HoneyBook 101 What It Is and Is It Worth It? with Leilah Claire
Thinking about using HoneyBook in your business—or already using it but feel like you’re winging it?
In this episode, I’m joined by Leilah Claire, creative designer, HoneyBook pro, and systems strategist, to talk all about how HoneyBook helps service-based business owners streamline, elevate, and truly own their client experience.
Leilah shares her journey from social media manager to brand and web designer, and how HoneyBook became a crucial part of growing her business. We cover the must-know features, common mistakes to avoid, and how to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth out of this platform.
Whether you’re new to HoneyBook or ready to optimize your setup, this episode is full of expert-backed insights and actionable steps.
In this episode, we cover:
✅ What HoneyBook actually is and how it helps business owners
✅ Who HoneyBook is best for (hint: service providers with repeatable processes)
✅ Why client experience is everything—and how HoneyBook supports it
✅ How to use smart files, email templates, and automations to save serious time
✅ The #1 mistake most people make with HoneyBook
If you’ve ever wondered whether HoneyBook is the right fit for your creative business, this is the episode you need to hear.
🎧 Hit play now to find out how to set up (or upgrade!) HoneyBook to actually work for you.
Connect with Samantha:
Website: https://www.firestormfinance.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firestormfinance/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@firestormfinance?hl=en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-e-8796b6176/
Newsletter: https://firestormfinance.myflodesk.com/ajmiv1kyt1
Connect with Leilah:
Website: https://leilahclairecreative.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leilahclairecreative/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@leilahclairecreative?xmt=AQGzzNP11S8AYDNGTLN92R9V27jV3iRw8frqWRP-q_Sqbrw
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leilah-harshbarger1/
Use code LEILAH for a discount on Honeybook
📢 Love this episode?
Leave a review or share it with a friend who’s been thinking about finally getting their systems together (without losing their mind in the process).
Got a guest or topic you’d love to hear next? Submit it here!
Transcript
samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Welcome to the Creative Minds Smart
Speaker:Money Podcast, where we turn financial confusion into creative confidence.
Speaker:I'm Samantha Eck, bookkeeper and fractional CFO for creative entrepreneurs.
Speaker:Each week I'm sharing my financial expertise and actionable
Speaker:strategies to help you build a thriving creative business.
Speaker:Plus, you'll hear from industry experts who bring fresh perspectives on growing
Speaker:your business beyond the numbers.
Speaker:Because building a successful creative business starts with
Speaker:strong financial foundations.
Speaker:Your next chapter starts now.
Speaker:You are listening to the Creative Mind Smart Money Podcast, and
Speaker:today I'm so excited to introduce our special guest, Layla.
Speaker:Layla is a creative designer with OBBA in information systems providing a strong
Speaker:foundation in technology and business.
Speaker:However, lela's true passion has always been in the creative world over the years.
Speaker:She transitioned from social media to building a design studio,
Speaker:specializing in brand and web design, as well as CRM systems.
Speaker:Her journey has been all about blending technical expertise with a love for
Speaker:aesthetics to create unique, impactful visual identities for small businesses.
Speaker:It's so good to have you today, Layla.
Speaker:How are you?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: I am good.
Speaker:Thank you for having me.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Absolutely.
Speaker:So before we dive into like the nitty gritty of everything we wanna
Speaker:get into, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, what
Speaker:you do, how you got to working with HoneyBook, and why you love it so much?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, so basically for my bio, I
Speaker:started out in social media management and then I found out that I really
Speaker:only like the design side of it.
Speaker:So I started more gearing towards doing graphic design and then, usually along
Speaker:that vertical you do like brand design.
Speaker:Then moving on to website design and, I feel like that was a good
Speaker:match for me because I am, I have my information systems degree, so a
Speaker:little bit more in the technical
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: realm plus the design of what like
Speaker:my heart actually likes to do.
Speaker:And then, from there I was like, okay, I need.
Speaker:I need something to organize myself.
Speaker:I'm getting pretty unorganized here, so I found HoneyBook.
Speaker:And I really just, loved how streamlined it made my processes.
