How to Onboard Freelance Clients Smoothly & Professionally

1. Introduction: Welcome everyone. I'm Donna and I'm going to be your tutor throughout this entire class, and we're going to be looking at how to onboard freelance clients smoothly and professionally. By the end of this class, you'll have a step by step onboarding process, a welcome message template, a client information checklist, a simple file organization system, and a professional way to start projects. By the end of this, you would have created this so that when it comes to onboarding those clients, it would be nice and smooth and easy. Let's get started. 2. What onboarding is and why it matters: What onboarding is and why it matters is what we're going to cover next. Let's dive into what client onboarding really means. Onboarding starts the moment you say a client says, Yes, to your services and continues until you kick off basically. Now, there are five key components to focus on when it comes to onboarding. You've got communication. This is where you start building a strong relationship with your client. You need to work out how you're going to communicate. But we are going to cover off all of this in the next couple of lessons. But that's a really important thing and it builds a really good foundation as well. Second, we have information collection. Gather all the details you need to meet your client's expectations effectively. That's login details, access to things that you would need, everything to set up basically. That's in the information gathering stage. Then setting expectations. This is a really important part. You need to be clear about what the client's going to anticipate from your subsis, what they're going to get? Four, confirm timelines, make sure everyone is on the same page regarding deadlines. There is nothing worse than one of you thinking one thing and one of you thinking the other thing. Agree to the deadlines. Finally, getting organized. This is where you structure all the information to ensure a smooth workflow. Being organized is really important. All your questions are answered, put them in a file somewhere, make sure you know the answers to those questions, all those login details, put everything in an ideal place for both of you to access. So why beginners struggle with onboarding? There's actually so many reasons for this, actually, and it's a lot of reasons why a lot of people lose clients. So the common challenges include feeling unsure what to say. They've got that, I don't know what to say thing. Should I be asking this? Should I be asking that? They really don't know what they need to be asking. They're unsure. But that is a thing that will be built from confidence. Not knowing what information to request is a very, very very common one actually. People are daunted by, can you just give me this and this and this and they feel like they're pestering the clients? You're not. You're getting everything you need ready. Nervousness around contracts and payments. That's a big one. Everyone has it, I've had it. Nobody wants to talk about money or contracts, but it is really, really important for people to sign those contracts. If the client refuses to sign the contract, do not do the work is what I would advise. Unless they've got a genuine reason, you can update those contracts to suit that reason, but there should be a formal contract and they need to understand the payments. When you do send an invoice, they're not doing, is that really how much it is? Am I going to get paid for that? Make sure that it's on there. Next is fear of sounding too formal or demanding. You're not. You are just making sure that you're all set up, you're in, they're in, they know what they want, they know how to get in touch with you. You know what tasks you're doing and you can just get on with it. And finally, no systems or structure yet, which is why this class exists because you do need a system, you need a structure so that you can fall back on and go, right, this is how I do this with every client. I do this, this this this. Here's my process. Once you've got a structure in place for one client, it becomes so much easier for the rest of your clients, to be honest. What good onboarding looks like. A strong onboarding process is simple, clear, organized, friendly, professional. You know, it should make clients think, I'm in good hands and this person I trust, they know what they're doing, and we can just get on with things. That's the way a lot of clients want to work. They just want to hand you stuff and leave you to do it most of the time with a bit of handholding, check ins from time to time, messages, but they just want to just get on with it. That's ideally what a good onboarding process is. So what happens without a good onboarding process? This is the problems that a lot of freelancers come to at some point in the relationship with the claim. The scope creeps. This is my biggest bear. This is where the product expands beyond the initial agreement. You've got your agreement and it just grows. Your task list grows, purely for the fact that that wasn't talked about in the initial onboarding. There's a lot of misunderstandings and last minute changes. This can disrupt your workflow. Then you've got poor communication. Like we initially said, communication is really important, pomp communication and then delayed payments. Then that causes a bit of a strain on the relationship because the cash flow for you is really important for them. They're just dragging their heels quite a