Do I need any technical skills to use Growth Onward?

No. Everything is done from your admin dashboard with simple forms and buttons — there's no code, no plugins, and nothing to install.

Is Growth Onward a website builder or a booking tool?

Both, and more. It's your booking website, your customer database, and your marketing engine in one — sold as your own branded platform, not a third-party widget.

How long does it take to get set up?

Most owners are live and taking bookings within an afternoon. The three steps in "Your first steps" cover the essentials.

Do my customers need an account to book?

No. Customers book with just their email, and an account is created for them automatically. They can log in later with a one-time code to view history or rebook.

Can I change my business hours later?

Yes — update them any time under Settings → Booking & hours. Changes apply to new bookings immediately.

What if I offer several services at different prices?

Add each one under Services with its own price and duration. Customers pick the service they want when they book, and your availability is reserved for the right length of time.

How do I log in to my dashboard?

Go to your site's /login page and enter your email. We email you a one-time code — enter it and you're in. There are no passwords to remember or reset.

Why don't I see Reviews, Offers, Campaigns, or Blog in my menu?

Those are optional features that are turned off by default. Once enabled for your account they appear automatically under the relevant menu group.

Can my staff have their own logins?

Anyone you authorize can log in with their own email using the same one-time-code method. Ask us to add a team member's email to your account.

Do customers need to create an account to book?

No. Customers book with just their email, and an account is created for them automatically. They can log in later with a one-time code to see their history or rebook.

What happens automatically versus what I have to do?

Bookings, confirmations, reminders, and review/rebooking prompts happen automatically. You decide the settings once (hours, prices, payment mode, which growth tools are on) and step in only to manage bookings or reply to customers.

Does everything work together, or are these separate tools?

They're one connected system. A single booking updates your customer database, triggers reminders, and later feeds reviews, rebooking prompts, and campaigns — no copy-pasting between apps.

What's the difference between Bookings and Booking & hours?

Bookings is your live list of appointments — what's booked and what to do about each one. Booking & hours is where you set the rules — when you're open and how far ahead people can book. You set the rules once; bookings flow in against them.

What do the booking statuses mean?

Pending means it's waiting for your approval. Confirmed means it's locked in. Completed means the visit happened. Cancelled means it was called off. If a paid booking is cancelled, it may show as refund pending until you process the refund.

Can I reschedule a booking to a new time?

Yes. Open the booking and edit its date and time. The customer is notified of the change, and the old slot is freed up for someone else.

Will the customer be told when I confirm or cancel?

Yes. Confirmations and cancellations trigger an automatic email to the customer, so you don't have to send anything by hand.

Does a manual booking work the same as an online one?

Yes. It appears in your Bookings list, reserves the time slot, creates or links the customer's record, and can take payment — exactly like a booking made on your site.

What if the customer is already in my system?

Start typing their name or email and pick the existing customer, so their history stays in one place instead of creating a duplicate.

How do I stop bookings on a day off or holiday?

Add a closure for that date under Booking & hours. Customers won't be offered any times on closed days.

Can I take more than one booking at the same time?

Yes. Set your capacity to the number of customers you can handle at once (for example, two grooming stations). Growth Onward offers that many slots per time.

How far in advance can customers book?

You set the booking window — for example, up to 30 days ahead. You can also set a minimum lead time so no one books for five minutes from now.

Which should I choose?

Auto-confirm is best when your hours already reflect your real availability and you want zero friction for customers. Manual approval suits you when you like to vet each request — for example, first-time clients or complex jobs.

Can I switch between them later?

Yes, any time, under Booking & hours. It only affects how future bookings arrive.

Is this the same as a subscription?

No. You're not charging on a recurring basis — you're reminding customers to rebook at the right interval (for example, every 6 weeks) so they don't drift away. They book each visit as normal.

How do I set the interval?

Set the rebooking interval under Settings → Rebooking schedule. You can tailor it to your trade — a dog groom every 6 weeks, an oil change every 3 months.

Does the customer get reminded automatically?

Yes, when rebooking reminders are enabled. The reminder lands when they're due, with a one-tap link to book their next visit.

Do I have to take payment online?

No. Taking payment is optional. You can run bookings with no online payment at all, or switch on deposits or full payment whenever you're ready.

Where does the money go?

Straight to your own connected payment account. Growth Onward processes the payment on your behalf but the funds are yours.

Three: Off (no online payment), Deposit (a set amount up front), or Full (the whole price at booking). You pick one in Settings under Payments.

Will a deposit reduce no-shows?

Almost always, yes. When customers have money on the line they show up. A small deposit is the single most effective no-show reducer for most trades.

What happens if payment fails?

The booking isn't confirmed until payment succeeds, so you never end up with an unpaid slot when you've asked for payment.

Do I need a Stripe account first?

Yes. Stripe is free to create. Once connected, Growth Onward can take payments on your behalf and settle them to your bank.

Are card details safe?

Yes. Card data is handled entirely by Stripe's secure, PCI-compliant checkout — it never touches your dashboard or Growth Onward's servers.

What happens when a paid booking is cancelled?

