The setup guide
The steps that get a new studio ready for real bookings, and how each one gets ticked off.
The setup guide lists everything to do before you take real bookings. It sits at the top of Today until you're done.
Do the steps in any order. The step to do next is open; click any other step to open it.
The steps
- Your studio's name and time zone. You gave both when you signed up, so this starts ticked. To change them, edit Studio name or Time zone and click Save. Every session time, reminder and calendar entry uses your time zone.
- Take payments with Stripe. Click Connect Stripe. Until Stripe is connected, your booking page takes inquiries instead of deposits. See Start taking payments with Stripe.
- Check your packages and prices. Your studio starts with a few common sessions. Change the names, prices and deposits to match what you offer.
- Open up times clients can book. Add the days and times you're free. Clients only see what you open.
- Make the website yours. Pick a design, add your logo and a few photos, and write a line about yourself. The step has buttons for each: Choose a design, Upload your logo, Add your photos and Write about yourself.
- Share your booking link. Put it in your Instagram bio or email signature, or text it to your next client. This step waits until the website step is done, so nobody is sent to a site full of sample photos.
- Deliver your first gallery. Upload a session's photos and send the gallery link. Click Start a gallery.
- Accept Flashslash's terms. Read them with Read the terms, then click I accept.
- Add a card before your trial ends. During your free trial, add your card on Plan & billing (or switch plans) to keep going. The first charge is when the trial ends. Click See plans. After the trial, this step reads Choose a plan.
If you loaded sample data, a Remove the sample data step appears too. See Sample data.
Your coming-soon page
New studios' websites start as a coming-soon page: visitors see your name, a short note and an inquiry form while you get the site ready. Your booking page, galleries, client portal and the gift card and invoice links you send keep working, and you see the full site while you're signed in.
When you're happy with the site, go to Website > Design and click Launch my website. Until you do, the website step reminds you.
How steps get ticked
Most steps tick themselves off from what's really in your studio: Stripe connected, at least one real open time, your first real booking (for the share step), your first published gallery, the terms accepted, the sample data gone, a card added. Saving a package ticks the packages step, and publishing a design, or replacing the design's sample photos and words, ticks the website step.
The packages, website, share and gallery steps also have a Mark as done button (I've shared it for the share step, which also shows your Booking page and Link in bio links to copy). If you ticked one by mistake, click Not done yet.
Hiding the guide
Click Hide guide at the top of the guide to put it away for good. Once every step is done, it goes away by itself.