lot and then you start to distrust them basically and you don't trust them at all. Then it becomes a bit of a toxic relationship and that's not what you want. So that's why we say onboarding every aspect, the contracts, everything has to be done to avoid these issues. Confused expectations is another one that often happens when they don't know what they're getting both sides feel dissatisfied because you thought one thing, they thought one thing when it comes to expectations and deadlines and timelines and all that, and they thought something else because there's no real setup from day one of what is expected of each other. Basically, you might be like, I was expecting this from you, but I couldn't do it, and then they were like, Well, I was expecting this and then there's a bit of a confusion that often happens. So let's remember that good onboarding is basically a shield against these types of challenges. It sets a clear path and ensure everyone is on the same page, and that is what onboarding is. It's on the same page and you both know what you're doing, you both know what you need from each other. You know how to communicate. It's just the foundations of absolutely everything and then you'll just eventually build on it. So that's it for this lesson. Move on to the next one where we talk about client onboarding workflow. So um this will be an interesting one to jump into really. 3. Your simple client onboarding workflow: In this lesson, we're going to cover off your simple client boarding workflow. Let's dive into the five step onboarding process that will set you and your clients up for success. First, the client says yes, that's always a great starting point. Two is send a welcome message. Three, collect information, four, set expectations and boundaries, five, correct files and product setup, and six start the project. I'm going to break all of these points down right now. Let's start with the first one. Let's dive into the first step of the onboarding process. The moment the client says, this is a pivotal point in relationship where they express their commitment to be working with you. They might say things like, let's do it or please send details or even I'd love to get started. Now, once a client gives you the green light, your role is crucial. You need to respond quickly and clearly. This is your chance to set the tone for the entire project. A prompt response not only reassures the client that they made the right decision, but also demonstrates your enthusiasm as well. Remember, a quick and clear response can strengthen the confidence in you and pave the way for a smoother on boarding process. So we'll jump into step two, sending the welcome message. This step is all about setting the tone for a positive client relationship. Your welcome message should include a few key elements. First, start with a warm friendly greeting. This helps build the rapport. Next, clearly confirm what you'll be doing for the client. That assures them that you're both on the same page. Make sure to include your start date and outline what happens next. This gives the client a clear timeline and sets expectations early on. Also, let them know when they'll be hearing from you next so they'll feel informed and included in the general process. Remember, we'll be crafting this message together later on in the class. Take this time to think about how you want to convey your enthusiasm and professionalism in your welcome message. Collecting information is the next step and it is a crucial one. First, recognize that every project requires solid structure. Gathering the right information up front will save you time and prevent misunderstandings later on. Key information I'm talking about is including logging details, brand information, your client's preferences, that's communication, the BlotsA, they want calls weekly. Don't forget to ask for examples, inspiration for things like for example, if you're handling their social media, do they want it currently the same style or do they prefer a different style? This can help you in the creative process and to jump onto something quite quickly. Also, remember to gather timelines and communication preferences, how do they want to talk? How often? Finally, ensure you have all the required documents before starting. We'll soon create your own personalized checklist in a different lesson as well. But it's really important to have that checklist to hand when you're doing these on boarding. Number four, this is all about setting expectations and boundaries. This is so important to have clear communications and a successful project. First, clarify how often you'll be communicating with your client. It's important for them to know what to expect and when they'll hear from you. I have a client that I would probably speak to once a week on a Friday at 8:00 every single week and that's how we do it. We can talk throughout the week, but generally not as much, and then we have our debriefing every Friday. That works. You just need to find the balance with your client. Next, outline what tasks are included in the project, and as importantly, what tasks are not included. This helps prevent any misunderstandings run. You might find there is a project that you're involved in, but for example, the more technical side, they may have outsourced that somewhere else or someone in house is doing that, but they need you for a specific set of tasks. Be clear on that. Also make sure you communicate your working hours and delivery timelines, really