It's marked as refund pending so you don't lose track. You then process the refund, and the booking updates to reflect it.

Do I have to refund every cancellation?

That's your policy to set. Growth Onward flags paid cancellations so you can decide — refund in full, keep a deposit as a no-show fee, or whatever your terms say.

Where do I see revenue?

On your Overview dashboard. It reflects real payments taken through Growth Onward.

Does revenue include unpaid or in-person payments?

The revenue figure tracks payments processed through Growth Onward. Cash or card taken in person outside the system won't be counted there.

Are the marketing features optional?

Yes. Reviews, referrals, offers, and campaigns are opt-in — turn on the ones you want, when you want. Your customer list is always on.

Do I have to manage all of this manually?

No. Once enabled, most of it runs on its own — review requests and win-backs trigger automatically off customer activity. You step in to moderate or send when you choose to.

How do customers get added?

Automatically. The first time someone books, their record is created. Every future booking links to the same record, building their history without any data entry from you.

Can I keep notes on a customer?

Yes. Open a customer to add notes — preferences, pet or vehicle details, anything that helps you give great service next time.

Can I remove a customer's data if they ask?

Yes. You can archive or permanently delete a customer record, which supports privacy requests like the right to be forgotten.

How are reviews collected?

After a completed visit, Growth Onward can email the customer a link to leave a review — no login needed. Because it's tied to a real booking, each review is a verified customer.

Do reviews go live automatically?

No. Reviews come to you first. You approve the ones you want shown, so nothing appears on your site without your say-so.

Is this feature on by default?

No, it's optional. Turn on review requests when you're ready to start gathering them.

How does a referral work?

Each customer gets a shareable link. When a friend books through it, both sides can earn a reward you define — a classic two-sided referral.

How are rewards given out?

You fulfill rewards yourself, so you stay in control. Referrals are tracked for you; you mark each side rewarded once you've honored it.

Is this on by default?

No, it's optional. Switch referrals on when you want to start growing by word of mouth.

What kinds of offers can I run?

Common ones include a first-visit discount for new customers, a loyalty reward for repeat customers, and time-window promotions (for example, a quiet-Tuesday deal). Each has a trigger — who or when it applies to — and an effect, like a percentage or fixed amount off.

What if two offers could apply at once?

The single best offer for the customer wins, so discounts never accidentally stack into something you didn't intend.

Is this on by default?

No, offers are optional. Turn the feature on and create the offers you want.

FAQ

Answers to the most common questions about running your business on Growth Onward, gathered from across the help center.

Every question below is answered in full on its topic's help page — follow the link under any answer to read the complete guide. Looking for something specific? Use the search box at the top of the sidebar.

FAQ

Getting Started

Bookings & Scheduling

Payments & Billing

Customers & Marketing

Your Website & Content

Account & Settings

FAQ

Getting Started

Do I need any technical skills to use Growth Onward?

Is Growth Onward a website builder or a booking tool?

How long does it take to get set up?

Do my customers need an account to book?

Can I change my business hours later?

What if I offer several services at different prices?

How do I log in to my dashboard?

Why don't I see Reviews, Offers, Campaigns, or Blog in my menu?

Can my staff have their own logins?

Do customers need to create an account to book?

What happens automatically versus what I have to do?

Does everything work together, or are these separate tools?

Bookings & Scheduling

What's the difference between Bookings and Booking & hours?

What do the booking statuses mean?

Can I reschedule a booking to a new time?

Will the customer be told when I confirm or cancel?

Does a manual booking work the same as an online one?

What if the customer is already in my system?

How do I stop bookings on a day off or holiday?

Can I take more than one booking at the same time?

How far in advance can customers book?

Which should I choose?

Can I switch between them later?

Is this the same as a subscription?

How do I set the interval?

Does the customer get reminded automatically?

Payments & Billing

Do I have to take payment online?

Where does the money go?

What are my options?

Will a deposit reduce no-shows?

What happens if payment fails?

Do I need a Stripe account first?

Are card details safe?

What happens when a paid booking is cancelled?

Do I have to refund every cancellation?

Where do I see revenue?

Does revenue include unpaid or in-person payments?

Customers & Marketing

Are the marketing features optional?

Do I have to manage all of this manually?

How do customers get added?

Can I keep notes on a customer?

Can I remove a customer's data if they ask?

How are reviews collected?

Do reviews go live automatically?

Is this feature on by default?

How does a referral work?

How are rewards given out?

Is this on by default?

What kinds of offers can I run?

What if two offers could apply at once?

Is this on by default?

Who can I send a campaign to?

Will I spam people or get blocked?

Is this on by default?

Your Website & Content

Do I need a separate website?

Can I edit it myself?

What can I change on my site?

Do changes go live immediately?

Will editing break the design?

Why does duration matter?

Can I show a photo for each service?

How do I retire a service I no longer offer?

Why would I blog?

Do I need to know how to format text?

Is the blog on by default?

How do customers log in?

What can customers do in the portal?

Is the portal on by default?

What legal pages do I get?

Why do these matter?

Account & Settings

Where do I find all my settings?

Where do my business details show up?

Are opening hours the same as booking availability?