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

# Getting started

> Create your ShineCRM account and send your first estimate.

This guide takes you from a brand-new account to your first estimate out the door. ShineCRM has a web dashboard and a mobile app backed by the same data. You create your account on the web, then sign in on either one.

## Create your account

Go to [app.shinecx.com/signup](https://app.shinecx.com/signup) in a desktop browser. You'll enter:

* Your name, email, and a password (at least 12 characters)
* Your **business name**
* Your **workspace URL**, the permanent web address for your customer portal (`yourbusiness.shinecx.com`). It's suggested from your business name and **cannot be changed later**, so pick it deliberately.

<Note>
  Accounts are created on the web. The mobile app is sign-in only: install it, then log in with the account you just made. Your data is identical on both.
</Note>

## Choose a plan

Right after signing up, you'll pick a plan. Selecting one sends you to Stripe Checkout to enter payment, then back to ShineCRM. You can change your plan later. Managing your subscription always lives on the web (an App Store rule), never in the mobile app.

## Set up the essentials

Open **Settings then Organization** and fill in the basics that show up on everything you send:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Business details">
    Add your contact email, phone, address, website, and tax number. These appear on quotes, invoices, and your customer portal, and fill in your message templates automatically.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Logo and time zone">
    Upload your logo (a transparent PNG on a white background works best) and confirm your time zone. Your time zone controls when every automated message and reminder sends, so set it before you schedule anything.
  </Step>

  <Step title="A phone line (optional but recommended)">
    Under **Settings then Calls**, claim a business phone number so texts and calls run through ShineCRM and land in your inbox. Numbers are Canadian at launch.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Payments (optional)">
    Under **Settings then Payments**, connect Stripe to take online payments and Square to take in-person payments. Payouts go to your own bank.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Add your first contact

A contact is a customer.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Web dashboard">
    Open **Contacts** in the sidebar and click **New contact**. Enter their name, phone, email, and service address.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Mobile app">
    Open the **Contacts** tab and tap to add a contact. Enter their name, phone, email, and service address.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Send your first estimate

From a contact, create an estimate, add your services, and send it.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Web dashboard">
    On the contact's page, click **New** and choose **Estimate**. Add line items from your services, set frequencies if the work repeats, then click **Send** to deliver it by email, text, or both.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Mobile app">
    On the contact's page, tap the **Estimate** tile. Add line items, set frequencies if the work repeats, then send it by email, text, or both.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Your customer opens a link to their portal page, where they can review the estimate, pick options, and accept it. When they accept, you can turn the estimate into a scheduled job, and later into an invoice.

## What's next

You now have the loop: contact, estimate, job, invoice, payment. The rest of the guides go deeper on each piece. A good order from here:

* Build out your **services** so estimates come together in seconds
* Set up **jobs and your calendar** to schedule the work
* Connect **payments** and learn the **invoice** flow to get paid
* Invite your **team** and set their roles

Use the navigation on the left to jump to any of these.