important. This sets a clear boundary for when you're available and helps manage the client's expectations regarding project deadlines. They need to know if you don't work specific days or you don't work full days. For example, if you finish at two every day, they need to be aware of this so that if you don't respond to them and they forget or they come back to you and go, why didn't you respond quick enough? You can then state, well, you know my working hours are 9-2. And you can reiterate it. Sometimes you will find with clients in the beginning, if you don't work specific days or you have shorter days, you will have to remind them a couple of times, especially if they're like, Well, I didn't hear back from you and you just need to reiterate, my working hours are nine until two, for example, just so that they're aware of this because sometimes they will forget. Don't be put off if they do come back to you go, wait, why couldn't I get hold of you? Don't worry. Sometimes that's a little bit of a hit in in the beginning when you're working with a new client. Lastly, be clear about what you need from a client to move forward efficiently. When both parties on the same page, it leads to a smoother project. If you need a specific tool, you don't have it, you're used to using something. Maybe it's a page subscription or anything like that. For you to do your job, well, you need to tell your client that's what you need. Majority of the clients, if they need something doing, they will pay for a subscription, say for a Cava, for example, the pro version or adobe. If that's what they're used to, they will pay for it. But it's really important to tell them what you need, what tools that you need, what access as well. And number five, let's talk about files and systems. The goal here is all about organizing before you dive into the project, before you just get wrapped into things and then you go, wait. Where was this? Where's the information for this? Create a central hub of all your information. You will have all your client folders in one place. You will add all key documentation like your contracts, for example, any passwords, anything relevant, like the brand guidelines or anything that they send you any instructions, any notes, for example, you might find that you find it really helpful to subscribe subscribe. Basically describe your notes basically after a discussion on Zoom and it makes it easier for you to backtrack and you know where they are. Content calendars, tasks list, all of that, templates, anything like that, make sure that it's in a folder somewhere, or there's links to where everything is online because a lot of stuff is online now. Make sure you know where it is. Make sure you've got it, you got it ready. As soon as they give you the passwords things, it's really important to test them out. Test them out before you start. If there's any problems, you can't access something, then they'll know you don't want to get to starting a project and going, I can't access anything. There's nothing worse to it. A lot of tools that you'll find will have two step verification you'll find. So it'll be linked to somebody's phone or email or something. That's the point where you need to be asking like how are we going to work this out basically. I know for a fact Mailchimp, for example, has two step verification, but you can add people on to basically go around the verification or have their own set one, but they can access the main account. Have a thing. That's the five steps. Hopefully, you've got a bit of an idea of what you need to be doing. But we're actually going to jump into creating your client's welcome message now, which is one of the next steps after basically saying yes, you've got the yes part, so this is the next step in this flow. As we're going through this, write some notes down. Think about what kind of messages you will do because your project is going to be related to you creating all of these five set steps and uploading them, but they're there for your personal use from when you are onboard your own clients as well. Let's crack on to the next lesson. 4. Writing your client welcome message : In this some, we're going to cover off writing your client welcome message. Why the welcome message matters? Well, it sets the tone for your entire relationship. When you're writing one, it should be warm, clear, professional, confident, and organized. You're trying to tell the client they've made the right choice. Let's look at the structure of one. Here's a really common structure. So you start with an opening. This sets the tone and makes him feel valued and then confirm what you'll be doing St step two, and this reassures the client that they've made the right choice and that you're on the same page too. Next, clearly state the start date. This helps manage expectations and provides a timeline for your client. After that, explain the next steps. Make sure your client knows what to expect after the initial contact. Transparency builds that trust at the end of the day. If there's anything necessary else you need to include, then include that and then finally end with a positive tone. Leave them feeling confident about the partnership and really excited. You could finish off saying something along the lines of, if you have any more questions, please let me know. I'm always here happy to help you. Nice and friendly. I've got a bit of an example for you. So hi, Charlotte, I'm excited to work with you. To confirm, I'll be handling your social media service, and