# Pre-Hire Checklist > Read this before you hire a brand agency or freelancer: eight questions to ask, what good answers and red flags sound like, a scorecard for three firms and a contract checklist. - URL: https://cultmethod.com/resources/pre-hire/ - Format: Checklist - Price: Free, and free to share - Details: About 20 minutes a firm, Compare up to three firms, A contract check, Free to share - Download: https://cultmethod.kit.com/products/pre-hire-checklist - Bundle: All four resources in the series for $75 as The DIY Brand Kit: https://cultmethod.com/resources/#diy-brand-kit Eight questions to ask any brand agency or freelancer, what good answers and red flags sound like, and a scorecard to compare three firms. ## A bad hire costs more than the fee. It costs months of meetings, a launch you push back, and sometimes a second agency to fix the first one’s work. Plenty of firms make good-looking logos. The hard part is telling, before you sign, which ones will listen, deliver on time and leave you owning the work. How to use it: - Before the call: Ten minutes of homework on each firm. - On the call: Ask the eight questions in your own words and note the answers. - After the call: Score each firm, then check the contract before you sign. Rule of thumb: hire firms your size or smaller. You want to be an important client, not the smallest one on the roster. ## What you get - **Eight questions to ask every firm.** Eight questions in plain words. Each one comes with what a good answer and a red flag sound like, and a follow-up that gets past the pitch. - **Compare firms on one sheet.** Score up to three firms side by side. A zero on price or ownership rules a firm out, whatever its total. - **A contract check before you sign.** Twelve things to get in writing before you sign, from the payment schedule to who owns the files, plus what branding costs in 2026. ## What it covers - **Before the call** Eight things to check on each firm in ten minutes. - **Questions 1 and 2** The process week by week, and who does the work. - **Questions 3 and 4** The fixed price, and the rules for changes. - **Questions 5 and 6** Your time, and what you’ll own at the end. - **Questions 7 and 8** Life after handoff, and two clients to call. - **Score each firm** A scorecard for three firms, and the dealbreakers. - **Before you sign** Twelve contract checks, and 2026 prices. - **Use AI on the paperwork** Prompts to vet a firm’s site, review a contract and compare firms. ## Here’s one of the eight questions. Every question comes with why it matters, a good answer, a red flag and a follow-up, plus room to note what each firm said. ### Question 6 of 8, from page 06. What will I own at the end? Businesses lose their own logo files more often than you’d think, or find their website lives on the agency’s account. - Good answer: Copyright transfers to you on final payment. Source files. Font licenses, domain, hosting and site accounts in your name. - Red flag: A license instead of ownership. Files “available on request.” A site only they can edit. - Follow-up: “Which fonts and images need licenses, and who pays for them?” ## Is it for you? Get it if you’re about to hire a brand agency, a designer or a freelancer, and the two or three proposals on your desk all sound alike. Or you’ve hired for design before and it didn’t go the way you hoped. Skip it if you’re doing the brand yourself. The Brand Audit Checklist will show you where to start. ## What you get - Ten minutes of homework for each firm - Eight questions with good answers, red flags and follow-ups - A scorecard for up to three firms - Twelve things to get in writing before you sign - Three prompts for ChatGPT or Claude ## Questions **Does it work for freelancers too?** Yes. The questions don’t change. A freelancer should still give you a fixed price, a schedule and the files in your name. **Isn’t this a pitch for Cultmethod?** The last page answers all eight questions for our Brand Sprint, so you can hold us to them too. The other nine pages work on any firm. **Can AI check a contract for me?** Page 10 has a prompt that reviews a proposal against the twelve-point check and flags anything about ownership or ending early. It isn’t a lawyer, so show those clauses to one before you sign. **How much should branding cost?** Page 9 has 2026 price ranges, from $2k–$5k for a logo and colors to $90k and up at global agencies. Our [guide to branding prices](/articles/branding-cost/) goes deeper. **What format is it?** A PDF. Print it and work on paper, or write on it in any PDF app. **How do I get it?** Enter your email on Kit, the email platform we use, and Kit sends you the download link. **Can I share it?** Yes. It’s free to share, inside your business or out.