Speaker:I felt more put together, like people told me I was more put together.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: And so that was also a really good match for
Speaker:my major as well because, it's all about organizing systems and helping each, area
Speaker:of your business kind of be informed if you do have a team or if it's just you.
Speaker:And so I felt like that was a really good match for me.
Speaker:And so once I set mine up, people were like, oh, you know how to do that?
Speaker:And I was like, yeah.
Speaker:And they were like, okay, can you help me out here?
Speaker:And so that's how I got into HoneyBook and offering those services
Speaker:and it's just grown from there.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah, I love that.
Speaker:I used HoneyBook last year, before I switched to, something else
Speaker:that's a little bit more like for accountants, but that's because
Speaker:I don't use all the features
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: There's so much that goes into it.
Speaker:But let's start with the basics.
Speaker:What exactly is HoneyBook and how does it help business owners?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, so HoneyBook is a client
Speaker:relationship management system and so it's just geared to help you streamline
Speaker:exactly what you're looking to.
Speaker:So they have tons of features that I know we'll get into, but, just to name
Speaker:off a few, they help you, with proposal, sending invoices, contracts, scheduling.
Speaker:Doing automations to help.
Speaker:like once you get an inquiry, like you don't have to get
Speaker:on your phone right away.
Speaker:You have it all streamlined for you if you were setting it up correctly.
Speaker:And so there's so many ways to, I. To differentiate yourself from
Speaker:your competition, especially in the realm of client onboarding and
Speaker:making your client feel heard and like you're ready to serve them.
Speaker:And it just helps.
Speaker:I view HoneyBook as like an extension of your brand and , from your
Speaker:website and from your, from your marketing and things like that.
Speaker:So, HoneyBook really just is an extension of your brand to help serve
Speaker:you and make you have more peace of mind and also help the client know
Speaker:that you're there for them and to.
Speaker:Just walk them through and help them know what's the next step.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah, I love that.
Speaker:So what types of businesses do you feel benefit the most from using HoneyBook?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, so a lot of people come to me and want
Speaker:to automate like completely the entire process, and so that is really difficult.
Speaker:I've only been able to do that once, and that was with a client
Speaker:who had a very set pricing.
Speaker:So if you're looking to automate everything, you're going to want more of
Speaker:a standard pricing and not custom pricing, but that doesn't mean that a custom.
Speaker:Pricing, business can't use HoneyBook.
Speaker:It's just not going to be as, you're not gonna, the client's
Speaker:not gonna be able to pay you book and everything right off the bat.
Speaker:And so that is one thing that I think people have a misconception about with
Speaker:HoneyBook, but I think any service-based business can really benefit from it.
Speaker:I've worked with a lot of wedding vendors.
Speaker:Bookkeepers.
Speaker:, and then like me, myself as a designer, I benefit a lot from it as well.
Speaker:So I would say more of a service-based business.
Speaker:Anyone can benefit from, sending a proposal or sending an invoice.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: but it's going to depend on the automation
Speaker:is really where it's going to depend on if it's gonna benefit you, enough for
Speaker:if you think it's worth the investment.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes.
Speaker:Yes.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:And I think like when you're talking about in terms of like people who
Speaker:have set prices, that tends to work out a lot, I guess with the
Speaker:photographers who have like set session prices and things like that.
Speaker:HoneyBook is all about using workflows and helping you streamline things, but why is
Speaker:streamlining your processes so important to help you grow within your business?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, I think that streamlining your
Speaker:business is like essential for your mental health as a business owner.
Speaker:and just feeling more confident in yourself.
Speaker:I feel much more confident in my, like I know what the next step is,
Speaker:like I'm not guessing it myself.
Speaker:And that means that the client's not guessing it themselves either.
Speaker:And so it's also a good way to secure all of your things.
Speaker:So like when you have a proposal, it goes right into the project.
Speaker:It goes.
Speaker:All your contracts, all your invoices, like you don't have to like, be
Speaker:like, oh, is there something the client's missing and I need to make
Speaker:sure that I even sent that invoice, or did they pay that invoice?
Speaker:It's all right there and you don't have to save it on your computer.
Speaker:you don't have to sort through your email, sort through your files.