I'll beginning on 2 June. Before I get started, you please send me the information or for all your social media accounts, including LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter and your scheduling tool as well. Once I have everything, I'll organize the project and I'll keep you updated. Look forward to working together. It's clear, it's simple, it's professional. That's all it needs to be. Now is the time for you to create your own welcome message. Start with a friendly tone. Then confirm what you'll be handling. What tasks, you could even bullet point it. You could do it in one paragraph. It depends on what you're doing. If you're doing a range of different things, then list it. Make sure you list everything that you will be handling. Then pick a start date and say what time you'll be starting, information request for anything that you need. What do you think you'll need to be able to do your job effectively? Next steps. I haven't actually said what the next steps are. Usually the next step when you include in a welcome thing is usually an onboarding call or a kickoff call, a call of some type, unless you can just jump straight in, it depends on what the service or tasks you're doing is. Next steps, you could just be like, I'll be starting on the Monday, but we'll have an initial call on the Tuesday or Monday afternoon once I've had time to go through everything, think of questions. I always handle it that way where I start the work in the morning. Or do a few hours and then I have a call so that I can be like, if I've got any questions at that point, the very first day, I do them then. Then think of a positive close. Just basically saying how excited you are and you're looking forward to working for them. That's it. It doesn't need to be too long, but it's very clear what you want, what they're doing, and when you're starting. That's really important to give them the right information. Then usually you'll get another email back just to confirm everything and then you can proceed. Spend some time, write your own version because this is part of your projects as well, but this is part of you setting up your onboarding process as well to get cracking. 5. What to collect from a new client : What to collate from a new clients. Let's dive into why gathering clear information from the start is crucial for any project. First and foremost, it saves us time, time that we can then dedicate to enhancing the quality of our work rather than clarifying details. Next, it significantly reduces the stress, not just for us, but also like cli. When everyone is on the same page, there's less room for anxiety about whether things are on track, and it stops that problems emerging and teething issues becoming a bigger issue. Finally, it cuts down on the back and forth messages. We've all been there, which can often lead to mistakes and confusion, especially if you miss an email chain or you're talking in one and you're getting a different email about something else, it stops all that. Imagine how much smoother these things run without the constant ping of emails or calls just to clarify things. Clear information is the foundation for any successful project. Keeping it organized from the beginning sets the stage for an efficient process. So the information you should collect it will probably be a lot of these, but there might be things that you need specifically for a specific role or a niche, but this is a general one. Logins or access details to anything that you'll be using. Brand guidelines is really important, as well as examples of things like social media, the tone of voice preferences too, who is their audiences that they talk to? Examples of the work they like. They might be transitioning into doing growing their socials, but changing the style. That might be the reason that you've been put on board with them. Deadlines are really important. So everybody knows if there is an issue with deadlines, it is really important in the beginning to be really upfront with your client if there is going to be an issue with deadlines. If you set a deadline and then something crops up and you basically can't meet it or you're going to be late by a day, tell it to your client. Do not panic about it because a client would rather you tell them that you're going to be late with a good explanation rather than you go past the deadline and hope they forget the deadline. They will appreciate that. That's how you build relationships, by the way. You also need information about the required tools, key priorities, and any restrictions or boundaries that they may have. It might be down to anything to do with socials. They might have restrictions on certain things you can say or do or a certain way of the restrictions of where the logo needs to be. The boundaries can be anything, but it's really important to understand where they are. So let's talk about how to request information. This is really simple. Use a really simple message basically along the lines of help me get started smoothly. Could you please send me list all the items? This helps me work efficiently and ensures everything is accurate. Clients appreciate this clarity. They now know from that simple message what they need to do and what they need to give you. If you do not hear from them before your start date and stuff like that, go back and say, first of all, did you receive my message? Second of all, what is the ETA on getting access to the various tools that I would require or is there a point of contact that I