honeybook is a client management system. it’s good for anyone who has clients they work with closely.

if you currently feel a bit unorganized with your work, clients, documents, bookkeeping, or schedule, honeybook can help you transition to an efficient, customized workflow. it’ll help you keep track of client information, send contracts, receive payments, check your calendar, see your current profit & loss statement, and access anything you need from a current project within seconds.

Before I started using Honeybook, I struggled with keeping track of client information. I just used my gmail business account. I spent my time aggressively scrolling through my inbox looking for client-specific info, hoping to find it in this lifetime. i kept track of expenses through an excel spreadsheet- not bad, but I didn’t know there was a better option. eventually i wondered why I didn’t have a better system in place.

even when people told me about honeybook, it took me a while to get out of my disorganized ways and sign up. the thought of a client management system sounded intimidating and complicated. i thought it would make everything even more confusing (not possible, lol). when i signed up, it looked overwhelming for the first couple of days. but that’s because it was new. It started making sense really fast. honeybook has made me more confident in the booking process. it’s simple, fast, and convenient for my clients. they can sign our contract, reference all our communication and documents, and easily pay with their debit/credit card through the system.

some thoughts from my own experience with honeybook are below, but this is just a small window into it. be sure to check their website here for more info and to chat with someone on their support team if you’d like. they even offer live video sessions for you to get a walkthrough of the system and ask any questions you want. you’ll never be alone in getting things off the ground and figuring it out.

if you sign up, don’t forget to use my affiliate link here for 50% off your first year. *i do get money when you sign up using my link, but i am not getting paid for writing this post

honeybook allows you to make a contact form within the system, and all you have to do is embed the code onto your website’s contact page (if you’re a squarespace user, you must be on the business plan for this to work). when a client reaches out to me through the form that is on my website, honeybook automatically creates a client workspace for them. both you and the client can easily access this space quickly at anytime to see files you’ve sent each other, your contract, and every message you’ve shared. one link vs. scrolling through a bunch of unrelated emails to get there.

this is a peek at what some client workspaces looks like on my end. so much better than in gmail:

when I want to see all of my upcoming projects, and where we’re at in our work together, i can look at my project overview. in the overview, you’re able to customize what a typical workflow is for you. this is what that looks like for me:

i used to not know what phase some of my jobs were in. now i always know when i’m waiting for a retainer, when i have something to plan, a job within 30 days, a photo print to send a client, a review to ask for, etc. you can’t see it in the screenshot above, but the last part of my pipeline says “complete,” and it’s so satisfying once a project reaches that final stage. being able to see all of this in one place is perfect for my brain. it takes under 15 seconds to log in, find the exact client, and open the file i need to reference.

bookkeeping- I can keep track of every single one of my business expenses in this system, and honeybook even generates a profit & loss statement. you’ll always know how much money you’ve made within this calendar year, and how much of it you’ve taken home. you can even connect your HB account to Quickbooks to make it easier for you (or your accountant) when tax time arrives.

there’s a financial reports section that shows you your booking success rate, the total value of your bookings, the dollar amount of payments you’ve collected, and the dollar amount of upcoming payments. I don’t have to keep a separate excel spreadsheet. i don’t need to make a to-do list in the notes section of my iphone. if someone reaches out to me inquiring about a date that i already have booked, honeybook automatically lets me know i’m unavailable. if i want to create an email template that tells a client “hey i’m unavailable for this, but here are some other photographers i recommend!” I can.

payment- your clients are able to pay through the system. you send them their contract and invoice, and they’ll be directed to a page where they can pay through bank transfer or with a credit/debit card. all of this is in one place, extremely secure and convenient for everyone involved. no more venmo for business transactions in 2021 and beyond.

i wouldn’t be sharing this if it weren’t something i currently believe in and use.

don’t forget to use this sign up link for 50% off of your first year

amira