Speaker:And so that's one thing that I think is really beneficial, when
Speaker:it comes to streamlining that.
Speaker:And then also, I, before I set up my HoneyBook.
Speaker:Enough to be super useful for me.
Speaker:I actually, I believe I lost a client because I wasn't fast enough
Speaker:to getting, because I saw the inquiry come in at night and I was
Speaker:like, I'll get it in the morning.
Speaker:But I think by the time I literally woke up, she already booked a
Speaker:session with somebody else and that was a really big project for
Speaker:that other person that she hired.
Speaker:And so that's just like one example of like even me, myself, like not utilizing
Speaker:all of Honey book's capabilities until I learned the hard way and seeing
Speaker:somebody else have a more streamlined process than me and getting that
Speaker:client booked before I even woke up.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes.
Speaker:I think that's so true too, because.
Speaker:It's crazy how everybody wants you to react so quickly nowadays.
Speaker:So if you don't get the proposal out in a good amount of time, if you don't get
Speaker:the email out in a good amount of time, people get so impatient because they're
Speaker:like, I just need to find someone, and this person isn't responding, and
Speaker:you might be the best fit for them.
Speaker:But if you're not having those systems set up and being able to respond to them in a
Speaker:timely manner and they're just gonna move
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:Yeah, and that's exactly what happened to me.
Speaker:So I completely redid my workflows and I haven't had that happen since.
Speaker:So.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes.
Speaker:That's such a good example and such a good reason of why we need to
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: what do you think is an area of
Speaker:business that people don't realize they can automate or simplify?
Speaker:Using HoneyBook.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, so it pertains to that
Speaker:situation that I just talked about.
Speaker:Where I lost that client is really just if you feel like
Speaker:the automations are too much.
Speaker:'cause I know a lot of people just feel like they're overwhelming and
Speaker:it might not work for every single person they come in contact with.
Speaker:Even if you just automate the very beginning to where you can just.
Speaker:Once you get them on that call, there's more of that personal connection, but
Speaker:you need to get them on that call if that's how you operate your business.
Speaker:And so that's how , I always do a little call, for my branding,
Speaker:HoneyBook and website clients just to build that connection.
Speaker:And even just automating the very beginning.
Speaker:So HoneyBook has contact forms, so you can just put that on your website and then as
Speaker:soon as you get all that information in, it pulls it into their project for you.
Speaker:And so
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yep.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: that way, it's super helpful if
Speaker:you are filling out a contract, all that information's already there.
Speaker:You don't have to go back and forth trying to like, find out what's
Speaker:their email, what's their, like business address everything that
Speaker:you might need for a contract.
Speaker:And so just having the contact forms already streamlined that process,
Speaker:but automating the very beginning to where they send in that inquiry
Speaker:and then they get a response saying like, Hey, we got your inquiry.
Speaker:Like you'll received a personalized response in like 24 to 48 hours.
Speaker:So that way they know their inquiry went in and that.
Speaker:You are being transparent with them that like, I'm not on the
Speaker:phone right now, but I will get to you like as soon as possible.
Speaker:I think, 'cause I'm also planning a wedding, so I've been doing all these
Speaker:inquiries and things like that, and even just something like that, like really
Speaker:changes the game, I think because I don't know if you got my inquiry, I don't
Speaker:know if you're still in business, like things like that because a lot of people
Speaker:might not use social media marketing.
Speaker:So even just the very beginning to where people feel heard and feel like.
Speaker:Communication is a super big part of their, a part of their client
Speaker:process and the way they operate their business because people are gonna
Speaker:be paying you thousands of dollars.
Speaker:Like they wanna know that you're there, you're available for them because if
Speaker:that's how they're treating you as.
Speaker:Like someone who's not even a client yet.
Speaker:Like how are they gonna treat you as a client is, that's how I view it,
Speaker:when I'm booking, because I want, I don't want to hear from you like 10
Speaker:seconds after I message you, but I wanna know that like you're there and
Speaker:I can reach out if I have a question.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah, I think that's so important.
Speaker:'cause I think in the day, like automated emails and everything like
Speaker:that, it can really feel impersonal.