can get in touch with for them to help me get access so that I can be ready to start the project nice and easy. So now is the time that you do this as well. We've done our welcome message. Hopefully, you've written your message down. Now is the time for you to create your own checklist. Your checklist should include things like practical details. And the logins and the tools, your creative preferences as well. Is there anything specific that they're looking for, the language, the tones, the colors, logos, anything that you need packaged up. Add that to your checklist, tools or access, deadlines, ensure that everything is going to be delivered on time, communication style, and make this a part of your onboarding routine. And what you can do is if you offer packages, this is always helpful is do a starter onboarding one for each of those packages that you offer because they're all going to be very different, aren't they? Or if you do various tasks, you might do admin or you might do social media, write down the things that you would need in order to do the tasks that you would normally do. Because you've already told them in an email what you're doing. It's really important to get down, make sure that you've got everything practically to get stuck in at the end of the day. If there's things that they haven't got or they haven't sent over, keep asking for things or say to them, I haven't got access to this. Is there another alternative tool? They might use different tools from you. So there might be a bit of a learning curve with certain things, but hopefully you talk that through in the beginning stages. But yeah, the more you communicate at this point, the better it is. So when you do site project, you can just get stuck in and get into it straight away. 6. Setting boundaries and expectations: So let's look at setting those boundaries and expectations. So why do boundaries matter? Well, they protect three key areas, your time, your mental health, and your energy. They ensure that these precious resources are protected, allowing you to deliver high quality work consistently, and they make you look professional. By setting those boundaries, you're basically creating a mutual respect relationship between the two of you. If your client decides to not be respectful of your time and your energy, then you will soon find that it has a knock on effect on the quality of your work and becomes a very toxic relationship that you'll end up just breaking because it doesn't work no longer. It's really important to set the boundaries from day one. So the types of things that you need to be defining include your working hours. What are they? Do not break these hours unless you are making them up or anything like that, but stick to your working hours. Response times as well, be clear on what they are. Are they 12 hours? Are they 24 hours? How long is your response times, ideally for the client to know? Revision limits is really important as well because some people will go massively over that. You might say two revisions maximum and people keep trying to push, push and push. No, set it as two and keep firm on it. Include your tasks as well, including your tasks, set your boundaries, what are your tasks? What are the things that aren't on your task list? If you get asked to do something that isn't on that list, push back. Additional fees as well is really important. If, for example, they want you to do extra hours or for example, different tasks that you are capable of doing, then set the expectation there is an additional fee on top of that. Same as expectations of communication channels is really important. Stick to them. What is it? Well, which platform? How do they like to communicate? Do they need a weekly meeting? Is WhatsApp or email better for them? What works and stick to it? If you're finding that they're going on to different channels that you haven't agreed to, initially, it can be really frustrating because you probably would miss what's going on one channel because you're so used to them talking to you say, for example, what's at. Clear boundaries will create a smoother relationship. It's really, really important to set it up properly and manage your expectations. How do you communicate boundaries clearly? It's easy. Just use straightforward phrases. You would have set all these boundaries out in your welcome email and through discussions and things like that. They should be aware of all of this. But if there are moments which there will be with all new clients they will push it. These are some of the simple phrases that you can say, for example, I'll respond within 24 hours. You can do it as an auto reply to your emails after say 2:00. I'll say when you respond. If somebody contacts you on a Saturday or Sunday, you go back. I work Mondays and Fridays, just to reiterate, I don't work weekends. Revisions are included as outlined, simple phrases like that. Saying that you've done the revisions, everything that they've done, and if there's any further ones, then they need to do them not you. Any additional tasks outside the scope will be quoted separately. Be really, really sure about this one and really on it when they ask you for additional tasks that you haven't initially agreed to do not do them because you're trying to be nice or if they get a bit weird about it or it's only going to take you half an hour to do. No. Say, I will quote you separately from this because at the end of the day you've agreed your pricing for a certain set of tasks, they are pushing