Get to know every part of TheGrid.

Your sign-in identifies you as a person; your business workspace holds the business records. Use the same account when accessing the connected app and website, rather than creating a second account for each device.

First-time setup

1. Create an account using an email address you can receive messages at.
2. Use the latest verification code from the confirmation email to verify your address. Return to the confirmation screen to enter it; do not share the code.
3. Sign in and complete the business setup, or follow your business invitation if you are joining a team.

If you forget your password

Choose “Forgot your password?” on the website, request a reset code, verify it and choose a new password. A code is not your password. If you request another code, use the newest email. Expired codes need a fresh request.

Never send passwords, verification codes or payment details with a support enquiry. If sign-in succeeds but your business is missing, ask about membership before creating duplicate records.

Your business profile gives the workspace its identity. Keep the business name and contact details accurate, especially when they appear on customer-facing documents. Add your logo and relevant profile information before sharing an invoice or quote.

Choose a business category

Pick the broad category that best fits your work: food and catering, hair and beauty, education and tutoring, retail and online shops, trades and construction, cleaning and property services, fitness and wellbeing, creative and digital services, vehicle services, pet services, events and entertainment, professional services, or Other. A category describes your business; it is not a licence or a guarantee of specialist accounting features.

Name your locations

1. Give each location a recognisable name, such as “Town centre shop” or “Main workshop”.
2. Add its address, postcode and city.
3. Check saved locations before adding another one to avoid duplicates.

Names help your team distinguish locations. If a form lets you choose a location, use the correct site rather than relying on an address in a note.

The navigation drawer groups the app’s pages so you can move between finance, operations, workforce and planning without working through one long dashboard. The overview is a summary; the individual pages are where you manage the underlying records.

A practical way to navigate

1. Start with the overview to spot things needing attention.
2. Open the drawer and choose the relevant page, such as Invoices, Appointments or Staff.
3. Use that page’s filters and record actions to make the actual change.
4. Return to the overview to review the updated picture.

The website provides sign-in and a business dashboard connected to the same business account. It is not a promise that every mobile feature is available in the browser. Choose the correct business and account if figures do not match, and check that your records saved successfully.

Owner, manager and employee views differ. A page missing from a staff menu may be restricted by their role, not broken.

The overview summarises the records in your workspace. It is only as complete as the sales, expenses and other information you enter. Missing records, duplicates or incorrect amounts will affect the picture.

What the figures mean

• Revenue: the value of recorded sales. Do not assume every recorded sale has already been paid.
• Expenses and costs: recorded costs used by the app’s calculations. Check recurring costs and staff information when reviewing totals.
• Net profit: the app’s revenue-minus-costs calculation, not a certified tax or statutory accounting figure.
• Profit margin: profit expressed as a proportion of revenue. It needs context when revenue is low or costs are incomplete.
• Cash collected: direct sales and sales linked to invoices marked Paid in the app. It is not a live bank balance or a bank reconciliation.

Use the right comparison

Check the page’s displayed period and the dates of your underlying records before comparing figures. A new record is not proof of a bank transaction. Only mark an invoice Paid when payment has actually been received.

Save customer details so sales, quotes, invoices and appointments can refer to the same person or business. Consistent records make it easier to follow up work and filter your invoice history.

A useful customer record

• Use a clear customer or company name.
• Check email and phone details before sharing a document or arranging a visit.
• Keep relevant contact or address information current.
• Search existing records before adding the customer again.

Connecting work

Choose the saved customer when the record form offers a customer selector. For appointments, the customer link is optional; use notes for preparation and location information, not as a substitute for a customer record where you need reliable filtering.

If a customer’s name changes, check linked records and exported documents before sending them. An exported PDF is a snapshot; changing the app afterwards does not rewrite a copy already shared.

Only store details needed for your business. Avoid unnecessary sensitive information in notes, particularly when an appointment is shared with staff.

The Sales page records business activity, including the product or service, quantity and revenue. Saved products make recurring work easier to enter consistently. Check prices and quantities rather than accepting an old value without reviewing it.

Suggested workflow

1. Select the appropriate saved product or service, or enter the information the form requires.
2. Check quantity, price, customer and any available date fields.
3. Save the sale and make sure it appears in the records.
4. If the customer needs an invoice, use the invoice workflow for that sale rather than entering the same revenue twice.

Corrections

Use the record’s available edit actions to correct mistakes. Before deleting a sale, consider linked invoices or quotes; related records can have their own rules. Do not create a second sale solely because the first save seemed slow—check the records first.

Use the Invoice Records button to choose a category instead of scrolling through every invoice together. Each category answers a different question about your customer billing.

The four categories

• Draft: prepared but not yet treated as issued. Review the customer, sale, dates and document before progressing it.
• Sent: issued to the customer and awaiting payment.
• Overdue: payment has not arrived by the due date. Check the records before following up.
• Paid: payment has been recorded as received.

