Getting started with your first invoice

Step 1: Register and Set Up Your Company Details

Sign up and enter your credentials. The journey begins by signing up for an account on Octoforms. Once registered, you’ll be prompted to enter your company details. This step is essential as these details will appear on your invoices and other documents, ensuring they comply with legal and professional standards.

Completing your company profile includes adding your business name, tax ID, address, and contact information. Additionally you need to set up you setting for time zones, currencies used and date formats. Once this is set up, you're ready to move forward with selecting your templates. View a list of templates here

Step 2: Select Your Invoicing Templates

Octoforms offers a range of invoicing templates designed to fit the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. When you select the Invoicing Template, it will automatically include essential forms such as:

• Customer Management: Store and track customer data, ensuring you have all necessary details for invoicing and communications.
• Supplier Management: Manage your suppliers for purchasing and procurement.
• Product & Inventory Management: Create a catalog of products and track inventory levels across multiple warehouses.
• Warehouses: Track stock levels at different warehouse locations.
• Invoicing & Ledger Entries: Generate invoices and automatically log entries into your ledger, helping to maintain financial accuracy.

Once you've selected your desired templates, click ‘Save,’ and you'll be redirected to your Forms Page. Here, you'll see all the forms generated by the system, ready for you to use.

Step 3: Creating Some Base Data

Before you can begin invoicing, it’s essential to set up some foundational data. This data will not only streamline the process of creating invoices but also ensure accurate reporting and inventory tracking. Let’s start by creating some basic categories and products.

At this point, you can start processing supplier invoices to record purchases and increase stock levels. However, for simplicity, you may prefer to enter manual stock entries. For example, you can manually add T-shirts and Fabric into your Los Angeles and New York warehouses to ensure stock availability.

Step 4: Creating Your First Invoice

With the necessary setup complete, it’s time to create your first invoice! Start by selecting Invoices from the Forms menu. Follow these simple steps:

• Select the customer you wish to bill.
• Choose the products or services you're selling. For example, let’s say you're selling 1 T-shirt.
• Confirm the quantities and prices, and the system will automatically calculate the totals, including taxes (if applicable).
• Review the invoice details, then click ‘Generate Invoice.’
• Congratulations! You've successfully created your first invoice with Octoforms.

The system will automatically send the invoice via email to your customer, providing a seamless and professional experience. If you need any additional functionality or assistance, feel free to Contact Us.

Step 5: Download or Emailing PDF

Go to Forms > Customer Invoices > Select the small dots on the Invoice you want to Download or Email. Select Generate PDF to Download or Email PDF to Email to the selected Customer.

Email your customers directly from Octo Forms to ensure authenticity and prevent fraudulent activities

Emailing invoice PDFs offers a fast, efficient way to send detailed billing information directly to clients. It streamlines the invoicing process by reducing paper waste and postal delays, ensuring customers receive invoices instantly. This method also provides a professional touch while enabling easy digital record-keeping and tracking. Its value lies in the convenience, cost savings, and ability to improve cash flow by speeding up the payment cycle.

To change your Company Logo go to your Company Detail page. For any other changes to the PDF leanr more here: PDF Template Guide

Step 6: Ledger and Reporting

Invoicing doesn’t just stop at sending a bill—it also impacts your company’s finances. Every invoice you create will generate corresponding ledger entries in the accounting system. This ensures that your trial balance, accounts receivable, and sales vs. cost of sales reports remain up-to-date and accurate. Here’s what to expect:

• Trial Balance: Your company's total debits and credits will be updated to reflect each invoice.
• Sales vs. Cost of Sales Report: Track your profitability by comparing revenue from sales against the cost of goods sold.
• With these reporting tools, you can stay on top of your financial health, spot trends, and make informed business decisions.