the boundaries. Then before you know it, that one little task will become three, four, five, six, and it'll be an expectation, and that additional fee might not balance out as well. For example, the task might be more tech focused than what the other tasks are doing. So for example, you should be charged a little bit more for that. When it comes to it, be really simple, direct and professional when they push the boundaries if they start to do it consistently, then you need to write a longer email explaining and pointing out, this is the fifth time you've done this. You keep a sending me emails and expecting me to respond on my days off and I just want to make it clear. I do not work outside these hours because of this reason or those are my hours be very, very clear and set the expectation and be clear that you will not be working those hours, the same with any revisions and stuff. If they keep pushing on your visions, you've agreed to two or three, however many, stick to it. If they want further revisions, so there will be an additional cost because it is your time, it's your energy going into this. If they are not happy with the revisions, then that's the point where they need to come back to you with clear instructions as to why they don't like the revisions currently made from the last two or three, what is the problem, what's not working so that you can reach a point of next time I do this, the revisions are only down to one. It's a lot of learning. It's a lot of learning with a lot of this. You will find that there will be boundary pushing quite a lot, but you need to push back with certain things. Things don't work, go back and go. Well, the revisions are taking longer. Can I ask why? Can we have a discussion about this? Clients are happy to talk about that. A honesty, it's not a scary thing. Honestly, I might feel it, but once you've had that discussion, you will feel so much better. It's really important to make sure that those boundaries are set. We've talked about boundaries. This is what will happen if you don't set your boundaries, and this is what happens a lot. So by having strong boundaries, it shows that you've got respectful clients. However, if you don't, without clear guidelines, clients may do the following and I've experienced all of this. They will message you constantly and it is annoying and it is borderline to the point where you feel harassed and edgy and anxious because you're trying to do everything, but they're breathing down your neck and it's not good and it's not productive for you. It's not how you work. They all expect last minute changes. This can be very stressful for you in particular in terms of your working hours, if you finish at two, and they send you this at 1:30 and it's going to take you longer. You're going to feel like you're going to have to work outside your working hours and that's a boundary cross. Also, last minute changes should have been agreed. If there was something needed doing, you need to push back at that point saying, I should have been given more notice, you know my working day finishes two. I do half an hour today and I'll start it the next day. When things like this happen, push use the boundary talk and talk about, this is the boundary I set. This is what I'm sticking to. However, this is what I'll, I'll do this additionally tomorrow or that type of language. When you send messages or you're communicating back, just don't go, Oh, no, I don't want da da da hours. Be clear, but I don't want these hours, but that'll be my first task tomorrow. Try and add a bit of positivity into the end of the messages I find really helps. They'll add more tasks for free. So many of the clients do this. They'll say, it only takes you 5 minutes, it doesn't it's not in your scope, don't do it. Say, it's not part of my remit and you don't work for free, that's simple as. They need to understand that you get paid to do the tasks that you're doing. Question your process. I don't particularly like this one. Clients will start when they start questioning your process. It just feels very disrespectful from your client, they don't trust you. This is a conversation you can say is explain why do you need to know the process, the results more important. And clearly they're trying to find out something about what you do, how you do something, or maybe a tool that you use that they've never heard of. It can be a very innocent thing questioning your process in terms of the quality of your work might be really high, higher than it's ever been and they don't know why and what you do to get it to that point. That could be a very innocent thing. Ask what do you need to know about the process? If however, they start questioning your process and they want to know every teeny tiny thing that you do and how you get from here to here to here, that's the point we need to say, have a conversation, doesn't the end result matter more. As long as I do the work, it's a bit more important how it's finished and you've got finished result than how I get to that. You can go through the process for them and talk to them, but I find majority of the time it's best to try either find out why they're talking about it or nip it in the bud. Pusher availability is a very, very common one. If you have set hours, stick to your set hours. They will push. They will push. Can you work on a Friday night? Can you do this last minute? Can you just finish at three instead of two? Unless you've had a very good conversation and the hours are being moved from