Create and review

1. Choose the completed sale the invoice relates to.
2. Check the customer and due date, and review the generated invoice number.
3. Review the document, including any VAT settings that apply to your business.
4. Use the PDF/share action to send or save the document through your device’s available apps.
5. Update the record when the real-world payment position changes.

Find a particular invoice

Choose the status category, then narrow the records by the available date range, customer and product filters. Clear filters when a record seems missing. Marking a record Sent is not proof that an email was delivered; sharing a PDF is a separate action. Marking it Paid does not charge the customer or transfer money.

Use a quote to set out proposed work before it becomes an invoice. The quote workflow keeps a draft proposal, accepted work and invoiced work distinguishable.

Prepare the proposal

1. Select the customer and add the proposed products or services.
2. Review quantities, prices, notes and the valid-until date.
3. Create the PDF and share it using the device’s share options.
4. When the customer accepts, record that acceptance in the app.
5. Use the conversion action to turn accepted work into an invoice, then review the resulting invoice before sharing it.

Recording Accepted is an internal record of the customer’s decision, not an electronic signature service. Keep the customer’s written acceptance or other appropriate evidence outside the status label.

A PDF already sent is a snapshot. If the scope or price changes, agree the change with the customer and review the revised document. Avoid manually creating another sale or invoice for the same work if the conversion workflow has already created one.

Record a one-off expense for money spent on the business, and use recurring costs for regular commitments. Keeping descriptions and dates clear makes it easier to understand where money goes.

Recording an expense

1. Enter a recognisable description, amount and any category or date the form provides.
2. Review the amount carefully; do not enter a monthly total as a single purchase by mistake.
3. Save and check that the record appears before attempting another submission.
4. Keep the original receipt or supporting evidence where appropriate.

Regular commitments

For an active recurring expense, check its frequency and next due date. The calendar can show active weekly or monthly cost reminders from those dates. A reminder is a planning aid: it does not pay a bill, prove it was paid, or automatically settle a bank transaction.

If a save fails, keep your details and report the exact error without sending private financial information.

Use the reporting and planning pages to review the records behind your day-to-day work. Goals give you something to compare against; cash-flow and performance views help you spot patterns in the data you have recorded.

Working with reports

1. Check the business and any period shown on the page.
2. Review unusual figures against the original sales, expenses and invoices.
3. Update missing or incorrect records before relying on a comparison.
4. Export the relevant records when you need a spreadsheet or a copy for your adviser.

The Reports page provides CSV exports for sales, expenses and invoices. Use the device share menu to save a file or open it in a compatible spreadsheet or email app. Keep exported financial files secure; their access is not controlled by TheGrid once you share them.

What these views are not

They are not a live connection to your bank, an automatic tax return or a guarantee of future income. Have an accountant review figures when needed. Enter realistic goals and revisit them as your business changes.

Saved products and services help you reuse names and prices across sales and customer documents. Where stock fields apply, keep inventory information consistent with what is actually on hand.

Build a useful catalogue

• Give items clear, distinguishable names.
• Review selling prices and cost information when your pricing changes.
• Use quantities appropriate to the item; a service is not necessarily a physical stock unit.
• Check duplicate records before creating another version of the same item.

Stock and reorder pages

Use inventory and reorder information as planning tools. Compare recorded quantities with a real stock count before placing an order. A low-stock indication or reorder list is not proof that an order has been sent to a supplier.

When receiving a purchase order, follow the app’s receive workflow and review quantities carefully. Receiving the same goods twice can make inventory misleading. Changing the catalogue today does not automatically correct an old exported invoice or quote.

Save supplier details so your purchasing records refer to the correct business. A purchase order records what you intend to buy, while the expected delivery date helps you plan when goods should arrive.

Order workflow

1. Choose the supplier and add the items and quantities.
2. Check costs, notes and the expected delivery date.
3. Review the purchase-order PDF before sharing it with the supplier.
4. Use the relevant record actions when the order progresses.
5. Mark goods received only when you have actually checked the delivery.

Calendar behaviour

Orders with an expected delivery date can appear as shipment reminders. A Draft order is labelled a planned shipment: it is not confirmation the supplier accepted the order or dispatched goods. Received and cancelled orders are excluded from upcoming shipment reminders.

The date is an expectation, not live parcel tracking. Confirm changes with the supplier and update the recorded date. The calendar does not place an order or receive stock just because the expected date has arrived.

Open Calendar from the overview shortcut or the navigation drawer. Use the month grid to pick a day, or view the whole month as a chronological timeline. Search titles, notes and linked customer names to narrow the view.

What can appear

• Customer appointments and your own dated notes.
• Invoice payment deadlines for Sent and Overdue invoices.
• Expected shipment dates from purchase orders.
• Active weekly or monthly recurring-cost reminders.
• Manually added payroll, payment, shipment or other reminders.

