How to Set Up 17hats: A Step-by-Step Guide for Service-Based Businesses
How to Set Up 17hats
Congratulations on choosing 17hats!
Whether you're a photographer, consultant, home stager, coach, professional speaker, or another service-based business owner, you've taken an important step toward creating a more organized and efficient business.
One mistake I see repeatedly is business owners jumping into 17hats and immediately creating workflows or importing contacts without first planning how they want their business to operate.
The best 17hats setup starts with your client journey, not the software.
This guide will walk you through the essential steps to build a system that supports your business today and grows with you over time.
Before You Begin
Before clicking around inside 17hats, answer these questions:
- How do clients find you?
- What happens after someone inquires?
- When do you send a proposal?
- When is the contract signed?
- When do you invoice?
- When do clients schedule appointments?
- What happens after the project is complete?
Write down your client journey first.
The software should support your process—not define it.
Step 1: Complete Your Business Profile
Start by entering your business information.
Include:
Business name
Logo
Contact information
Page 2
- Website
- Business address
- Payment information
- Email signature
- Brand colors (where applicable)
These details will automatically populate your proposals, invoices, contracts, and emails.
Step 2: Connect Your Email
One of the first integrations you should enable is your email account.
Benefits include:
- Email history stored with each client
- Automatic communication tracking
- Less searching through your inbox
- Better client records
Now every conversation stays attached to the correct project.
Step 3: Connect Your Calendar
Your CRM should know when you're available.
Sync your preferred calendar to:
- Prevent double bookings
- Schedule consultations
- Display availability
- Manage deadlines
Keeping your calendar connected reduces scheduling conflicts and saves time.
Step 4: Customize Your Contact Fields
Every business tracks different information.
Don't settle for the default fields.
Create Custom Fields that reflect your business.
Examples include:
- Referral Source
- Service Type
- Property Address
- Event Date
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- Speaker Topic
- Venue
- Consultation Type
- Industry
- Lead Source
Good data leads to better automation later.
Step 5: Import Your Contacts
If you've been keeping contacts in another CRM or spreadsheet, now is the time to bring them into 17hats.
Before importing:
- Remove duplicates
- Correct email addresses
- Standardize names
- Clean outdated contacts
A clean database makes everything easier moving forward.
Step 6: Build Your Sales Pipeline
Your pipeline should mirror the way clients move through your business.
For example:
- New Inquiry
- Discovery Call
- Proposal Sent
- Proposal Accepted
- Contract Signed
- Invoice Paid
- Project Scheduled
- Project Active
- Project Complete
- Follow-Up
Every business will have its own stages.
Step 7: Create Email Templates
Don't rewrite the same email every day.
Start by creating templates for:
- Inquiry Response
- Consultation Confirmation
- Proposal Follow-Up
- Welcome Email
- Project Kickoff
- Reminder Emails
- Project Completion
- Thank You Email
- Review Request
Templates save hours each month.
Step 8: Build Your Documents
Create reusable templates for:
Proposals
Clearly explain your services and pricing.
Contracts
Protect your business with professional agreements.
Questionnaires
Collect the information you need before projects begin.
Invoices
Create branded invoices with consistent payment terms.
Once built, these documents can be reused repeatedly.
Step 9: Set Up Online Scheduling
Allow clients to book appointments based on your availability.
Configure:
- Meeting types
- Appointment lengths
- Buffer times
- Availability
- Confirmation emails
This reduces the back-and-forth often involved in scheduling.
Step 10: Configure Online Payments
Getting paid should be easy.
Set up your preferred payment processor and configure:
- Deposit requests
- Payment schedules
- Final invoices
- Automatic reminders
Clients appreciate a smooth payment experience.
Step 11: Connect Your Bank Account
17hats also offers bookkeeping features.
Connecting your bank allows you to:
- Import transactions
- Categorize expenses
- Track income
- Reconcile activity
- Monitor profitability
If you already use QuickBooks, you can connect the two systems instead.
Step 12: Create Your First Workflow
This is where 17hats truly shines.
Instead of manually completing repetitive tasks, workflows automate them.
For example:
- New Inquiry
- Send Thank You Email
- Send Questionnaire
- Schedule Consultation
- Create Proposal
- Generate Contract
- Send Invoice
- Project Begins
- Follow-Up Email
- Request Review
The goal is consistency.
Every client receives the same exceptional experience.
Step 13: Test Everything
Before inviting real clients into your new system:
Create a fake client.
Walk through the entire process.
Check:
- Emails
- Contracts
- Proposals
- Scheduler
- Payment Links
- Workflow Timing
- Client Portal
Testing now prevents problems later.
Common Setup Mistakes
Many new users make the same mistakes.
Avoid these common pitfalls:
- Building workflows before defining your process
- Using too many custom fields
- Importing messy contact lists
- Forgetting to test automations
- Overcomplicating workflows
- Skipping templates
- Ignoring reporting
- Start simple.
- Improve over time.
Pro Tips
Here are a few tips I share with every client:
- Map your client journey before touching the software.
- Name workflows clearly so they're easy to manage.
- Use consistent naming conventions for templates and documents.
- Review your workflows every quarter to identify improvements.
- Keep automation personal by using merge fields and thoughtful messaging.
- Don't automate everything—leave room for meaningful human interactions.
Should You Set Up 17hats Yourself?
Many business owners successfully complete a basic setup on their own.
However, if you want:
- Advanced automation
- Custom workflows
- Industry-specific templates
- Better reporting
- Scalable systems
- A streamlined client experience
Working with someone experienced in 17hats can save significant time and help you avoid rebuilding your system later.
Final Thoughts
17hats is one of the most powerful business management platforms available for service-based businesses—but its value comes from how it's configured.
The software won't fix inefficient processes on its own.
When you build your CRM around your client journey, automate repetitive tasks thoughtfully, and organize your business with intention, 17hats becomes more than software—it becomes the operational foundation of your business.
Take the time to set it up correctly, and you'll create a system that supports growth for years to come.
Ready to Get Started?
As a 17hats Ambassador and Business Systems Strategist, I help service-based businesses build systems that are tailored to the way they work.
Start with a 7-Day Free Trial
Use Referral Code: YVA50 to receive 50% off your first year of 17hats.
Need Help with Setup?
If you'd rather skip the learning curve, my ARC Systems Pulse Assessment identifies the best CRM structure, workflows, automations, and client journey for your business. From there, I can help you build a fully customized 17hats system designed to save time, improve your client experience, and support long-term growth.
