Go live in a day: the first-run setup checklist for new owners

The hardest part of any new tool is not learning it. It is the first hour, when the screen is empty and you are not sure what to do first. Bookatu tries to take that worry away. The moment you sign in, your dashboard shows a short setup checklist, so you always know the next step and exactly how far you have to go.

The whole point is to get you from sign-up to a live, bookable page the same day. Most owners can work through it in a single sitting. Here is what the checklist covers and why each step is there.

The six steps to a live booking page

The checklist is deliberately short. Six steps, in a sensible order, that take you from an empty account to a page clients can book on.

• Review your services and prices, so clients see what you offer and what it costs.
• Set your opening hours, so the calendar only shows times you actually work.
• Add your team, so bookings land with the right person.
• Add your logo, so your page looks like your business and not a blank template.
• Connect Stripe to get paid, which switches on deposits and online payments.
• Share your booking page, which is the finish line.

Why the checklist is honest

A progress bar is only useful if it tells the truth. Each step on the checklist ticks only when you have really done it, not just because you opened the page. So the bar filling up means something, and a finished checklist genuinely means you are ready to take bookings. There are no day-one false positives quietly telling you that you are set up when you are not.

The one optional step

Five of the six steps are about your page itself. The one optional step is connecting Stripe. You can go live and take bookings without it, but it is what turns on the parts that involve money. Connect Stripe and you can charge deposits, sell gift cards, packages and memberships, and take online payments, all into your own account. Our help article Connecting Stripe for payments walks through it, and it takes only a few minutes.

If you are not ready to take payments on day one, leave Stripe for later. Your page still works for free bookings, and you can come back and connect it when you are ready to add deposits.

Sharing your page is the finish line

The last step is the one that actually brings clients in. Once your page is live, put your booking link everywhere people look for you: your Instagram bio, your Google profile, your email signature and a QR code at reception. Our help articles Your booking page and Getting found online cover where to put it for the best effect.

If you want a deeper walk-through of each step as you go, the Your first-run setup checklist help article expands on all six. And if you are moving from another tool, our post Leaving Fresha or Booksy shows how to bring your clients across so your new page is busy from the start.

You can be live today

There is no long wait and no setup project that drags on for weeks. Work down the six steps, watch each one tick when it is truly done, and share your link. Most owners are taking bookings the same day they sign up. You can start free and follow the checklist from your very first sign-in.