Financial source reminders are owner/manager-only. Staff see calendar entries shared with them and their private notes, not the finance source records.

Add an entry

1. Choose Add event or note and give it a clear title.
2. Select the date from the calendar and time from the scrolling picker—no date or time typing is required.
3. Add details and choose whether it repeats weekly, monthly or not at all.
4. Choose who can see it, then save and check the timeline.

The displayed times use your device’s local time. Check this when travelling or arranging work across time zones. Monthly repeats at the end of a long month fit into shorter months.

Calendar entries are in-app reminders. They do not run payroll, charge cards, update stock or guarantee a push notification or email delivery.

Open Appointments under Operations to arrange work with customers. You can also see appointments in the calendar alongside other deadlines.

Create an appointment

1. Choose New appointment and enter a clear title.
2. Select the date and time, then set the duration in minutes.
3. Optionally link a saved customer and add location or preparation notes.
4. Choose a repeat pattern and the people who can see it.
5. Save. Review any overlap warning before choosing whether to continue.

The four record buttons

• Complete appointment: records that a scheduled appointment is finished.
• Cancel appointment: keeps the record in history as cancelled, after confirmation.
• Edit: changes the appointment’s details. There is no status dropdown in the editor.
• Delete: removes the calendar record after confirmation.

Completed and cancelled appointments remain in the timeline but no longer count as active upcoming appointments. Their Complete and Cancel actions are disabled; editing and deleting remain available to owners/managers.

Repeating bookings and overlaps

Completing, cancelling, editing or deleting a repeating entry affects the whole series, not just one date. Use separate bookings when each visit needs its own outcome. Overlap warnings compare visible scheduled appointments; repeating bookings are checked over the next 90 days. A warning is advisory, not a guaranteed conflict-free booking system.

Saving an appointment does not automatically email the customer or collect payment.

A dated note lets you put practical information in the timeline: preparation for a visit, a deadline, an internal reminder or a payroll date. Keep the title short enough to recognise at a glance, and put the explanation in the notes.

Visibility choices for owners and managers

• Owners and managers only: keep the entry within the management view.
• Owners/managers plus chosen staff: select the staff members who need to see it. Do not put private financial information in a shared note unless you intend to share it.
• Only me: keep a private note in your account, where that option is available.

Staff can add their own private notes. A shared appointment appearing on a staff calendar does not give the staff member permission to manage it or see its linked finance records.

Payroll dates

Add a payroll reminder using your actual pay date and the relevant repeat pattern. The calendar does not infer every payroll deadline from staff pay settings or submit payments. Marking an appointment complete is not a way to record payroll or expenses.

The owner manages team access. A manager has a management view of the business; an employee has a focused view for their own work. Some underlying screens or records may refer to the manager role as “admin”.

Adding a team member

1. The owner opens Team & access.
2. Check the person’s name and email address carefully.
3. Choose the appropriate manager or employee role.
4. Complete the invitation and any relevant staff/pay details.
5. Have the person use their own account and follow the invitation workflow.

A staff record and an account membership serve different purposes. Creating a name in a staff list is not necessarily the same as giving that person signed-in access. Check the invitation and membership when a team member cannot see the business.

Keep access appropriate

Finance records are restricted to owners and managers. Choose roles carefully and review memberships when someone leaves or changes jobs. Menu personalisation only hides shortcuts; it must not be used as a security control. Shared calendar visibility is chosen per entry.

Use Staff to maintain team details and schedule individual shifts. Named business locations and clear shift notes help employees understand where to work and what is expected.

Scheduling

1. Choose the staff member and shift date.
2. Select a start and end time. Review that the end is later than the start.
3. Add the correct location and any useful notes.
4. Save, then check that the employee can see the shift in their own view.

Employees follow their assigned shifts and use the available clock-in workflow. A scheduled shift is a plan; it is not evidence that the employee actually worked those hours.

Pay information

Keep salary or hourly-rate details current before relying on labour-cost summaries. Review bonuses and adjustments where applicable. TheGrid’s staff and pay views help organise information; they do not automatically make wage payments or replace your payroll provider’s tax and reporting obligations.

When a shift changes, update or cancel the record rather than leaving an outdated plan visible.

Clock-in and timesheet records help compare planned shifts with recorded work. Employees should use their own accounts so the activity is linked to the right person.

During a shift

• Follow the scheduled shift shown in the employee view.
• Use clock-in, clock-out and break actions as the workflow requires.
• Review the recorded times if something interrupted the process.
• Raise a correction through the relevant request page instead of inventing another shift to balance the hours.

Management review

Owners/managers can review timesheets and correction requests using the available controls. Check unusual hours, missed clock-outs and break information before using recorded hours for pay decisions.