Speaker:So adding that, like infusion a personality, but also making sure that
Speaker:people see you in and more than just an automated email, because everything
Speaker:is AI nowadays, but people really wanna connect with the actual person.
Speaker:So
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah.
Speaker:Just making sure they know that inquiry got through.
Speaker:And then also adding, and then HoneyBook has email templates so you can like jazz
Speaker:it up to fit your brand, like whether it's like certain emojis or like a custom
Speaker:email signature or something like that.
Speaker:Just to feel more than just like a, we got your inquiry.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: yes, yes.
Speaker:Because I feel like it's so boring when you're just like, Hey, I got your message.
Speaker:I'll get back to you.
Speaker:I'm like.
Speaker:Is this the person I
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: with?
Speaker:I want someone who like fits me.
Speaker:But I think that's, there's also a certain type of people
Speaker:for people who are like that.
Speaker:Right.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: What do you think the biggest benefits
Speaker:of having HoneyBook set up correctly versus just going in and winging it?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, I feel like what I talked about with the
Speaker:onboarding, like you never, you always wanna know your next step and you always
Speaker:wanna make sure that you're translating that to your potential clients.
Speaker:So sending the inquiry then leads to the session or the call, and
Speaker:then leads to a proposal, and then from there, like it might lead to a
Speaker:questionnaire or things like that.
Speaker:So if you are just winging it, then you don't even know your next step.
Speaker:So how are you going to help with helping the client like feel empowered
Speaker:in knowing that you have, you're streamlined and just the way you come off
Speaker:to people really makes a big difference.
Speaker:Because I, so I love working in the HoneyBook smart files, which is whether
Speaker:it's the contract or the questionnaires.
Speaker:And so I had a website design client and she was just like.
Speaker:Just based off the way your HoneyBook looks like, I know my
Speaker:website's gonna look so good.
Speaker:And so that was a really awesome compliment.
Speaker:'cause that's not even the service she was booking.
Speaker:She was just like, I'm so impressed by your process and things like that.
Speaker:Like I'm very excited for what's to come.
Speaker:And so that was like right after I redid all my HoneyBook things to make it fit
Speaker:more of my rebrand that I had, in 2024.
Speaker:And so that was.
Speaker:That made me feel like it was worth every single minute I put in the HoneyBook,
Speaker:just knowing that somebody, they're look, people are looking, and they wanna
Speaker:know that, you know what you're doing.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah, and I love that.
Speaker:That's such a really good story because I feel like.
Speaker:That is a true testament to like how good you can, a good of a job you can do.
Speaker:And people just seeing that right off the bat, because I know that, she's
Speaker:in a similar field as you with the website design and things like that,
Speaker:but she doesn't actually do HoneyBook,
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: her like complimenting that, I can't imagine.
Speaker:That
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: so
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: For someone new to HoneyBook, what's
Speaker:the first thing they should customize to make it work for their business?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, so I feel like the automations are very
Speaker:scary to people off the bat, so I really don't even recommend starting there.
Speaker:And before you even get into automations, you're gonna make sure that you have
Speaker:customized email templates and also.
Speaker:Customized smart files.
Speaker:And so those smart files are like questionnaires,
Speaker:proposals, anything like that.
Speaker:And so I feel like smart files are a really good place to start,
Speaker:because that way, even if you're doing everything manually, it's
Speaker:still gonna save you so much time having the contract already in there.
Speaker:And then since they inquired on your contact form.
Speaker:From HoneyBook, all that information is gonna be put directly into
Speaker:the con, into the contract.
Speaker:So even just no automations, you're still saving yourself so much time
Speaker:and energy and just like wondering if you have all the right information.
Speaker:And then once again, those smart files can be an extension of your brand.
Speaker:So just because HoneyBook might not be the most customizable, but
Speaker:there are ways around it, like with their new integration with Canva.
Speaker:You can customize all of your headers and things like that in Canva and then
Speaker:bring those in, into your smart files.
Speaker:And so smart files are really just an extension of your brand,
Speaker:and they don't have to be boring.
Speaker:Like you can make them more fun and like the way that my previous client,
Speaker:like complimented mine, because she, it, she knows it looks like
Speaker:my website and like my Instagram and like my branding and things like that.
