Every Small Hiccup Eats Into Your Margin

This week’s been packed: more podcast episodes recorded, new discovery calls booked, and a few partnership offers slowly coming in. Things are clearly moving in the right direction.

Editing the podcast still eats up time, but tools like Riverside are helping smooth things out. Also, one insight that keeps surfacing: past wins don’t guarantee future success. That’s why I keep evolving systems, even when the surface looks calm.

More episodes, more client calls, more visibility - that’s the current rhythm. I’m trusting the compounding momentum.

Now, let’s get into a recurring issue I’ve seen while reviewing IT contracts:

It Always Starts Small

A client says, “Can you launch this in 4 weeks?” You glance at your tech lead. They nod. You reply, “Yes, we can do it.”

And from that moment, your project becomes hostage to every small delay, miscommunication, and unexpected revision.

Client feedback is late? Your problem. Scope expands midstream? You accommodate. Stakeholders vanish during a key sprint? You still have the same deadline.

Now the clock is ticking. Every hiccup chips away at your margins.

I know a founder who accepted a ₹5 lakh project on a tight deadline. By the time they crossed the finish line, profit was wiped clean.

Every bottleneck became their problem because the contract gave them no room to breathe.

How to Avoid This Trap

Here’s how I recommend protecting your project, your team, and your margin:

1) Build in Buffers - Deliberately

Don’t define timelines in terms of handoffs alone. Use business response time, too. For example: “Milestone due X days after client approval,” instead of “after submission.”

2) Charge for Haste

Urgency should come at a premium. If they want something in half the time, quote them 1.25× or 1.5× the base rate. Set the tone: speed costs.

3) Tie Scope to Timelines

Every scope revision, new APIs, UI tweaks, feature changes, must automatically push out the delivery date. This is not rigidity. It’s discipline.

Most clients respect this. It shows maturity and helps filter out those who don't.

Your Contract Can Either Work for You, or Against You

Too many IT contracts are built on assumed perfection. Perfect feedback. Perfect clarity. Perfect timing.

But that’s not how real projects unfold. And contracts built on fantasy become liability traps.

Here’s a clause I recommend for nearly every build or milestone-based project:

“Each milestone begins only upon written client approval. Any delays caused by feedback, process, or stakeholder unavailability shall extend the delivery timeline proportionately.”

You're not blaming clients. You're acknowledging reality.

TL;DR

Tight deadlines aren’t a sign of ambition - they’re a risk multiplier. If your contract assumes perfect behavior, your margin will absorb every delay, revision, and bottleneck.

Instead, write in response time buffers, scope-linked timelines, and rush pricing if needed. Your team shouldn’t have to pay the price for being “flexible.”

The Bottom Line

You don’t need to kill ambition. You just need to build the runway for it.

Strong IT contracts don’t slow you down - they help you move fast without crashing into the same walls over and over again.

Structure protects momentum. And that’s what makes growth sustainable.