A timesheet is a record to review, not proof of payment. An earnings or hours summary depends on the pay settings and time records the business has entered. Resolve disagreements with the employee and keep any supporting evidence required by your business.

Employees do not need access to revenue, invoices or supplier spending to view their own work information.

The workforce pages separate planning requests from confirmed work. Availability helps the business understand when people can work; a time-off request still needs the appropriate management decision.

A clear team workflow

1. Employees enter availability or submit a request in the relevant page.
2. Managers review it against the business’s staffing needs.
3. Check the result in the record; do not assume submitting means approved.
4. Keep shifts consistent with the agreed outcome.

Staff questions provide a place for team enquiries, and shift tasks help communicate work that needs completing. Review assigned tasks and any requested completion evidence rather than assuming a checked item means every part of the job is finished.

Staff dashboard

Employees can see their own upcoming shifts, hours/earnings information, bonuses or recognition, manager feedback and shift tasks where available. Which cards appear also depends on their personalisation settings. That view is not the owner’s finance dashboard.

Use your existing urgent-contact procedure for emergencies; an in-app question or task is not a guaranteed immediate alert.

Personalisation applies to your account, not everyone in the business. You can simplify your own screen while someone else keeps the cards and shortcuts useful to them.

What you can change

• Choose dashboard cards such as revenue, expenses, net profit, goals, calendar shortcuts or Upcoming today, where your role allows them.
• Show or hide menu sections and individual drawer shortcuts.
• Adjust your greeting and accent colour.
• Choose relevant employee dashboard cards in the staff view.

What hiding does not do

Hiding a dashboard card does not delete the records behind it. Hiding a menu item does not revoke access or prevent someone reaching a permitted page another way. Roles and database permissions control access; visual preferences only organise your screen.

If a page seems to disappear after customising, revisit Personalisation and turn the shortcut back on. Keep calendar and upcoming-work cards visible if timing is important to your day.

Pickers and their opened choices use black text on a white background regardless of the chosen accent colour. Future subscription permissions will be explained separately when finalised.

Upcoming today brings the day’s relevant work into view. Scheduled appointments can appear there, including an appointment already in progress; completed, cancelled and other inactive appointment outcomes are excluded.

Different kinds of information

• Upcoming today: a summary of dated items relevant to your day and access.
• Notifications: in-app messages about supported business activity, such as new records or an invoice recorded as paid.
• Activity history: a record of supported changes to help management understand what happened.

Calendar notes and appointments can be shared with selected staff, but automatic invoice and purchasing deadlines stay in the owner/manager view. A notification about a payment being recorded is not confirmation from a bank.

Do not assume every calendar item sends push, SMS or email alerts. Current calendar reminders are shown in the app. Email verification and password-reset messages serve account security; they are separate from customer appointment reminders.

Use the underlying record when investigating an update, and refresh if the view appears out of date.

TheGrid is in development and testing. Screens and workflows can change as feedback is incorporated. This guide describes the current app; availability depends on the release, your account role and the business configuration.

Subscription information

Planned monthly pricing is £7.99 for Basic, £11.99 for Staff £19.99 for Full and £24.99 for TheGrid Assistant, per business. Basic includes finance and appointments; Staff is workforce-only; Full combines both with operations. TheGrid Assistant includes all Full features plus planned AI. The planned trial is 21 days with a card upfront, followed by monthly charges unless cancelled. Subscriptions are not open yet; see the Prices page for the current position. The final feature permissions for each plan are still being refined, so do not treat this guide as a promise that every plan includes every feature.

Important boundaries

• Financial entries do not automatically reconcile your bank or file taxes.
• Payroll information and reminders do not transfer wages or submit payroll returns.
• Expected deliveries are not live courier tracking.
• Saving appointments does not automatically send customer confirmations.
• PDF sharing uses your device’s sharing options; a status label is not proof of email delivery.

For feature-specific questions or a workflow your business needs, ask before relying on an assumption. Do not use test checkout links for real payments.

TheGrid Assistant is its own planned £24.99/month-per-business subscription, not an add-on. It includes everything in Full. AI is not built or available yet; assigning this plan does not activate AI.

Practical examples

• Business questions: “Which invoices are due this week?” using only records your account may see.
• Daily planning: “Help me prioritise today’s appointments and payment deadlines.”
• Message drafts: “Write a friendly overdue-invoice reminder.” You review and send it yourself.
• App guidance: “How do I turn a quote into an invoice?”

You stay in control

The first version is planned to be read-only: no automatic payments, sending messages, changing records or running payroll. Existing business and staff permissions must still apply. AI can make mistakes: check figures and drafts. It is not a substitute for accounting, tax or legal advice.

Usage limits, data-processing details and availability will be published before launch. One 21-day trial per business and owner is planned; switching plans will not restart it.