A prebuilt client-onboarding workflow
A client who pays and then hears nothing starts to doubt. A one-page outline shows them the first day in writing, without publishing the full delivery kit.
- Prebuilt
- onboarding workflow
- 1
- Written outline
- 0
- Kickoff calls
Ch. 01 What it is
A client who pays and then hears nothing starts to doubt. A one-page outline shows them the first day in writing, without publishing the full delivery kit.
Ch. 02 The public path
The ratified public depth, with its setup time and honest trade-off.
Tier 1 · simplest path
A written onboarding outline
Write one page that tells the client what happens first, what information they may need to provide, where shared work will live, and when they will see the first deliverable. Keep the detailed delivery sequence in the private kit. Never request credentials in intake.
Ch. 03 The detail
A client who pays and then hears nothing starts to doubt. A one-page outline shows them the first day in writing, without publishing the full delivery kit.
- Category
- Delivery · Client kickoff
- Format
- Playbook
- Level
- foundational
- Provenance
- Own-packaged
The actual problem
A client says yes, and then a week goes by. That gap between the signature and the first real piece of work is where doubt creeps in. The client has paid and has nothing to hold yet.
Onboarding is the first proof that the work is real and that the delivery has a clear start. A short written outline gives the client that first point of reference.
Why a day is the right target
A day is fast enough that the client does not sit in silence. Decide the shape of the first day in advance and present it as a short outline. The client should know what happens next, what information may be needed, where shared work will live, and when the first visible output is due.
Credential rail
Never request credentials in intake. Ask the client to complete any login, authorization, or access grant inside the service that owns it. Intake may record that access is pending, but it must not collect passwords, recovery codes, session tokens, private keys, or payment details.
If a task cannot be completed without access, name the access required and pause that task until the client grants it through the proper service.
No call is required for the outline. The detailed delivery kit and its full sequence remain withheld from this public entry.
What it takes to stand this public version up.
- 1
A written onboarding outline
Setup~30 min
- A plain document
- A shared folder
The honest version. The public path carries a benefit and a cost. Both are stated plainly.
Tier 1 · A written onboarding outline
An outline does not run the kickoff for you. A person still confirms that the client received it, answers questions, and checks that any requested information is appropriate to collect.
Edition June 2026 · Updated June 20, 2026