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Onboarding

Your first delivery receipt in under an hour.

With your name. Your project. Your SHA-256 hash. Or we get on a call until it is.

45minutes

Total time for your first session

2things to bring

Your fee schedule + one recent project folder

1real receipt

In your inbox before the call ends

Step 1

Three questions. Not a form.

The application is a conversation. Three questions, one at a time. Ends with a Calendly link — not “we’ll be in touch.” You pick the time on the same screen.

Confirmation email has exactly two prep items: your standard fee schedule and one recent project folder. That’s it.

Start the application →
1

What’s your biggest documentation headache right now?

“Proving a report was received on time when a lead agency disputes it…”
2

How many active regulatory clients does your firm manage?

3

One last thing — pick a time for your setup session.

Calendly opens here — no “we’ll be in touch”

Step 2

The 45-minute session

First words on the call: “You mentioned proving delivery was your biggest headache — let me show you what that looks like solved, then we’ll build it for your firm.”

0–5 min

Your project, not demo data

We open Mainstay with one real project from your current work. Not a sandbox. Your client name, your deliverable, your timeline.

5–20 min

Watch it work — then build it yourself

You watch a 90-second scenario: document sent, recipient opens it, SHA-256 receipt auto-generates, QuickBooks-ready invoice draft fires. Then you build that same flow live — your client's email, your project category.

20–35 min

Send the test delivery

You send a real test delivery to your own email. On the call. While we're watching. The receipt arrives in your inbox with your name, your project, and the SHA-256 hash at the bottom.

35–45 min

State your Monday action out loud

Before the call ends: which project goes live Monday? Which client gets the first real delivery? We write it down. You say it. That's the close.

Delivery Confirmed
Project:
CEQA Monitoring Report — Hwy 58 Expansion
Delivered to:
lead-agency-pm@dot.ca.gov
Confirmed received:
2026-06-11 at 14:23:07 PST
SHA-256:
a3f9c2e...b17d4091
Issued by Mainstay · Tamper-evident · Chain of custody complete

The moment it clicks.

The test delivery arrives in your inbox on the video call. You open it on your phone. You see your name and the hash.

You pause.

That pause is the product working. Most principals start thinking about the skeptical client they’ve been arguing documentation with for two years. The receipt is already in their pocket.

If that receipt is beautiful and unmistakably yours, you’ll screenshot it before you’ve paid your first invoice.

Step 3

Session complete checklist

These seven things happen in sequence before the call ends. Not a nice-to-have list — this is the definition of done.

Every founding cohort firm leaves their first session with all seven checked. If anything is missing, we schedule a 20-minute follow-up until it isn’t.

  • Billing trigger configured — QuickBooks-ready export
  • Firm name and logo uploaded
  • First project category named
  • First real client email added
  • Test delivery sent to your own inbox
  • SHA-256 receipt held in hand
  • Monday morning action stated out loud

The questions everyone asks first

If you’re thinking one of these, here’s the real answer.

My workflows are too custom.

You set the categories. You set the recipient list. You set what triggers the invoice. We don't touch how you run your projects — we sit at the delivery moment, nothing else.

Who sets this up? I have no time.

The first session is 45 minutes. You bring two things: your standard fee schedule and one recent project folder. If it takes longer than a day, we get on a call until it doesn't.

What about projects already in flight?

Start with your next new project. Current projects finish the way they started. No migration, no disruption, no decisions about the past.

After the session

You’re not left with a tutorial. You’re left with a person.

Your dashboard

One screen. Your project. A green 'Send First Delivery' button. Your onboarding person's name and direct email. No feature tour, no help center.

Automated check-in

Day 7: a short email from your onboarding lead. Not a survey. Three questions: what went out, what was hard, what would have helped.

Ongoing support

Founding cohort firms get a direct line — not a ticket queue. If something breaks or confuses you, you contact a person who knows your firm.

Ready to hold your first receipt?

15 firms max. $599/mo permanently locked. No seat fees.