Speaker:So just having it look like your brand and not something, super, like AI generated,
Speaker:just, very basic and just spending more time on that because people do notice.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes.
Speaker:And I think that's so true because with the whole HoneyBook thing, I know that
Speaker:they also integrated with like Flow
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: They also integrated with Flow Desk and then
Speaker:I think they integrated with show it.
Speaker:And like I said, I left 'cause there was a program that's been like
Speaker:a lot of bookkeepers use it and they're like, this is what we use.
Speaker:And it does similar
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: it has a contract, it has the proposal.
Speaker:It's just less like creative, which of course that hurts my
Speaker:creative soul 'cause I'm like, oh my gosh, I love all the colors,
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: the customization.
Speaker:'cause my HoneyBook was super customized.
Speaker:But then I saw all these integrations and I was like, okay, so not only can you
Speaker:integrate with, Canva now, but you can integrate with flow desks, which I use.
Speaker:You can integrate with, show it, which I use.
Speaker:You could just like.
Speaker:everything together into this one package and have everything super
Speaker:streamlined and look really good across the board, so there's no
Speaker:sort of confusion about your brand.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah.
Speaker:It feels like every single month there's like a new integration,
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: yes,
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: like updated my email and I'm like,
Speaker:oh, I don't use that, but that's cool.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: yes.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: like I see people on threads that are
Speaker:like super excited about it and like.
Speaker:That's what they're doing.
Speaker:Like I'm happy they're moving forward in that because that will help make your
Speaker:business more streamlined with less,
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: to switch between platforms
Speaker:and just being able to, manage all those things in one place.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes, I completely agree.
Speaker:And then I think the other thing is like I know that they raised their prices
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: but with all of these integrations,
Speaker:like for me, if you're utilizing HoneyBook to its fullest extent.
Speaker:you've hired someone like you, you've
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: of the, everything set up.
Speaker:Like it's 110%
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: price at this point because of all of these new
Speaker:integrations and all these new features.
Speaker:So I don't think that they have anything to worry about with pricing and like I
Speaker:think a lot of people definitely will stick around now noting, knowing that all
Speaker:of this stuff is like being integrated.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, I've, 'cause even myself, I was
Speaker:like, oh, that's a big jump for me.
Speaker:Even though it's like one of my services and I was just like, this is a big jump.
Speaker:And I think that was what made people nervous about it, was just
Speaker:how big of a jump it really was.
Speaker:But just looking at it and just being like, I would have
Speaker:to do this manually again.
Speaker:I would have to do this manually again.
Speaker:I have to do all this stuff and I'm like, I just.
Speaker:I can't even think about it.
Speaker:Like it's just not even worth it to me to even think about how to do this manually.
Speaker:and , that's why they're there is the, to be super helpful for independent
Speaker:business owners, that need, that help that maybe don't have the budget to
Speaker:maybe hire a virtual assistant to do some of these things manually for them.
Speaker:and like we said, speed really is part of the game when trying to sign
Speaker:clients who they might hop off your session call and they're just like, I
Speaker:just wanna be done thinking about it.
Speaker:Like I want.
Speaker:Like my vendor for my wedding, I want a photographer already.
Speaker:Like I'm sick of thinking about it.
Speaker:And so if you can get that proposal out in 15 minutes compared to a day and a
Speaker:half, that is probably the difference between a client and not having a client.
Speaker:And so that right there pays for itself.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes, absolutely.
Speaker:What's one feature inside of Huddy book that you find most people under utilize
Speaker:but could really make like a huge impact?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, I was surprised to find that
Speaker:a lot of people still use like the Calendly link, even though,
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Hmm.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Tiers of HoneyBook offer that inside HoneyBook.
Speaker:And so I really love using that tool because it will automatically put
Speaker:your calls into like your calendar.
Speaker:So right when I hop on my dashboard in the morning, it'll be like,
Speaker:oh, you have a call at this time and this time and this time.
Speaker:And just because they used my scheduling link and then, HoneyBook.
Speaker:Puts all, puts it all together for me to know, like I have a call, what the call
Speaker:might be about with their new AI features and just gives me, little meeting
Speaker:notes right before I hop on the call.
