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Quickstart

Go from a new account to your first approved quote and paid invoice.

This guide takes you through the whole flow once: set up your account, connect Stripe, add a client, send a quote, and invoice it when it’s approved. Each step links to a full guide if you want more detail.

1. Create your account

  1. Sign up at app.tillage.ai/signup. No credit card is needed.
  2. Work through the setup screens:
    • Personal: your name and timezone.
    • Business: your Company Name, Industry, Country and Currency, plus your US state if you’re in the United States. Phone, email, address and website are optional.
    • Get Paid: connect Stripe now (step 2 below), or click Continue without connecting and do it later.
  3. On the last screen, click Create Your First Invoice, or go to the Dashboard.

The dashboard shows a Get set up with Tillage checklist until you create your first quote or invoice.

2. Connect Stripe

You need Stripe connected before you can send a quote or invoice.

  1. Go to Team Settings → Payments and click Connect with Stripe.
  2. Choose Connect Existing if you already use Stripe, or Set Up Express to create a new account.
  3. Finish Stripe’s verification steps.
  4. Under Fees & Invoicing, choose who pays the Platform fee (1%) and the Processing fee: Business absorbs or Client pays.

See Set up payments.

While you’re in Team Settings, upload your logo on the Business tab and check your Default Price (hourly rate), Default Variance (%) and Default Profit Margin (%) on the Quotes tab.

3. Add a client

  1. Go to Clients and click Add Client.
  2. Enter the Company Name.
  3. On the Contacts tab, click Add Contact and enter the contact’s name and email.
  4. Click Create Client.

See Clients and contacts.

4. Build a quote

  1. Go to Quotes → All Quotes and click New Quote.
  2. Enter a Project Name and choose your Client.
  3. In Line Items, click Add Line Item. Enter a title, a description, the Qty (hours), the Price (hourly rate) and the Var % (risk buffer).
  4. Add the rest of your lines. The totals update as you go: base, with variance, with profit margin, and the final total.
  5. Click Preview to see the quote as your client will.

The quote autosaves once a client is selected. Click Save Draft to save straight away.

To draft lines with AI instead, add your OpenAI or Claude key in Team Settings → AI and click AI Generate. See AI quote drafts.

5. Send it

  1. Click Send Quote.
  2. Check the recipients, subject and message.
  3. Click Send Quote.

Your client gets an email with a View Quote button. You’ll see the quote move to Viewed when they open it, and Approved when they click Approve Quote. See Send and approve.

6. Invoice the approved quote

  1. Open the approved quote and click Next Steps.
  2. Choose Invoice Flow to bill from the quote, or Contract Flow to send a contract for signature first.
  3. For an invoice, choose Single Invoice, set the Due Date, and tick Send first invoice to client immediately if you want it emailed now.
  4. Click Create Invoice.

To split the total into a deposit and later payments, choose Scheduled Payments instead, or use a contract with a payment schedule.

See Create an invoice.

7. Get paid

Your client opens the invoice, clicks Pay Invoice and pays by card or bank transfer. The invoice is marked paid automatically, and Stripe pays out to your bank account on its usual schedule.

If a client pays another way, such as by check, record the payment yourself. See Record payments.

Next steps