STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How brands find you
Step 3: How It works?
Step 4: Your Visibility
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTER ONBOARDING
You’re in, let’s get you set up.
Onboarding will take about 3 minutes. Let's run through it.
Marcus
Rodriguez
Professional Headline
Role Item
Role Item
Role Item
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0

Classification
City Name
0 (0 Reviews)
Available
Your profile is active
Brands are already able to find you; this onboarding will make sure you’re ready when they do.
Next
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How brands find you
Step 3: How It works?
Step 4: Your Visibility
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTERS ONBOARDING
How brands find and contact you

There’s one way a brand discovers you — and to ways they’ll make contact.

How they find you
Profile Search
ALWAYS ON

Brands search by expertise or category. Your profile surfaces based on your tags, skills, and ranking score. Always on — no action needed on your end.

Opportunites
YOU APPLY

Brands post specific project briefs. You’ll be notified when one matches your expertise. You apply — the brand reviews and responds.

How they contact you
Direct message

A brand reaches out via your Starters inbox. This is the most common first contact — usually to scope a project or ask a quick question before proposing work.

Consult call request

A brand books a paid consult call directly from your profile. No back-and-form required — it lands straight in your calendar with the details already set.

Either way, you’ll be notified
Every inbound booking or message triggers an email alert, a platform notification, and a text message if you’re US-based.
Respond within 24 hours — this directly affects your search ranking.
Back
Next
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How brands find you
Step 3: How It works?
Step 4: Your Visibility
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTERS ONBOARDING
How engagements works
Whether a brand messages you or applies to an opportunity — every paid engagement follows the same path
Before your first project
You’ll need a Stripe account connected to invoice through The Starters. You’ll be prompted to set it up from your dashboard — do it before a brand is ready to move, not after.
A brand reaches out
A brand finds your profile and books a call
Brands can book directly from your profile page. You’ll get an email and text notification immediately — no cold outreach required on your end.
Required
Create a project before any work begins
Once you’ve aligned on scope, either you or the brand starts a project on The Starters. This is required for every paid engagement — it’s how invoicing, points, and platform tracking all work. Navigate to “Start a Project” in your dashboard, or the brand can initiate from your profile.
Work is underway
Invoice from your dashboard against the active project
Hit “Generate Invoice” on the project, enter the amount and dates covered, and we handle delivery to the brand. Payment flows directly to your connected Stripe account.
Engagement complete
Close the project — the brand is prompted for a review
End the project from your dashboard when work wraps. A review request goes to the brand automatically. Five-star reviews are your single biggest visibility lever.
On payment
Your contractual agreements are directly with brands — not The Starters. We’ll follow up on overdue invoices, but the relationship is yours.
Credit card payments incur a standard 2.9% Stripe fee. You can turn this off in your Stripe settings.
Back
Next
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How brands find you
Step 3: How It works?
Step 4: Your Visibility
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTERS ONBOARDING
Your visibility and what to focus on first
Your ranking on The Starters is determined by points. Here’s how they work.
Your first 30 days
You have priority placement right now. The goal: land one project and one 5-star review before the boost window closes.
Connect Stripe from your dashboard before your first engagement — there’ll be a prompt waiting for you when you land.

Starting a new project with a brand

+2,000

/project

Responding to brand outreach

Under 24hrs / under 72hrs

+1,000 / +500

No response after 7 days

-1,000

Invoicing through The Starters

Per $1 paid

+1

/dollar

5-star review from a brand

+5,000

/review

Review under 3 stars

-5,000

/review

Back
Next
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How brands find you
Step 3: How It works?
Step 4: Your Visibility
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTERS ONBOARDING
Set your availability

Calls

30-minute intro call

Free

Brands use this to book interviews and intro calls.

00/60

60-minute consulting call

Brands pay when they book, through The Starters.

When can brands book you?

It’s 10:52 PM there now.

Set availability

Pick the days and times brands can book you each week.

to
Add window
Add additional days
Not connected

Connect your Google Calendar (Optional)

Booked calls go straight into your calendar, and brands can’t book times you’re already busy. We only see busy or free, never event details.