Speaker:And so that is one.
Speaker:I'm not a big fan of their new AI things.
Speaker:'cause I just
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: who's just like super custom
Speaker:services like AI just is I know you feel it too, like just.
Speaker:AI is good for some things, but not all things.
Speaker:And so to me, like whenever they first increased the prices, I was like, oh,
Speaker:is this 'cause of their AI services?
Speaker:Like those don't really benefit me.
Speaker:But now with all the integrations like it seems.
Speaker:That's what they were raising the price for.
Speaker:But the only AI thing that I think is really good is like the meeting notes
Speaker:before and the meeting notes after.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: And so that kind of helps you, like even if you
Speaker:just hop on five minutes before the call, you're like, okay, I'm up to date now.
Speaker:So using that scheduling tool and then also that the little meeting notes and
Speaker:, they'll also send your clients potential clients reminders about a call beforehand.
Speaker:So that's another thing.
Speaker:You don't have to like.
Speaker:Remind people about.
Speaker:And so I feel like I have a lot more people actually hop on the call
Speaker:because they were notified the day before and then the hour before.
Speaker:And that's just how I personally set mine up.
Speaker:But those are customizable too.
Speaker:So basically everything about the call can really be customized based on if you're
Speaker:meeting in person, meeting on phone, on zoom or Google, and then you can customize
Speaker:all the reminders and things like that.
Speaker:So that is something I think a lot of people don't customize to.
Speaker:Kind of best fit their business, and it's really easy to do, and I think
Speaker:it makes a big difference because everybody hates being ghosted.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah, no, I totally agree.
Speaker:And I feel like that's so true.
Speaker:Like there, there's already a native scheduler in there, so
Speaker:why not take advantage of it?
Speaker:But I know I feel, the pressure of the AI as
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: but I also think that like.
Speaker:There are certain things that AI is
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: at, like utilizing as a tool.
Speaker:But I think that's always where I tell people, I draw the line, like it's a tool.
Speaker:It's not a
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: A tool.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: a tool.
Speaker:So I think so many people think of it as like just a complete replacement, but in
Speaker:the day and age where everybody is looking for a personal brand, someone they can
Speaker:relate to, someone they can actually talk to, having less AI is going to be more
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: having
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: so.
Speaker:Now, what are the top mistakes you see business owners making
Speaker:when they use HoneyBook?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, like we talked about earlier, with not
Speaker:using HoneyBook as an extension of your brand because that really is anything
Speaker:client facing is going to be an extension of how people perceive your brand.
Speaker:So if you're not, using.
Speaker:I've had previous projects where they had email templates and that's like awesome.
Speaker:'cause they were already utilizing that, but they weren't optimized.
Speaker:Like they're, they weren't consistent across the brand.
Speaker:So there's sometimes different fonts and different, just the
Speaker:formatting of the email.
Speaker:And so that was one thing that, and there also wasn't any like call to actions.
Speaker:So those are.
Speaker:Going to need to be optimized.
Speaker:And that's an extension of how you're communicating with your clients.
Speaker:And then also the smart files.
Speaker:Those are, a lot of people just.
Speaker:It is a learning curve.
Speaker:I will say the smart files are a little bit of a learning curve because
Speaker:they're not, they are customizable when you sit there and look into it.
Speaker:But
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: of the time, like you might just
Speaker:use a template and you're like, okay, this serves what I need.
Speaker:But it needs to be an extension of your brand, especially if you've invested in
Speaker:branding and having a cohesive website and all your marketing things like that.
Speaker:So you already drew them into you, like why?
Speaker:Why aren't you using what will steal the deal as an extension of your brand?
Speaker:And so that is what I think a lot of people, they just see the template and
Speaker:they're like, okay, good enough for me.
Speaker:But you can insert your fonts on there.
Speaker:You can insert your style, guide your logos.
Speaker:You can use Canva now with that integration to seamlessly add
Speaker:different headers and things like that.
Speaker:So there are tons of things you can do to use it as, a version of how you
Speaker:communicate with the client because you are communicating with the client
Speaker:and you should treat it like that.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes.
