Stop Randomly Setting Up Your Dubsado — You Need a Playbook First
If you’ve been building out your Dubsado and just… figuring it out as you go, I need you to stop for a second.
Not because you’re doing anything wrong exactly. But because you’re doing it the hard way. And I’d love to save you the time you’re spending now — and the time you’ll spend later redoing things that weren’t set up right in the first place.
I’ve been a certified Dubsado specialist since they first started certifying people. I’ve built out a lot of Dubsados. And the number one thing I see tripping people up isn’t the tool itself — it’s not having a plan before they start building.
So let’s talk about that.
Why the Order You Build in Dubsado Actually Matters
Here’s the thing about Dubsado: it is incredibly customizable. That’s what makes it so powerful. And that’s also what makes it so easy to get lost in.
Because everything has to come together in a specific order before you can automate anything. Your canned emails need to be in. Your forms need to be built. Your schedulers, your packages — and here’s the kicker — your packages need to go in before your forms get built.
There’s a very specific sequence. And if you’re just poking around and adding things as they come to you, you’re likely going to end up with a Dubsado that technically has stuff in it… but doesn’t actually flow the way you need it to.
I used to find myself mid-build asking, “Wait, did I already create that? Have I set this up yet?” It was chaos, even for me. So I built something to fix it.
What a Dubsado Playbook Actually Is
My Dubsado Playbooks are built on a Notion dashboard — and they are fully built out. Not blank. Not a template you have to fill in from scratch. A completely mapped-out, step-by-step guide for building your Dubsado.
(I do also sell the blank Notion dashboard in my shop if you want the structure to DIY your own planning — but the Playbooks are a different thing entirely.)
The Playbook gives you:
- A step-by-step walkthrough of what to build and in what order
- The actual canned emails, already written (with the right subject lines and smart fields in the right places)
- Training videos to support you as you build
- A plan that takes the guesswork out completely
That smart fields thing? It’s a bigger deal than it sounds. I see so many people try to use the “amount due” smart field in places it can’t actually pull from. You don’t know what you don’t know — and little errors like that can mean your emails aren’t working the way you think they are. The Playbook handles all of that for you.
Custom Playbook vs. Standard Industry Playbook
I’ve got two types, and the difference is pretty simple.
The Custom Playbook is exactly what it sounds like. You and I sit down on a live video call, I give you homework beforehand, and together we map out your entire client journey as a flow chart — before anything ever touches Dubsado. Then I take all of that and build it into a fully custom Notion dashboard that’s your personalized plan to follow.
This one is for you if you have a pretty unique business flow or have been in business long enough to know exactly how you want things to work.
The Standard Industry Playbooks are based on actual client Dubsados I’ve built (with permission). These are industry-specific starting points. If you’re earlier in your business or your client journey is pretty typical for your field, a Standard Playbook gives you a really solid framework to work within. And you can always customize it as you grow.
One More Use Case You Might Not Have Thought Of
Buying a Playbook and handing it to your VA or someone on your team.
The Playbook is built to be followed by someone who doesn’t need to be a Dubsado expert. It’s already been put together by someone who knows the system inside and out (hi, that’s me ✨). Your team member gets clear instructions. You get a properly built Dubsado. Everyone wins.
What If You Just Want It Done For You?
If you start with a Custom Playbook and then decide you’d rather hand it off to me, the cost of the Playbook comes off your full done-for-you build. Strategizing is such a big part of how I set up a Dubsado anyway — so you’re not throwing that investment away, you’re moving it forward.
Your Next Step
If your Dubsado has been sitting half-built — or built in a way that kind of works but not really — the Playbook is a genuinely good place to start. Check out the options in my shop. And if you’re already thinking I just want Lauren to do this for me, book a free clarity call and let’s talk.
The goal isn’t just a functioning Dubsado. It’s a Dubsado that frees up your time and your mental energy — your coworker while you do the actual work of running your business.
With systems and a touch of magic on your side,
Lauren ✨
