Your first week
Your first five days after you go live
Setup already gave you a live booking page, your hours, and a starter menu for your trade. This is what to do with the week that follows: a structured five-day plan that takes you from "my page is live" to "my calendar is filling." Each day has one focused outcome.
Setup lets you skip things, so a few days below start with a catch-up line. If you did that step in the wizard, it is already done and you can move straight past it.
Day 1
Services + pricing
Goal: Your menu reads like yours, not like the starter one.
- If you skipped the starter menu in setup (you unticked the box, or you picked "Something else"), add your first service now: nothing can be booked until one is published.
- Rename and re-price the starter services so they match what you actually offer (Settings → Services). Add real photos + descriptions.
- Set duration + processing time + before/after buffers for each.
- Set base price + (if applicable) deposit amount.
- Mark services public vs private; set 2-3 as Featured (the booking page renders those first, with a badge).
Day 2
Booking page polish
Goal: The live page reads like your brand, not goldenhour's.
- Upload your logo + favicon (Settings → Branding).
- Write the artist bio (see /help/founder-photo-and-bio).
- Pick a booking-page template (Settings → Booking page → Template).
- Set up your custom domain (Settings → Custom domain): DNS one-time setup ~10 min.
- Verify the email-from domain so confirmations send from your brand.
Day 3
Payments + security
Goal: Money flows + account is locked down.
- If you pressed "I'll set this up later" on payouts in setup, connect Stripe now (Settings → Payments): until you do, clients can book but cannot pay through the page. How long Stripe's own flow takes depends on your country and business type.
- Test a real booking with your own card: confirms charges work + receipts send.
- Turn on 2FA (Settings → Security). Save backup codes.
- Set your cancellation policy text + no-show fee (Settings → Policies). Pick from /help/cancellation-policy-templates.
Day 4
Marketing surfaces
Goal: Customers can find you.
- Claim your Google Business Profile + set the appointment-link to your goldenhour URL.
- Update your Instagram bio link (use /api/booking-link/<slug> for the stable redirect).
- Order printable QR-code business cards via /api/qr/<slug>.
- Draft your launch SMS to your existing client book (free templates in /help/winning-back-lapsed-clients).
Day 5
Soft launch
Goal: First real booking lands.
- Send the launch SMS to your top 20 existing clients.
- Post on Instagram with the booking link + a 'book first 5 spots' urgency line.
- Test the rinse-timer / aftercare flow yourself (book a fake one to walk it).
- Schedule end-of-week 15-min review in your calendar.
End-of-week review
15-minute check on Friday
- Did the launch SMS land? Open + click rate visible in Reports → Campaigns.
- Any bookings? If yes: read the customer experience end-to-end (manage page, prep checklist, confirmation).
- Anything missing? Lashes/brows on a face-only template? Lock-screen badge on your Apple Wallet pass? Note + fix Monday.