Speaker:And I love that.
Speaker:And something I think I really like as well.
Speaker:Is there, I know it's annoying for some clients, but is there
Speaker:code that you get when you enter
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yes.
Speaker:Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Because I think that adds that
Speaker:extra layer of security, especially for, people like me who work in
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: security focused area.
Speaker:It just adds that level of security.
Speaker:But I've noticed a lot of people are turning that off 'cause
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yes.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: oh, I don't want my client to get annoyed.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: But I'm like, like that's a really good
Speaker:thing because you never know how many different people are using an email.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: So having that in there can make sure that
Speaker:the right person is actually getting into the file that you want them
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: And the thing is like, you don't
Speaker:need to use it for everything.
Speaker:Like
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: if it's just like a questionnaire, like a branding
Speaker:questionnaire, and they're just like sending me like what fonts they like, like
Speaker:that doesn't need to be completely like.
Speaker:Encrypted covered things like that.
Speaker:But like when you are signing, a proposal and like doing
Speaker:payments, that's really important.
Speaker:Especially when you're probably gathering information too.
Speaker:That's super important.
Speaker:So it really just depends.
Speaker:That's why it's important to maybe look into hiring someone that knows
Speaker:like HoneyBook so they can offer you the best practices for your business.
Speaker:And.
Speaker:Know a little bit of your industry, so when you are like seeking someone
Speaker:to help you with your HoneyBook, it's important to see like maybe what
Speaker:industries they've worked with, to see if they know what is industry
Speaker:standard to help you out with that.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yeah.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:So now let's talk money.
Speaker:'cause obviously we're mainly talk about
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Do you think HoneyBook is
Speaker:really worth the investment?
Speaker:And how can users ensure that they're getting the most out of it?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, I really think just knowing that.
Speaker:Having HoneyBook has given me definitely a peace of mind because
Speaker:I do have those systems in place that I know when, what needs to
Speaker:be sent out, what's the next step.
Speaker:I'm able to get a proposal out in about 10 to 15 minutes compared
Speaker:to, like going into Word or going into Canva, like to customizing your,
Speaker:contract there, which I know a lot of people like still do manually.
Speaker:And so that can take a lot of time.
Speaker:You might even miss something because, you don't have things in there already.
Speaker:'cause you can use smart text in, contracts and it will, insert that
Speaker:important information for you already.
Speaker:But you can also use it to highlight a part that might be important.
Speaker:So like, how many revisions do they get?
Speaker:And that might depend on the project.
Speaker:So , you might have already in an old contract for revisions, but this new one
Speaker:only requires two, but now it's in that contract, so you have to honor that.
Speaker:And so just things like that, like I feel like I know.
Speaker:I'm able to edit the things that I know I need to edit.
Speaker:So that in itself, in the contract is super important.
Speaker:I'm able to collect the contract signatures, I'm able to invoice in
Speaker:minutes, and compared to, like using, one client might want me to con, send them
Speaker:an invoice on PayPal or this one, or this platform or whatever and things like that.
Speaker:So being able to streamline all that and know that everything's coming in at one
Speaker:point, really streamlines that as well.
Speaker:And so I really just think having a centralized place that I know
Speaker:that I can find all the information from questionnaires I've sent, the
Speaker:contracts that have been signed, knowing where to invoice them.
Speaker:And also if you do a payment plan, like it'll remind them to like
Speaker:make the next payment in that plan.
Speaker:So that already takes like time off my plate and I know that
Speaker:like that cash flow is coming in.
Speaker:So there are tons of things that, just that right there,
Speaker:just knowing you're gonna get paid is essentially worth it because.
Speaker:It pays for itself.
Speaker:so it, I just view it as just the cost of doing business and to me, that's worth it.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes, especially when everything is centralized,
Speaker:because I feel like there's so many new things and so much tech out there
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yes.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: we can end up
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Mm-hmm.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: hundreds of dollars on tech.
Speaker:So having a place where is, and spending only on one subscription is definitely
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, and I think they, I think they're starting
Speaker:to really lean into that, especially with the integrations and, you are gonna
Speaker:pay extra by having tons of different, systems and software platforms.
