Your Fee-Lion Go-Live Checklist

You’re almost ready to send real work into the world. Before that first estimate or invoice leaves your hands, there’s a short list of settings worth locking in so everything looks sharp, calculates correctly, and actually gets you paid. Run this checklist once and you’re set.

Get your brand on the page

Every estimate and invoice your client sees carries your name, so make it yours before anything goes out.

1. Open Settings → Preferences and select the Branding tab.
2. Upload your logo and set your accent color so documents and the client portal match your studio.
3. Add your business name, address, and contact details exactly as you want them to appear on a paid invoice.
4. Send yourself a quick test estimate and view it in the portal to confirm it looks the way you’d want a client to see it.

Lock in money settings: tax, terms, and deposits

These three defaults decide how every document does its math. Set them once and you won’t have to think about them on each estimate.

• Tax — Under Settings → Preferences, set your default tax rate so line items total correctly the first time.
• Payment terms — Choose your default due window (for example, net 14 or net 30) so clients know exactly when payment is expected.
• Deposit defaults — Set a default deposit percentage if you like to collect upfront. You can still adjust it per estimate, but a sensible default saves clicks.
• Estimate defaults — In the Estimates tab, confirm your validity window and starting template so quotes go out polished.

Tip: Build one real-looking estimate with a tax line and a deposit, then convert it to a draft invoice. Walking the full estimate → approve → convert → pay loop yourself, even with a test client, is the fastest way to catch a wrong tax rate or a missing logo before a paying client ever sees it.

Connect Stripe so you actually get paid

This is the one that matters most. Without Stripe connected, your invoices have no Pay button and card payments can’t land in your account. The good news: money goes straight into your own Stripe, not a holding tank.

1. Go to Settings → Preferences and find the payments section to start the Stripe connection.
2. Sign in to your existing Stripe account or create one, then complete Stripe’s onboarding details.
3. Confirm the connection shows as active, then check that a draft invoice now displays a Pay button.

Bring in your people and your history

You can’t send an estimate without a client to send it to, so make sure your contacts are ready.

• Add at least one client and, if you bill businesses, the company they belong to.
• Migrating from another tool? Use Settings → Data Import to bring contacts and history across instead of retyping them.
• Inviting a teammate? Get them seated now so they’re ready when the work starts.

Tick those four areas off — brand, money settings, Stripe, and people — and you’re genuinely go-live ready. Your next move is the fun one: build that first estimate and send it.

What’s next

• Connect Stripe to get paid
• Set up your brand and logo
• Set your workspace preferences
• Create your first estimate