380 Guide — Client Project Summary

Project Timeline & History

A complete chronological record from initial engagement through today, including key decisions, communication gaps, and milestones.

Oct 10
2025

Initial Engagement Call

Kick-off sales call with Elisa and Katie from 380 Guide. Business flow walkthrough conducted. Participants: Paul, Elisa, Katie.

Oct 16
2025

Agreement Signed — 30-Hour Bank of Hours

380 Guide entered a Bank of Hours agreement (30 hrs). Invoice #INV-0109 issued; paid Oct 27. Initial Zoho One onboarding walkthrough completed, users and access reviewed.

Oct 17
2025

First Onboarding Call

In-depth requirement gathering focused on 380 Guide magazine's business flow. Participants: Aadrika, Paul, Elisa, Katie.

Oct 22
2025

Email & Domain Setup

Domain setup session completed with Jey and Katie. (~4–5 hours utilized from bank).

Oct 31
2025

Requirement Gathering Call — Scope Preparation Begins

Full requirement session held Oct 31; recording became available to the team on Nov 3. The comprehensive scope document (prepared by Cheyne) was drafted from these requirements. Nov 3 refers to recording access only — no separate meeting was held that day.

Nov 5
2025

Email & Outlook Integration Session

Outlook integrated with Zoho CRM. Participants: Paul, Elisa.

Nov 7
2025

Formal Scope Presented to Client

A comprehensive scope document was presented to Elisa and Katie covering the full CRM build, automation workflows, contract generation, QuickBooks integration, and editorial pipelines. The client's point of contact indicated the document was too detailed and requested a proof of concept instead. Mirror Advisors honored this request and redirected development accordingly.

Late Nov
2025

CRM Proof of Concept Delivered — Owner Escalation

The POC was built and demonstrated, utilizing approximately 27 of the 30 paid hours. Following the walkthrough, Nathan indicated the outcome did not align with his expectations. Mirror Advisors clarified that the POC reflected the direction provided by the designated point of contact. At this stage, payment beyond the initial retainer had not yet been received for development work.

⚠️ Holiday & Communication Gap — Nov 21 to Dec 23, 2025. Limited client responsiveness during the Thanksgiving–pre-Christmas period. Development paused awaiting direction from the client team.

Dec 4
2025

Nathan's Revised Scope Introduced

Nathan provided his own scope vision, which differed from the original agreed requirements. Mirror Advisors reviewed the submission and worked to align it with feasible technical implementation. This introduced additional planning cycles that impacted the overall timeline.

Dec 24
2025

Client Input Request Submitted

After declining to review the original scope document, the client submitted a structured input request. Mirror Advisors accepted these inputs as the basis for renewed planning going into the new year.

⚠️ Holiday Break & January Delay — Dec 25, 2025 to Jan 15, 2026. Year-end holiday period. Infinity Mirror contract was signed Jan 13, 2026, but a Zoho-side administrative delay pushed the formal subscription start date to Feb 2. A credit was issued to cover the gap period between signing and activation.

Jan 13
2026

✦ Nathan Signed — Infinity Mirror Plan

Nathan agreed to transition from the Bank of Hours model to Mirror Advisors' Infinity Mirror plan — a task-based subscription with no per-hour billing. This resolved the outstanding hours dispute and established a collaborative path forward. Subscription start date set to Feb 2, 2026, with a credit issued for the gap period due to Zoho's delay (which affected both 380 Guide and Mirror Advisors).

Jan 16
2026

CRM Scope Review & Sales Workflow Configuration

First technical session under Infinity Mirror. CRM pipeline, lead lifecycle, and sales workflow reviewed and configured.

Jan 28
2026

Aadrika Login Assistance — Shannon Onboarded

Shannon received hands-on CRM access and login assistance. Participants: Aadrika, Shannon.

Feb 6
2026

CRM Objectives Recap

Full recap of CRM goals and expectations. Participants: Soorya, Paul, Matthew.

Feb 17
2026

CRM Configuration & Lead Automation Review

Nathan joined directly for the first time since the escalation period. Lead automation workflows and CRM configuration reviewed and refined. Participants: Nathan, Paul.

Mar 20
2026

✦ Full Zoho CRM Review — 90–95% Complete

Comprehensive walkthrough confirmed the system was 90–95% complete. Core CRM, contract pipeline, lead lifecycle, and storyboard module fully operational. Remaining items scoped for April sprint.

Apr 2026

✦ April Sprint — 16 of 18 Tasks Closed

Contract design overhaul, domain validation, email notifications, lead pipeline refinements, user account setup, and salesperson interface simplification all completed. 2 tasks pending client input.

Apr 22
2026

✦ Today — CEO Review Meeting Requested

Nathan and Shannon have requested a call with Mirror Advisors' CEO. This summary has been prepared in advance of that meeting.

