Image Courtesy of: Honeybook

If you are anything like me, you probably started your business, taking pen to paper, doing everything manually and had a stack of contracts, invoices, you name it, a mile high to sort through at the end of each month. (I see you over there nodding in agreement!) You’ve also probably spent hours writing out emails for the same initial inquiry, hand wrote and mailed your invoices, only to anxiously await in anticipation for their payment to come back in the mail.

If this sounds like your story, you’re not alone and you’re in the right place, because I have GREAT news for you!

First and foremost, I want to congratulate you!

Being an entrepreneur in the creative industry myself, I know that making the decision to go after what you love, is an experience that is life changing! So cheers to you my friend, on taking the leap and pursuing your dreams! It’s truly a wonderful experience to be able to fulfill your passion, and I’m cheering for you every step of the way!

Today, I want to share with you, how I made micro changes that resulted in macro results for my business, and how through the use of HoneyBook, I’ve kept my business organized and enhanced my Client Experience from start to finish!

If you are a member of a Tuesdays Together chapter through the Rising Tide Society or if you’re in the creative industry, then it’s likely you’ve heard of HoneyBook. It’s a business management software that was built with creative entrepreneurs in mind, just like you and me! They are a team, dedicated to empowering the Creative Economy, helping us manage the businesses that we each love and simplifying our lives, so we can focus on serving our clients and doing what we love most!

I said goodbye to the days of manually running my business and I’ve been using HoneyBook for over two years! And while I considered other programs in the past, their platform encompasses everything I need in managing my business and I couldn’t be happier with my decision!

I use HoneyBook for everything in my business, from invoicing & digital payments, to automated templates and contracts along with workflows to make sure I don’t miss a thing! I even use their built-in customizable contact form, ensuring that client inquiries are seamlessly added to my HoneyBook account from the moment a client contacts me! I’ve not only increased my productivity, but my client experience is consistent and streamlined, which has made my life a whole lot easier!

So today I’m sharing first hand, some of the features and amazing tools that HoneyBook offers within their platform, that I promise you my friend, will give you precious time back, because it definitely has for me! And I’ve partnered with their amazing team to give you 50% off your first year! Saving you over $20 a month on their monthly subscription or $200 a year on an annual plan, using this [LINK]!

So, with that said, here are some of my favorite features within HoneyBook:

The Pipeline (a.k.a my homebase)
The Pipeline houses all of my active projects where I can keep tabs on all of the different stages that I’m in with each client. It’s also customizable, so I can create my own tabs to better suit the needs of my business.

Tools
The tools tab helps me navigate my HoneyBook account, from easy access to my templates and bookkeeping, to my daily tasks and calendar, it’s all in one convenient spot so I don’t have to go searching!

Workflows
From the moment a Client inquires, all the way through album delivery, I utilize a workflow. This ensures that I am keeping on top of every step within the Experience I deliver from the very start!  It’s a great key feature that has helped me remember everything that I need to complete with ease! Once a workflow has been built, I can select it within a Client Workspace and checkoff tasks as I complete them!

Customized Client Workspace
Each of my clients has a customized client workspace assigned to them. This helps me keep everything related to their event organized. From emails to their proposal, invoices and questionnaires, it’s all there for me in one dedicated workspace.

Proposals + Invoicing
This is the piece that has truly helped me transform my business! With this feature, I have been able to provide my clients with a consistent and streamlined experience from the very start! They are able to view their proposal and payment schedule, digitally sign their contract and make their payments online with ease!

Email Automation
I am able to automate many of my responses through the use of templates and spend more of my time focusing on other details of my Client Experience. When an inquiry comes through or a proposal is sent, I can select from my templates and quickly respond, saving me so much time with emails! This also helps keep my Client Experience consistent and streamlined, ensuring that my client receives the communication and information they need.

Customizable Contact Form
This customizable form is embedded directly within my website’s “contact me” page, so when a potential client inquires, my HoneyBook account captures their information, and seamlessly organizes their inquiry in my pipeline. Since the form is customizable, I can make changes with ease and build it out with check boxes, dropdown menus and more, that coordinates with my brand!

Creative Community
Collaboration and Community is huge within my business and the Creative Community has been a great space for posting and finding these within my area. From vendor collaborations to paid opportunities, the Creative Community helps me keep connected and notifies me when opportunities arise. It’s a great resource for anything from styled shoots to finding paid work!

I hope my post has helped show you how it’s possible to automate, streamline and create consistency within your Client Experience! And if you take away anything from this post, take my advice: Honeybook is totally worth the investment! It’s been a game changer for my business for over two years!

If you are thinking about saying goodbye to the days of manually running your business like I did, I’ve partnered with the amazing team at HoneyBook to give you 50% off your first year, using this [LINK]!

And if you have any questions regarding HoneyBook, let me know! My doors are open, and I’d love to hear from you! Email me personally at: info@shariannephotography.com

xoxo,
Shari Anne