Connect Google Calendar
Not connected

Connect Stripe to get paid

Brands pay for your consulting calls and for the services and retainers you invoice them for. Payouts go to your bank through Stripe.

Connect Stripe
Back
Next
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How brands find you
Step 3: How It works?
Step 4: Your Visibility
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTERS ONBOARDING
Connect Stripe
to get paid

Send invoices

Project and retainer invoices go out from your Stripe account.

Receive payouts

Paid calls and projects pay out to your bank.

A few minutes to set up

Stripe checks your details in the background, so you can keep going. You need to start this before your profile goes live.

Back
Connect Stripe
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How it works
Step 3: How brands find you
STEP 4: Few things
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTER ONBOARDING
You’re in, let’s get you set up.
Onboarding will take about 3 minutes. Let's run through it.
Marcus
Rodriguez
Three/Four Word Title
Role Item
Role Item
Role Item

0

Bio lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud.
Classification
City Name
0 (0 Reviews)
Available
Your profile is active
Brands are already able to find you; this onboarding will make sure you’re ready when they do.
Next
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How it works
Step 3: How brands find you
STEP 4: Few things
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTERS ONBOARDING
How consulting works on The Starters
A brand finds your profile and books a call
Brands can book directly from your profile page. You’ll get an email and text notification immediately — no cold outreach required on your end.
The call happens on your terms
Calls are conducted externally via Zoom, Meet, or phone. You set the format and duration. Most consult calls run 45-60 minutes.
No invoicing or project setup required
Consult bookings are processed through the platform automatically. No project creation or manual invoicing on your end.
Your consult rate

$0/hr

Keep in mind
The Starters doesn't takes a platform fee on each booking. Your displayed rate is what you receive.
You can manage your availability window from your dashboard at any time.
You’ll need a Stripe account connected to receive consult payouts. You’ll be prompted to set i up from your dashboard — do it before your first booking, not after.
Back
Next
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How it works
Step 3: How brands find you
STEP 4: Few things
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTERS ONBOARDING
How brands find and contact you

There’s one way a brand discovers you — and to ways they’ll make contact.

How they find you
Profile Search
ALWAYS ON

Brands search by expertise or category. Your profile surfaces based on your tags, skills, and ranking score. Always on — no action needed on your end.

How they contact you
Consult call booking

A brand books a paid consult call directly from your profile. No back-and-form required — it lands straight in your calendar with the details already set.

Direct message

A brand reaches out via your Starters inbox — usually to ask a question before booking. Responding within 24 hours protects your search ranking

Either way, you’ll be notified
Every inbound booking or message triggers an email alert, a platform notification, and a text message if you’re US-based.
Your photo, bio, and category tags directly determine how often you appear in brand searches — keep them current.
Back
Next
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How it works
Step 3: How brands find you
STEP 4: Few things
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTERS ONBOARDING
A few things to know before you start
Back
Next
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How it works
Step 3: How brands find you
STEP 4: Few things
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTERS ONBOARDING
Set your availability

Calls

30-minute intro call

Free

Brands use this to book interviews and intro calls.

00/60

60-minute consulting call

Brands pay when they book, through The Starters.

When can brands book you?

It’s 10:52 PM there now.

Set availability

Pick the days and times brands can book you each week.

to
Add window
Add additional days
Not connected

Connect your Google Calendar (Optional)

Booked calls go straight into your calendar, and brands can’t book times you’re already busy. We only see busy or free, never event details.

Connect Google Calendar
Not connected

Connect Stripe to get paid

Brands pay for your consulting calls and for the services and retainers you invoice them for. Payouts go to your bank through Stripe.

Connect Stripe
Back
Next
STEP 1: WELCOME
Step 2: How it works
Step 3: How brands find you
STEP 4: Few things
Step 5: Your calendar
Step 6: Get paid
STARTERS ONBOARDING
Connect Stripe
to get paid

Send invoices

Project and retainer invoices go out from your Stripe account.

Receive payouts

Paid calls and projects pay out to your bank.

A few minutes to set up

Stripe checks your details in the background, so you can keep going. You need to start this before your profile goes live.

Back
Connect Stripe
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.