Welcome to Focal Software! As part of your onboarding journey, we’ve designed the "Mission Control" homework to help you set up your account for success. This step is essential to ensure that your business operations are seamlessly integrated into our platform, allowing you to unlock the full potential of Focal Software from day one.
What is Mission Control Homework?
Mission Control is your centralized setup process where we guide you through uploading critical business data, such as sales history, inventory details, supplier and customer information, and financial records. Think of it as laying the foundation for your business’s digital infrastructure within Focal Software.
Why is it Important?
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Accurate Insights from Day One: By providing historical sales, advertising, and inventory data, you enable Focal Software to generate accurate reports, forecasts, and analytics tailored to your business.
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Streamlined Operations: Setting up suppliers, customers, and payment terms ensures that your workflows—like invoicing, inventory management, and procurement—are automated and error-free.
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Personalized Branding: Uploading your company logo and business details ensures all customer-facing documents, like invoices and reports, reflect your brand identity.
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Financial Clarity: Adding opening balances for SKUs, suppliers, and customers allows you to start with accurate financial records, making it easier to track profitability and cash flow.
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Scalable Growth: By defining permissions, integrations, and custom settings, you’re building a system that grows with your business, ensuring flexibility and control.
What’s Next?
Once you’ve completed Mission Control, your account will be fully operational, and you’ll be ready to leverage Focal Software’s powerful tools to simplify online selling, optimize inventory, and drive profitability. This step is critical to ensuring that your onboarding experience is smooth and that your business is set up for long-term success.
Let’s build your Mission Control together—your business deserves nothing less than a strong start!
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1. Sales Data from eBay or Shopify Older than 60 Days
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What: Historical sales data from eBay, Shopify, or other platforms for transactions older than 60 days.
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Why: This data helps establish a baseline for sales trends and performance metrics. It allows Focal Software to provide accurate reporting, forecasting, and analytics from the start. Older data is often not retrievable via API, so manual uploads ensure no gaps in historical records.
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2. Sales Data from Marketplaces Focal Isn’t Integrated With
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What: Sales data from platforms that Focal Software does not currently support via direct integration.
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Why: This ensures that businesses can maintain a centralized view of all their sales data, even from unsupported platforms. It helps provide a complete picture of revenue streams and performance across all channels.
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3. Advertising Data from Amazon and Walmart Older than 90 Days
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What: Historical advertising performance data from Amazon and Walmart for campaigns older than 90 days.
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Why: Advertising data is critical for understanding ROI, ad spend efficiency, and campaign performance over time. Older data may not be accessible through APIs, so manual uploads ensure continuity in reporting and analysis.
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4. Upload Their Company Logo
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What: A high-resolution image of the company logo.
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Why: The logo is used for branding purposes on invoices, reports, and downloadable files. This ensures a professional and personalized appearance for customer-facing documents.
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5. Business Information
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What: General business details such as company name, address, and contact information.
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Why: This information is used for account setup, invoicing, and compliance purposes. It ensures that all records are tied to the correct entity.
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6. Billing Information (Including Credit Card Entry via Stripe)
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What: Payment details, including credit card information, processed securely through Stripe.
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Why: Billing information is required to activate the account since free trials are not offered. It ensures uninterrupted access to the platform and allows for automated subscription management.
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7. Restricted Access Without Billing Information
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What: If billing information is not provided, the system will blur out all pages but still allow navigation.
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Why: This creates urgency for users to complete their billing setup while still allowing them to explore the platform’s features. It ensures that users understand the value of the platform before committing.
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8. Integration Limits Based on Plan
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What: The system will track the number of integrations connected to the account and compare it to the user’s subscription plan.
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Why: This ensures that users stay within the limits of their plan. If they exceed their integration allowance, they will be prompted to upgrade, ensuring fair usage and proper billing.
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9. Cost Price for Each SKU
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What: The cost price associated with each stock-keeping unit (SKU).
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Why: This information is essential for calculating profit margins, cost of goods sold (COGS), and overall financial performance. It enables accurate reporting and decision-making.
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10. Opening Balance for Each SKU
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What: The initial inventory count and value for each SKU at the time of onboarding.
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Why: Opening balances are necessary to establish a starting point for inventory tracking and financial reporting. It ensures that the system reflects accurate stock levels from day one.
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11. Add Reorder Limit
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What: The minimum stock level at which a reorder is triggered for each SKU.
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Why: Setting reorder limits helps automate inventory management, ensuring that businesses never run out of critical stock and can maintain smooth operations.
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12. Add Suppliers
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What: Supplier details, including contact information and terms.
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Why: Supplier information is critical for managing procurement, tracking orders, and maintaining supplier relationships. It also enables automated purchase order generation.
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13. Opening Balance for Suppliers
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What: The initial balance owed to each supplier at the time of onboarding.
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Why: This ensures that accounts payable records are accurate and up-to-date, providing a clear picture of outstanding liabilities.
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14. Add Customers
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What: Customer details, including contact information and terms.
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Why: Customer information is essential for managing sales, invoicing, and customer relationships. It also supports CRM functionalities within the platform.
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15. Opening Balance for Customers
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What: The initial balance owed by each customer at the time of onboarding.
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Why: This ensures that accounts receivable records are accurate and up-to-date, providing a clear picture of outstanding revenue.
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16. Add Payment Terms with Suppliers
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What: Payment terms agreed upon with suppliers (e.g., net 30, net 60).
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Why: Payment terms help automate due date calculations for accounts payable, ensuring timely payments and better cash flow management.
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17. Add Chart of Accounts (If Custom)
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What: A customized chart of accounts tailored to the business’s financial reporting needs.
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Why: A chart of accounts is the backbone of financial reporting. Customization ensures that the system aligns with the business’s specific accounting structure.
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18. Add Warehouse(s) (If Necessary)
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What: Details of physical or virtual warehouses used for inventory storage.
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Why: Warehouse information is critical for inventory tracking, order fulfillment, and logistics management. It ensures that stock levels are accurately attributed to the correct location.
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19. Add Users (If Necessary)
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What: User accounts for team members who will access the platform.
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Why: Adding users allows for collaboration and delegation of tasks. It ensures that the right people have access to the right tools and data.
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20. Edit Permissions of Users (If Necessary)
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What: Role-based access controls to define what each user can view or edit.
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Why: Permissions ensure data security and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information. It also supports compliance with internal policies.