Business forms and templates

Small businesses run on documents: the NDA signed before a sensitive conversation, the operating agreement that keeps co-owners aligned, the service contract that defines scope and payment, the promissory note that turns a handshake loan into an enforceable debt. This category collects the contracts and forms a small business or independent professional needs most often, each built as a guided questionnaire that produces an editable Word file and a print-ready PDF.

Formation and governance documents include the LLC operating agreement, corporate bylaws, the partnership agreement and its LLP variant, the joint venture agreement, the buy-sell agreement that plans for an owner's exit, and the stock purchase agreement. Even in states that do not require an operating agreement, putting ownership percentages, voting rules and profit distribution in writing is the cheapest dispute insurance a company can buy.

Commercial relationships are covered by the service agreement, the consulting agreement, the independent contractor agreement, the construction contract, the licensing and franchise agreements, the memorandum of understanding, the letter of intent and the purchase order. Protective clauses live in their own documents when needed: the non-disclosure agreement, the non-compete agreement, the non-solicitation agreement, the release of liability and the hold harmless agreement. Bear in mind that the enforceability of non-compete and non-solicitation clauses varies sharply by state, and the guides flag where caution is required.

Money documents include the promissory note, the loan agreement, the loan modification agreement, the debt settlement agreement and the general bill of sale for business assets.

Every template explains its choices in plain English as you fill it in, and the preview shows the exact document you will download. For high-stakes deals, financing rounds or anything involving securities, treat the template as a well-organized starting point and have a business attorney finalize it.