Client Onboarding System

---
name: client-onboarding-system
description: Runs a first-14-days client onboarding procedure — kickoff agenda, asset and access collection checklist, a written communication contract, and the first-quick-win rule of shipping something visible in week one. Use when a freelancer or consultant says "new client just signed, now what", "how do I kick off this engagement", "set up my client onboarding", "the project stalled waiting on client assets", "client keeps Slacking me at 10pm", or "how do I start a retainer on the right foot". Do NOT use for onboarding a new employee into a role — use onboarding-plan-builder instead; for in-product user onboarding copy, use onboarding-copy.
---

# Client Onboarding System

The first 14 days of an engagement set the operating norms for its entire life: who communicates where, how fast things move, and whether the client experiences the freelancer as a professional operation or an improvising individual. The costly mistake this skill prevents is the drift start — a signed contract followed by two weeks of scattered emails, missing assets, and no visible output, which trains the client to micromanage before any work has shipped.

Run this immediately after the SOW from statement-of-work-writer is signed and the deposit or first retainer invoice has cleared. The cadence established here is what client-status-reporting runs on from week 2 onward. Worked example: Maya, a freelance brand designer, onboarding her first Brand System Retainer client ($4,900/month, up to 36 hours) — a DTC hot-sauce brand.

## Operating procedure

### Step 1: Collect the inputs

1. The signed SOW: deliverables, cadence, and the designated approver.
2. Payment confirmation. No onboarding before the first invoice clears — starting work on promise-to-pay undoes the payment discipline set in statement-of-work-writer.
3. The client-side cast: approver, day-to-day contact, and anyone whose assets or access are needed.
4. A candidate first quick win (see Step 5) — pick it before kickoff so the first week has a target. Label it a guess until the client confirms priorities.

### Step 2: Send the pre-kickoff package (day 1)

Within one business day of payment, send one email containing: the kickoff call invite (within 5 business days of signing), the asset/access checklist (Step 3) so collection starts before the call, and a one-paragraph "how we'll work together" preview of the communication contract. This email is the first proof the operation is systematic.

### Step 3: Run the asset and access collection checklist… install to load the full skill