> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.detailahead.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick Start: Create Your DetailAhead Account Today

> Create your DetailAhead account, set up your business profile, add your first customer, and book your first job in under 10 minutes.

You can go from zero to a live job on your dashboard in under 10 minutes. This guide walks you through the five key steps: creating your account, filling in your business profile, adding your first customer and their vehicle, creating your first order, and reading your dashboard overview. By the end you'll have a working setup ready to take real bookings.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create your account">
    Go to [detailahead.com](https://detailahead.com) and click **Start free trial**. Enter your name, email address, and a password, then verify your email when the confirmation lands in your inbox.

    After verifying, you'll land on the onboarding screen. Choose how you want to use DetailAhead:

    * **Create a store** — you're the business owner setting up your own detailing operation. This is the right choice for most users.
    * **Join a team** — your employer already uses DetailAhead and has sent you an invitation. Check your email for their invite link and accept it here.

    <Tip>
      If you choose **Create a store**, DetailAhead walks you through a short setup wizard. You can go through every step (about five minutes for the full guided path) or choose **Just the essentials** to get through the three steps the platform needs before it can take a booking — business details, services, and hours.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set up your business profile">
    Open **Settings** from the left-hand sidebar and select **Business Profile**. Fill in the following fields:

    * **Business name** — shown on invoices, your booking page, and the top of your dashboard
    * **Address or service area** — e.g. *York and 20 miles around* if you're mobile
    * **Phone** — your contact number for customer-facing communications
    * **Contact email** — the address customers and invoices reply to
    * **Opening hours (in words)** — e.g. *Mon–Sat, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM*. This text is displayed on your booking page. Actual bookable time slots are controlled separately under **Settings → Opening Hours**.

    Click **Save changes** when you're done.

    <Note>
      You can also upload your business logo from the Business Profile panel. Your logo appears on invoices and the public booking page.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add your first customer">
    Navigate to **Customers** in the sidebar. Click **+ New Customer** and fill in:

    * **Name** — the customer's full name
    * **Phone** — their mobile or contact number
    * **Email** — used for booking confirmations and follow-ups

    After saving the customer record, click **Add Vehicle** on their profile. Enter the vehicle's make, model, year, and colour. Adding the vehicle now means every order you create for this customer links directly to a specific car — building a service history automatically with each job.

    <Tip>
      You can add multiple vehicles to a single customer. This is useful for customers who bring in a family car and a daily driver at different times.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create your first order">
    Go to **Orders** in the sidebar and click **+ New Order**. Work through the order form:

    1. **Customer** — search for and select the customer you just added
    2. **Vehicle** — select the vehicle from their profile
    3. **Service** — pick a service from your catalog (you can add services in **Settings → Services** if your catalog is empty)
    4. **Date & time** — set when the job is scheduled
    5. **Status** — set this to **Confirmed** so the order appears as an active booking on your dashboard

    Click **Save** to create the order. It will appear immediately in your Orders list and on the dashboard calendar.

    <Warning>
      If no services appear in the service picker, you need to add your price list first. Go to **Settings → Services**, add at least one service name and price, then return to create your order.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="View your dashboard">
    Click **Overview** (or the DetailAhead logo) in the sidebar to return to your main dashboard. You'll see:

    * Your newly created order in the **Today's Jobs** or upcoming schedule view
    * Key metrics for the day — bookings, revenue, and any alerts
    * A setup progress meter if there are recommended configuration steps still to complete

    Your dashboard updates in real time as you add customers, complete orders, and record payments — so the numbers you see always reflect what's actually happening in your business.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  This quickstart covers the minimum steps to get moving. For the full recommended setup — opening hours, notifications, your service catalog, booking page, and team invites — see the [Account Setup](/account-setup) guide.
</Note>

## What to do next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Account Setup" icon="sliders" href="/account-setup">
    Complete the full setup checklist: hours, notifications, your booking page, and team invites.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Customers & Vehicles" icon="users" href="/features/customers-vehicles">
    Learn how to manage customer profiles, vehicle history, tags, and notes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Orders" icon="clipboard-list" href="/features/orders">
    Explore the full order workflow — statuses, team assignment, and job completion.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plans & Billing" icon="credit-card" href="/billing/plans">
    Review which plan fits your business and manage your subscription.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>