somewhere else, you're happy with it and it's not going to be a problem for you for childcare or whatever else you need to do in your life. Fine. But if they start pushing availability on you and they say, well, it would be better if you were here t three, blah, blah blah. Well, no, that's what you set out in the beginning. If it's not working, ask them why, why isn't it working? If there's a reason and then if there's more flexibility, have a discussion, but don't feel pushed to change your hours for them whatsoever. Your boundaries matter and you will end up bun out or losing clients from stress more than anything purely from not setting your boundaries. Make sure they know what your boundaries are. Be very clear in your contract that you send them because it'll have everything in there and it's something that they can reference as well. So if there's any problems go, it was stated in the contract that you signed MRD, knowing my hours. You've got leverage to say, you signed it, you agreed to it, we're not changing it because you want to change something. But I will say if you've got some fantastic clients, we'll push the boundaries slightly, but once you say no to something, they'll back off and they'll fully accept you. That is a respectful client. That is what you're after at the end of the day. We're going to move on to talking about setting up your files and systems next. 7. Setting up your files and systems: In our last lesson, we're going to look at setting up your files and systems. Let's talk about why being organized with your files and systems is crucial. First, it significantly reduces the stress. When everything's in its place, you spend less time searching and more time focus on what really matters. Secondly, it boosts your efficiency. An organized system means you can work faster and more effectively. Thirdly, it enhances your professional image. When your clients see how well you're managing your information, it instills confidence in your ability. And finally, it helps you to avoid losing those documents, and that is a feeling nobody wants. It is chaos and you get stressed and you pull your hair out looking for those documents. That's why we always say put everything in one place. What kind of things do you put in your client folder? Well, the types of things to include, you're welcome message. It might seem silly, but you might accidentally delete it in your Gmail account, whatever email account use. It's handy to have when you have to refer back to it at any point. Client information, your contracts, project notes, sample work, login and access details, always important to include a copy in there, deliverables, templates, anything, anything that they've given you any information, any brochures, anything document wise that they've given you that will help you do your job. Put it here. Everything should be stored in one place. We can you store these things? What will make your life a little bit easier? There are some tools out there. Google Drive is a big one. I use this on a day to day basis, brilliant. You can organize anything. Dropbox, Notion, troll is quite helpful. You could do boards of things, so steps on how to do things or what tasks. Many clients use it as well. ClickUp is one that clients tend to use a sauna. And Canva folders. Canva folders is quite helpful when you're putting all the templates in one place as well so that you can share. But choose what tool suits you. Which ones will keep you organized. Don't choose something you're like, I'm going to have to learn how to use that. Now, just choose something that works for you, something simple, something that you know where you can find client information, quick and easy. Finally, preparing for your first week, you have done everything. You have boarded them. Now you're preparing for your first week. Before starting the project, make sure the following. You've outlined your tasks, you've created the timeline, you know where the deadlines are, you've asked any final questions to clarify Eps anything, you confirm the delivery date. Now you should feel ready and confident to begin. That is the whole point of onboarding is for you to feel able and relaxed enough when you start, you know exactly what you're doing. Same with the client. Client will know, this person is dying on Monday, they're going to be doing this from Monday. Fantastic. You've got all your boundaries in, you know how you're going to get in touch with them and you can just feel confident enough just to crack on with stuff. That's the whole point of unboarding. It stops the problems that we've discussed, like boundary issues and communication issues and things like that later on and down the line. When you do hit them, you should now know what to do and how to refer back to the fact that you've done an onboarding process, you've talked about it, they know what your boundaries are. They know how to get in touch with you. If they're calling you nonstop, you know that you can just go back to them and say, This is our method of communication. This is what we agreed on. Why are you doing this? You can push back a little bit. But hopefully you found this course nice and interesting and useful and you're taking a lot away from this. Head over to the project section, fill in all of your tasks, but the tasks are related to what we've covered. When you are done, when you've uploaded onto Skillshare Project section, you have a workable flow, an onboarding process that you can use for every single client going forward.