Overview
Follow these proven patterns for common business workflows. Each workflow includes “Ask Every Agent” examples to automate the process.
Complete New Business Setup
Week 1: Foundation
- Organization Setup - Complete business profile, upload logo, set currency and payment terms, configure tax rate
- Payment Processing - Connect and verify Stripe account
- Integrations - Connect Google Workspace or HubSpot if needed
- Add Clients - Create manually, use Google contact suggestions/Scan Contacts, then run client enrichment
- Create Offerings - Set up all services/products with standard rates
Ask Every Agent: Streamline your entire business setup:
- “Set up my business - name is Acme Consulting, address 123 Main St, default payment terms Net 30, currency USD”
- “Create offerings for my standard services: hourly consulting at 150/hour,monthlyretainerat5000/month, and project management at $200/hour”
- “Scan my Google contacts and categorize them by business type”
Don’t try to do everything at once. Follow this week-by-week plan for smooth onboarding!
Service Business Workflow
For consultants, developers, designers, and other service professionals.
Week 1-4: Work & Track
- Track time using timer widget (start/stop for each work session)
- Log expenses immediately with receipts
- Mark billable vs non-billable
End of Month: Invoicing
- Review all unbilled time and expenses by client
- Create invoice with unbilled items
- Add project summary highlighting achievements
- Send and track delivery
Follow-Up Schedule:
- Day 7: Check if opened
- Day 15: Friendly reminder if unpaid
- Day 25: Urgent reminder if overdue
- Record payment when received
Ask Every Agent: Let AI handle your entire monthly invoicing cycle:
- “Show me all unbilled time for Acme Corp this month and create their invoice”
- “Create invoices for all my clients with unbilled time, including their expenses”
- “Log 3.5 hours for Acme Corp today - worked on website redesign mockups”
- “What’s my total billable time this month? Break it down by client”
Product Business Workflow
Per-Order Process:
- Receive order and confirm availability
- Create invoice with products from offerings
- Apply discounts, shipping, and tax
- Send immediately with payment link (Net 7 or 15)
- Fulfill when paid
- Record completion and request feedback
For Wholesale: Use standing offerings, automations for regular orders, volume discounts, and Net 30 terms.
Ask Every Agent: Speed up your product invoicing:
- “Create an invoice for Acme Corp: 5x Widget Pro at 200each,10xWidgetBasicat100 each, plus shipping”
- “Show me all pending orders that need invoices this week”
- “Create a bulk invoice for Smith Industries with their regular monthly order”
Recurring Client Workflow
Setup (One-Time):
- Define retainer terms (monthly fee, included services, overage rates)
- Create automation (select client, set monthly schedule, add line items)
- Test thoroughly in test mode
- Activate with “Create as Draft” initially
Ongoing (Monthly):
- Review generated draft on 1st of month
- Add any overages or adjustments
- Send invoice
- Track hours used vs allocated
- Monitor payments (typically 5-7 days)
Annual Review: Evaluate performance, adjust rates, update automation, communicate changes
Start automations with “Create as Draft” until you trust them, then switch to “Send Immediately” for full automation!
Ask Every Agent: Manage recurring billing workflows conversationally:
- “Set up monthly retainer billing for Acme Corp - $5000/month on the 1st, includes 40 hours of consulting”
- “Show me all my recurring clients and when their next invoices are due”
- “Create automations for all my retainer clients to bill on the first of each month”
- “Which recurring clients are approaching their hour limits this month?”
Proposal to Invoice Workflow
Discovery & Proposal:
- Initial client meeting (understand needs, define scope, discuss budget)
- Create proposal with detailed scope, deliverables, pricing, and expiration date
- Send and track opens
- Negotiate and revise if needed
Approval & Work:
5. Receive approval with signature
6. Convert to invoice (all line items copy over)
7. Send for deposit or full payment
8. Complete work and deliver
Completion:
9. Send final invoice if using deposit model
10. Collect payment, send thank you, request testimonial
Ask Every Agent: Streamline your proposal-to-payment workflow:
- “Create a proposal for Acme Corp - brand strategy consultation, 40 hours at $150/hour, includes research, workshops, and final presentation”
- “Show me all proposals waiting for client approval”
- “Convert the approved Acme Corp proposal to an invoice with 50% deposit due upfront”
- “Send payment reminders to all clients with invoices from approved proposals”
Expense Billback Workflow
During Project:
- Incur expense (travel, materials, software)
- Log immediately - take photo, upload receipt, mark billable
- Categorize for tracking
Billing Cycle:
4. Review unbilled expenses by client
5. Add to invoice via “Add from Expenses”
6. Apply markup if policy requires
7. Send invoice (expenses marked as billed)
Best Practices: Log immediately, keep receipts, be transparent, communicate large expenses upfront
Ask Every Agent: Make expense tracking and billback effortless:
- “Log this expense receipt” (upload image) → Agent extracts amount, date, vendor, category
- “Show me all unbilled expenses for Acme Corp and add them to their next invoice”
- “Create an expense report for all my Q4 billable expenses by client”
- “Which clients have unbilled expenses over $500?”
Monthly Close Workflow
Days 25-30: Preparation
- Review month activity (invoices sent, payments received, outstanding balance)
- Follow up on overdue invoices
- Complete and send all draft invoices
- Bill all recurring clients
Day 1-5: New Month Start
5. Generate monthly reports (revenue, outstanding, expenses, taxes)
6. Update forecasts and set monthly goals
7. Export data for accounting
Ask Every Agent: Automate your month-end close process:
- “Show me all overdue invoices and send reminders to those clients”
- “Generate my revenue report for last month and show top 5 clients”
- “Which invoices are still in draft status? Send them all now”
- “Create a cash flow summary: total sent, total paid, total outstanding this month”
- “Export all my November invoices and expenses for my accountant”
Workflow Quick Tips
New Business Setup: Proper setup saves time every day for years to come.
Service Business: Track time immediately - memory fades fast.
Recurring Clients: Test automations thoroughly before going live.
Proposals: Clear scope prevents billing disputes later.
Expenses: Communicate expense policy upfront to avoid surprises.
Monthly Close: Same process every month builds good habits.
Next Steps
