What is Dubsado? Learn more about why this all-in-one business CRM and automation software is super beneficial for freelancers and creative entrepreneurs.
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What is Dubsado?
Dubsado is a powerful business tool that was designed for creative small businesses in mind. It’s a project management tool that allows you to create and send proposals, contracts, invoices, and questionnaires.
You can also manage multiple projects using workflows, client portals, calendars, and bookkeeping. So many amazing features for you to use!
Currently priced at $40 per month (or $400 per year), Dubsado is an affordable option that automates the management side of the business.
Sign up for a Dubsado free trial here!
Dubsado’s Features
Dubsado is a powerful business tool that was designed for creative small businesses in mind. It’s a project management tool that allows you to create and send proposals, contracts, invoices, and questionnaires.
You can also manage multiple projects using workflows, client portals, calendars, and bookkeeping. So many amazing features for you to use!
Currently priced at $40 per month (or $400 per year), Dubsado is an affordable option that automates the management side of the business.
Related: Dubsado vs Honeybook: Which One is Right for You?
Dashboard
From the Dubsado dashboard, you can see the following at a glance:
- Financial overview – You can set a financial goal and see how much money you’ve made so far this year
- Open invoices – You can see how much money you’re expected to earn once all open invoices are paid
- Revenue indicator – This will tell you how this month’s revenue compares to last month’s revenue
- Recent – Under this section, you can see the latest updates, workflow actions, contracts that need your signature, and overdue invoices
- Monthly calendar – You can sync this with your Google or Apple calendar so you can receive notifications on your phone for discovery calls and project deadlines!
Automated Workflows
The most important feature is the fact that you can set up automation called workflows, and they are very customizable for your unique needs.
You can create Dubsado workflows that send automated emails on your behalf to help you turn new leads into clients. You can also use the workflows to book appointments and send your proposals, contracts, and invoices. We will cover each of these items in details below!
Proposal & Contract Templates
You can save templates within Dubsado which comes in handy if you offer a variety of services or packages. I purchased an Independent Contractor Agreement from The Contract Shop, and I was able to easily add the contract template into Dubsado.
From there, I made a few copies of the template and tweaked it to fit each one of the services that I offer: Pinterest and SEO to name a few. So, my contracts are ready to send out whenever a new client is interested in hiring me. And Dubsado makes contract signing super easy. Both you and your client can sign the contract digitally!
Lead Capture Form
The lead capture forms are also known as a type of contact form that you can add to your website. Dubsado provides an HTML code for each of the forms, so it’s easy for me to add a form to a landing page or blog post on my site.
The lead capture forms helped me book new clients at higher rates because I asked specific questions about their business needs.
With this information, I’m able to guide each potential client through our discovery calls with ease.
Canned Emails
Canned emails help me save time while streamlining communications. If you’re not familiar, a canned email is essentially a template that you use on the occasion that you don’t want to keep repeatedly typing up every time you need to send it.
After a while, I realized I needed canned emails for pitching myself, following up, or sending proposals and contracts.
Calendar & Appointment Scheduler
There are many calendar features that you can use to your advantage. You can use the calendar view to keep track of your client schedule and even sync it to your Google calendar.
Once you sync your calendar, you can link up a video conferencing like Zoom or Google Meet. This makes it a breeze to schedule appointments and consultations!
Packages
It’s very easy to set up your packages! Add the name, description, category, and pricing for each of your packages for improved organization.
When you have your packages set up, you can plug them into your proposal templates, contract templates, and invoices. I love how all the features connect with each other!
Invoicing
Invoicing is really easy to set up after you plug in the pricing of each of your packages. The invoices also look really clean and professional because you can include your business logo, brand colors, and contact information.
Payment Schedules
Dubsado has created several common payment schedules for you, including a fixed deposit, 50/50, and 34/33/33. However, f you require different payment schedules, you can easily customize them.
You can set up payment schedules in your workflow so your clients will get payment reminders to pay their invoices. This has been incredibly helpful for me because I hate chasing down clients and reminding them about their invoices!
Canned Emails
Dubsado allows you to create customized email addresses and signatures. You can also add those canned emails to your project workflows. This makes it easy to quickly create customized messages that are appropriate for specific situations.
Overall, Dubsado is a powerful tool that can help you streamline your workflow and improve the quality of your email correspondence.
Client Portal
When you create a client portal, you are providing your clients with an easy way to access all of your forms and email exchanges. This makes it easier for them to stay informed about what’s going on and to get answers to their questions quickly.
By making everything available in one place, clients can avoid having to search through different parts of your website or contact you individually. Needless to say, if you offer a client portal, your clients will be very impressed.
Related: How to Become A Freelance Writer with No Experience
Custom Branding
In the settings, you can apply your own custom branding including your business logo and brand colors. On top of that, you can add a custom email signature. This helps me communicate with clients in a professional manner because in my email signature, they can see a picture of me and have quick access to all of my social media accounts.
Organize Projects
Finally, I love how you can organize all your client leads and client projects. I’ve labeled my projects by the main type of work that I’m doing for each one. Then I separate clients that have ongoing retainer contracts and one-time projects. It helps me visually see how many client I’m working with at a time.
Integrations
Dubsado lets you connect your bank and other accounts with just a few clicks. You can integrate with Cloudspot, Quickbooks, Xero, conferencing apps, PayPal, and Stripe.
Dubsado allows users to connect an email account in order to send and receive emails. Additionally, Dubsado provides the ability to set up a tracking pixel so that users can keep track of when their emails have been received and viewed.
Pricing
- Starter Monthly Plan = $20 / month
- Premier Monthly Plan = $40 / month
- Starter Annual Plan = $200 / year
- Premier Monthly Plan = $400 / year
Is Dubsado a good fit for your business?
Dubsado is the ultimate client management system for small business owners in any industry. If your business requires administrative work, then you can use all the features to free time in your schedule. It’s honestly a game-changer if you need help sending out emails, proposals, contracts, and setting up appointments.
Dubsado has been very helpful for my growing business and I think it can help you manage your own business too! It’s definitely my favorite business management tool. Running a business is hard work so it’s nice to have some help at an affordable price!
Feel free to join their free Facebook group, where you can ask questions and get ideas from other entrepreneurs on how to use all the features. Their support team is amazing too and happy to help you out!