Orkely Journal
Practical articles about client work, invoicing, admin, software decisions and owning your own data as a solo operator.
A useful client onboarding checklist collects the information you need to begin work, get decisions and send an accurate invoice. It should also uncover anything that could stop the project before you promise a delivery…
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A project brief explains the result a client needs, what you will deliver and how decisions will be made. For a freelancer, it is the working reference that connects an initial conversation to a manageable set of tasks.…
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Comparing estimated vs actual hours shows where a project used more or less time than expected. The useful part is the explanation behind the difference: extra revisions, incomplete inputs, an unfamiliar task or an…
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Managing client revisions starts before the first preview. Explain what a review round includes, who sends the feedback and which changes would alter the original agreement. Then record requests in a way you can act on…
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A pre invoice checklist helps you catch avoidable errors before a bill reaches the client. Check what you are charging, who should receive it and whether the payment instructions are complete. Reviewing the exported…
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An invoice payment record should connect a specific bill to the money received for it. Keep the invoice reference, received date, amount, currency, payment method and any supporting reference together so you can explain…
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Clear invoice payment instructions tell the client which method to use, which details belong to that method and what reference to include. Place them where the payer can find them without searching your email history.…
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An invoice follow up workflow starts by confirming that the correct person received a correct invoice. Then it records each communication and the next action, so outstanding bills do not depend on your memory. Keep the…
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A weekly business admin checklist gives you a regular point to reconcile what happened with what your records say. Review commitments, unfinished work, billing and the next actions that could otherwise disappear between…
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A client handover checklist confirms what you delivered, where the files are and what happens after the project ends. It turns “finished” into a documented result that the client can use without another round of…
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A practical project file naming convention identifies the job, the item and the version without requiring you to open the file. Keep it short, apply it consistently and separate review copies from approved delivery…
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A local business data backup routine should answer three questions: what would you lose, where is the copy, and how would you restore it? Here is a routine built around Orkely’s backup and restore tools.
Read moreThe choice between offline and cloud business software depends on how you work, where you need access and whether several people must use the same records. Neither model solves every business problem. For a solo…
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A CRM for one person should help you understand a client relationship quickly: who the client is, what you have agreed, what work is active and what needs to happen next. Start there before comparing sales dashboards or…
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A graphic design project workflow should make the next decision visible. Record the brief, prepare the inputs, develop the agreed concepts, collect feedback and check the final exports before handover. This is a focused…
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To organise video editing projects, separate the creative production files from the business record. Your editing application holds the timeline; the project record holds the agreement, deliverables, feedback decisions…
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Track virtual assistant client work with a clear record of each request, its status and the effort involved. For an ongoing arrangement, a monthly project can provide a practical boundary for reviewing delivery and…
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A consulting engagement workflow should connect the client's question to the evidence you review and the output you deliver. Define the decision the client needs to make, then organise the work that supports it. This…
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Review freelance project costs by looking at the agreed fee, direct expenses and time spent together. The invoice amount alone cannot tell you whether a similar job is worth accepting on the same terms again. Use the…
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Orkely Free is a complete local business app; the Pro add-on adds proposals and reports for a one-time $24.99. Here is what stays free, what unlocks, and how to decide whether it is worth it.
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Orkely Pro is no longer a separate app. Pro is a one-time Microsoft Store add-on inside Orkely Free — here is what it unlocks, how to buy it, and how to restore it with Check again.
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The invoice should describe the work you actually did. Here is how to finish tasks, log the hours, select what to bill, and turn it into a branded PDF in Orkely.
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Orkely stores everything locally, so a backup is the difference between a bad afternoon and a lost business record. Here is how to back up, restore, and move to a new PC.
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A failed invoice email is usually one of four things: a firewall, the wrong port, a normal password where an App Password is required, or missing SMTP settings. Here is the order to check them.
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Orkely 1.0.3 is live for both editions: attach files to individual tasks, configure payment methods that fit any country, see a yearly income and expense trend on the dashboard and in report PDFs, and email proposals with their PDF attached again.
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Orkely 1.0.2 is live for Orkely Free and Orkely Pro: invoices created from project tasks no longer fail silently, icons render reliably, invoice PDFs show the full client details, and project pages add a Task Revenue card.
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A practical walkthrough for plumbers: one client per customer, one project per job, hours and parts recorded as you go, and an invoice generated from the finished work.
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Electrical work is priced before it is done. Here is how to keep the quote, the job hours, and the materials together so the invoice reflects the work that actually happened.
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Small jobs hide the most work. This walkthrough covers quoting the real scope, logging labour per task, putting materials on the job, and invoicing from the finished tasks.
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Cleaning work is the same clients on a rhythm, which makes it easy to leave unrecorded. Here is how to keep the visits, the products, the hours, and the monthly invoice together.
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Seasonal work arrives in waves, and the costs arrive with it. This walkthrough keeps the hours, materials, and invoices for each garden together through the busy months.
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Photography is two businesses in one: the shoot, and the admin around it. This walkthrough covers packages, shoot and edit hours, travel costs, and invoicing.
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Client web work is invisible, recursive, and rarely finished. Here is how to keep the accepted scope, the subtasks, the retainer hours, and the pass-through costs in one place.
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Sessions are sold in blocks and delivered over months. This walkthrough keeps the block, the delivered hours, the unbilled preparation, and the invoice in one place.
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A small, focused update to Orkely Free and Orkely Pro: finance entries can now be edited and deleted, and the Store deep-link into Pro is smoother.
Read moreTool sprawl, growing costs, and operational fatigue are pushing solo operators and freelancers toward unified applications that keep everything in one place.
Read moreFrom local installation to your first invoice — a practical walkthrough of everything you need to do after downloading Orkely.
Read moreSpreadsheets are fine at the beginning, but they become expensive when you start losing time, context, and visibility across clients and projects.
Read moreMost independent professionals do not overpay because of one tool. They overpay because five "cheap" tools become a permanent stack with no end date.
Read moreOrkely Free is available now on the Microsoft Store, no credit card, no account required.
The Pro add-on (Reports & Proposals, $24.99 once) is unlocked from inside the app.