knowingly is different from absorbing it by accident. Decide whether you will receive at least your expenses or an upfront fee, and if not, set a date to revisit the terms.

6. Until when? Is the split for the life of this project, for one year, or for as long as the other person runs the business? Without an end date, the other side decides when it ends.

7. What happens if it ends early? If the work stops midway or one of you walks away, decide what happens to the share earned so far. Also decide who may keep using what you made: the designs, photos, writing, video or code. This is where most disputes happen when a working relationship ends.

If seven feels like too many, at least settle numbers 1, 3 and 4 before you begin. Once you know a percentage of what, paid when, and based on which figures, "I'll take care of you" becomes a promise you can actually check.

One page is enough

A contract does not have to run to many pages. Write the points above on a single sheet, add both names and sign it.

If even that feels too formal for the moment, send a message or email the same day: "Here's a quick summary of what we agreed today," followed by the points. Then get a reply that says "Yes, that's right." A record like that can also show later what was promised.

If a large sum is involved, or the deal touches equity or investment, do not stop at a one-page summary. Have a professional look over the document before you sign.

How to bring it up

Most people avoid the subject because they worry it will sour the relationship, or make them look as if they do not trust the other person. But a contract is not a document you write because you are suspicious. It is a document you write because you want to keep working together. You can say exactly that.

"Thanks, this is a great offer. I'd like us to work together for a long time, so before we start, could we put how we'll split things on one page?"

If the answer is "let's decide once we see results," you might reply:

"Once results come in, the numbers get bigger and it becomes harder to agree, not easier. Let's just write down the percentage and the payment date now, and we can adjust the rest together later."

If they still keep putting it off, that reaction is your answer. People who intend to settle the terms do not keep postponing a single page. In that case, not starting is a perfectly good choice.

I use the same rule in my own work

When I photograph wedding ceremonies, the contract comes before the shoot. A wedding cannot be shot twice. Writing down where coverage starts and ends, what is not included, when the photos will be delivered and who holds the rights to them means far fewer surprises on the day. I explain how that works in the post where I made my photography pricing public.

In my experience, a contract is less a way of binding the other person and more a way of making sure both of you set out with the same expectations. That goes double for a promise to share profits. The easiest time to agree on how to divide something is before there is anything to divide.

In short

A promise that offers hope but fixes nothing needs to be turned into a written agreement before the work starts. That is how you protect yourself.

If you have an offer like this in front of you, count how many of the seven points above already have an answer. The more blanks there are, the better it is to wait until they are filled before you begin.