# Why Tillage Exists

Tillage was built to solve a real problem: the fragmented, manual, and time-consuming process of getting from an accepted quote to collected payment.

## The Problem: Tool Fragmentation

Before Tillage, running an agency or consultancy meant juggling multiple disconnected tools for every project:

### The Old Workflow

**Step 1: Create a Quote**
- Open your quoting tool (or worse, a spreadsheet)
- Build out line items manually
- Send to client
- Wait for approval

**Step 2: Generate a Contract**
- Client approves the quote
- Open a separate document editor (Word, Google Docs)
- Manually copy quote details into a contract template
- Add payment terms, scope, legal language
- Export as PDF

**Step 3: Collect Signatures**
- Upload contract to e-signature software (DocuSign, HelloSign)
- Configure signature fields
- Send to client
- Wait for signature
- Download executed contract

**Step 4: Create Invoices**
- Open your invoicing tool
- Manually re-enter line items from the quote
- Create first invoice (deposit)
- Duplicate invoice for each milestone
- Adjust amounts for payment schedule
- Send deposit invoice

**Step 5: Track Payments**
- Monitor for payment
- Send reminders manually
- Record payments
- Send next milestone invoice
- Repeat until project complete

### The Pain Points

This process is:

**Time-Consuming**
- 2-4 hours per project just for admin
- Manual data entry at every step
- Constant context switching between tools

**Error-Prone**
- Copying errors between tools
- Mismatched amounts between quote and invoice
- Forgotten payment milestones
- Inconsistent contract terms

**Expensive**
- DocuSign: $25-50/month
- Invoicing tool: $15-50/month
- Quote software: $20-40/month
- Payment processor: separate integration
- **Total: $100-200+/month** before you've billed a dollar

**Disconnected**
- No single source of truth
- Can't trace invoice back to contract
- No visibility into the full pipeline
- Reporting requires manual compilation

## The Tipping Point

The founder built Tillage after one too many experiences of:

- Sending a contract with the wrong project name (copied from a previous contract)
- Creating invoices that didn't match the approved quote
- Forgetting which milestone payment was next
- Spending Sunday afternoons on admin instead of actual work
- Paying for 4-5 tools that didn't talk to each other

The realization: **Why am I re-entering the same information in five different places?**

## The Tillage Solution

Tillage automates the entire quote-to-cash workflow in one integrated platform.

### One Platform, One Workflow

```
Quote → Contract → Invoice → Payment
  ↓         ↓          ↓          ↓
 AI      Wizard     Auto-Gen   One-Click
```

**Everything flows forward automatically:**

1. **Create a quote** (with AI assistance)
2. **Client approves** → Contract Wizard launches
3. **Build contract** from quote data (no re-entry)
4. **Client signs** → Invoices generate automatically
5. **Payment link** → Client pays in one click

### What Changes

| Before Tillage | With Tillage |
|----------------|--------------|
| 5 separate tools | 1 platform |
| 2-4 hours per project | 30 minutes |
| Manual data entry | Automatic flow |
| Copy/paste errors | Data integrity |
| $100-200/month | Free tier available |
| Disconnected data | Full audit trail |

### The Key Insight

The quote contains everything needed for the contract. The contract defines the payment schedule. The payment schedule generates the invoices. **So why enter it all multiple times?**

Tillage's architecture is built around this insight:
- Quote data flows into contracts
- Contract terms flow into invoices
- Payment schedules execute automatically
- One source of truth throughout

## Real-World Impact

### Time Savings

**Old process:** 2-4 hours per project
- Quote creation: 30-60 minutes
- Contract creation: 30-45 minutes
- E-signature setup: 15-20 minutes
- Invoice creation: 20-30 minutes per invoice
- Payment tracking: ongoing

**With Tillage:** 30 minutes total
- Quote creation: 10-15 minutes (with AI: 3-5 minutes)
- Contract wizard: 10-15 minutes
- Invoice & payment: automatic

**Savings: 90 minutes to 3+ hours per project**

### Cost Savings

**Old stack (monthly):**
- DocuSign or HelloSign: $25-50
- FreshBooks or QuickBooks: $25-50
- Proposify or PandaDoc: $20-40
- Stripe integration setup: time cost
- **Total: $70-140/month minimum**

**With Tillage:**
- Free tier: $0/month (1% on payments)
- Premium: $49/month (0% platform fee)
- **Savings: $70-90+/month**

### Error Reduction

- **Zero re-entry errors** - Data flows automatically
- **Consistent pricing** - Quote prices lock through invoicing
- **Nothing forgotten** - Payment schedules execute on time
- **Full traceability** - See the complete history

## Built for Agency Workflows

Tillage isn't a generic invoicing tool with contracts bolted on. It's purpose-built for how agencies actually work:

### Project-Based Billing
- Milestone payments tied to deliverables
- Deposit collection on signing
- Balance due on completion

### Retainer Management
- Recurring billing from contracts
- Automatic invoice generation
- Auto-payment collection

### Profitability Protection
- Variance buffers for scope creep
- Profit margins built in
- Pricing that protects your business

### Professional Presentation
- Branded quotes and contracts
- Digital signatures
- One-click payment links

## The Bottom Line

Tillage exists because agency owners and consultants shouldn't spend hours on administrative busywork. The quote-to-cash workflow should be:

- **Automated** - Data flows forward without re-entry
- **Integrated** - One platform, one source of truth
- **Fast** - Minutes, not hours
- **Affordable** - Not $150/month in tool subscriptions

Create a quote. Send a contract. Collect payment. That's it.

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*Try Tillage free at https://app.tillage.ai/signup*

*Related: [Quote-to-Cash Workflow](/llms/guides/quote-to-cash.txt) | [Contract Wizard](/llms/guides/contract-wizard.txt) | [Getting Started](/llms/getting-started.txt)*