Speaker:And then also it just takes time to learn each new system and
Speaker:platform and things like that.
Speaker:So I think they are leaning into being an easy to use platform that is gonna help
Speaker:centralize most parts of your business.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Yes.
Speaker:So if someone listening wants to optimize their HoneyBook setup, what's
Speaker:one action that they should take today?
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, so I really think that, I know
Speaker:they're scary, but automations are really where you might start to see HoneyBook
Speaker:helping you reel in those clients and making HoneyBook worth it, so just sit
Speaker:down and map out exactly what you want.
Speaker:Your process to look like.
Speaker:And I recommend just doing this on paper so that way like you're not
Speaker:already in there and then you're like, oh, well that doesn't make sense.
Speaker:Gotta delete this and all that.
Speaker:So just sit out with a piece of paper and a pencil and just map out like
Speaker:what you want the client to start with.
Speaker:So like you have that contact form and then what do you want to happen next?
Speaker:Do you want them to receive an inquiry response?
Speaker:Do you think those seem too AI generated?
Speaker:Like things like that.
Speaker:So I really think just sitting down and then testing it,
Speaker:like you also need to test it.
Speaker:Don't just like off, don't just push it out there and just be like, well,
Speaker:we'll see how the first one goes.
Speaker:Like, you need to in, you need to test it yourself.
Speaker:So just sitting down and just thinking about what you want your
Speaker:client experience to be is going to be really essential to, if you view,
Speaker:if you view HoneyBook as worth it.
Speaker:And so that's one thing that people can do today.
Speaker:Even if they're not actually getting in the system and automating it, just.
Speaker:Sitting down and thinking about what do I need?
Speaker:Do I need a contract probably.
Speaker:So put that in the proposal.
Speaker:What questionnaires do you need?
Speaker:And what do I want my contact form to ask?
Speaker:So like, look in your contract and see what information you need
Speaker:and put that in the contact form.
Speaker:So there are tons of things that you need to think about how to
Speaker:like alleviate confusion across the client onboarding experience.
Speaker:And so that's really where I think people will see that return on investment.
Speaker:When it comes to having HoneyBook.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Awesome.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:Well, this is amazing.
Speaker:Where can my audience connect with you, learn more about you or.
Speaker:Work with you.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, so I, you can find me on Instagram
Speaker:and Threads at Lela Claire Creative.
Speaker:And then my website is, lela claire creative.com.
Speaker:So that's where you're gonna find more about, if you are
Speaker:interested in maybe learning more about like the HoneyBook setup.
Speaker:I have all that information on there.
Speaker:And then, you can feel free to inquire with me on my website or
Speaker:you can just DM me on Instagram.
Speaker:I'm usually, I usually answer every day.
Speaker:But another thing is HoneyBook does offer a free trial.
Speaker:So if you wanna use the code, Lela, L-E-I-L-A-H, you'll get a seven day
Speaker:free trial and 30% off your first year if you are interested in subscribing.
Speaker:So that's another thing you can do today is seeing if HoneyBook
Speaker:might be something for you.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Awesome.
Speaker:I love that.
Speaker:Well, I really appreciate you coming on today, Lula, and I can't wait for
Speaker:our listeners to hear this episode.
Speaker:leilah-claire_1_02-27-2025_110135: Yeah, me too.
Speaker:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker:samantha-eck_1_02-27-2025_100135: Thank you.
Speaker:HoneyBook isn't just a CRM, it's a client experience system, a brand
Speaker:extension, and a powerful way to reclaim your time as a service provider.
Speaker:When you set it up with intention and make it yours.
Speaker:It doesn't just save you time, it builds trust.
Speaker:It's a cure sales, and lets your clients know that you're in good
Speaker:hands in the very first click.
Speaker:So whether you're just starting out with HoneyBook or ready to elevate your setup,
Speaker:let this be your sign that you deserve.
Speaker:Systems that make your business feel easier and feel like.
Speaker:You.
Speaker:If you loved this episode, make sure to rate and review the show
Speaker:and share it with a friend who you know might be looking for a CRM.
Speaker:Otherwise, I will see you next week.
Speaker:Have a wonderful week farewell of fellow travelers.