Task & Hours Summary

All work grouped into milestones. Click any milestone to expand its subtasks. Hours marked ★ Infinity Mirror were delivered under the flat subscription — no per-hour billing.

★ Infinity Mirror Tasks — highlighted in purple. These were completed at no additional hourly cost under the subscription plan. ★

Bank of Hours (Original)

~27

Hours Used Pre-Conversion

★ ~53

Hrs on Infinity Mirror

~80

Total Project Hours

$7,950

Saved vs. Hourly Rate

    How hours are calculated: Documented hours come from the Zoho CRM task report. Where hours were not logged, estimates follow Zoho implementation best practices (configuration tasks: 1–3 hrs; automations: 2–4 hrs; integrations: 3–6 hrs; contract/template builds: 4–8 hrs). Estimated hours are noted (est.).
  

🌐

Initial Setup, Domain & Email

Bank of Hours phase · Oct–Nov 2025

~9 hrs Complete ▼

Zoho One Account Setup & User Access Configuration

Initial Zoho One provisioning, user roles, product access review

Oct 16, 2025

3 hrs (est.)

✓

Email & Domain Setup

Domain validated, DNS configured, email routing established

Oct 22, 2025

3 hrs (est.)

✓

Outlook Integration with Zoho CRM

Outlook connected to CRM for email sync

Nov 5, 2025

3 hrs (est.)

✓

📋

Requirement Gathering & Scope Planning

Bank of Hours phase · Oct–Dec 2025

~9 hrs Complete ▼

First Onboarding Call — Business Flow

In-depth requirement gathering for 380 Guide magazine sales and production

Oct 17, 2025

2 hrs (est.)

✓

Workflow Mapping & Requirement Documentation

Zoho CRM workflow mapping session; detailed requirement documentation

Oct 31, 2025

3 hrs (est.)

✓

Scope Document Preparation (Cheyne)

Full scope drafted: CRM pipeline, contract automation, QuickBooks integration, editorial workflow

Nov 7, 2025

4 hrs (est.)

✓

🔬

CRM Proof of Concept Build

Bank of Hours phase · Nov 2025 · ~27 total hrs utilized

~9 hrs Complete ▼

Sales Pipeline Configuration

Lead → Contact → Deal pipeline stages; field mapping and lead forms

Nov 2025

4 hrs (est.)

✓

CRM Walkthrough & Demo with Elisa

Full POC walkthrough; deal management, tasks, storyboard module demo

Nov 2025

2 hrs (est.)

✓

Initial Storyboard Module Setup

Magazine issue storyboard module configured based on Elisa's existing spreadsheet workflow

Nov 2025

3 hrs (est.)

✓

★

CRM Rebuild, Lead Lifecycle & Automation

Infinity Mirror · Jan–Mar 2026

★ Infinity Mirror ~18 hrs Complete ▼

★ CRM Scope Review & Sales Workflow Configuration

Full pipeline review, lead stages, sales workflow reconfigured under Infinity Mirror plan

Jan 16, 2026

3 hrs (est.)

✓

★ Aadrika Login Assistance — Shannon Onboarded

Shannon's CRM access configured and tested

Jan 28, 2026

1 hr (est.)

✓

★ CRM Objectives Recap & Strategy Alignment

Full recap with Soorya, Paul, Matthew — requirements re-aligned for Infinity Mirror build

Feb 6, 2026

2 hrs (est.)

✓

★ CRM Configuration & Lead Automation Review

Lead automation workflows refined; Nathan joined for first time since escalation

Feb 17, 2026

2 hrs (est.)

✓

★ Migrate Opportunities Back to Leads

Cleaned up misclassified records; proper lead pipeline restored

Apr 13, 2026

6 hrs

✓

★ Filter Lead Category by Pipeline (Brand Views)

Separate views for 380 Guide and The Vault brands configured in CRM

Apr 13, 2026

6 hrs

✓

★ Create Archived Lead Status Workflow

Automation to archive inactive leads without deleting records

Apr 12, 2026

5 hrs

✓

★

Contract Design, Automation & CRM Integration

Infinity Mirror · Feb–Apr 2026 · Most complex deliverable

★ Infinity Mirror ~18 hrs 1 Pending ▼

★ Contract Alignment (Initial)

First pass aligning contract template with CRM field structure

Apr 13, 2026

11 hrs

✓

★ Complete Contract Design Overhaul

Full redesign of contract template: layout, branding, field placement

Apr 13, 2026

6 hrs

✓

★ Contract Design (Colour, Alignment & CRM Merge)

Colour & alignment revision; CRM field merge; conditional visibility; process recorded for client

Apr 20, 2026

1 hr

✓

★ Update Contract Issue Months

Issue date fields updated and automation handled for future months

Apr 12, 2026

5 hrs

✓

★ Contract Alignment — Final Pass

Awaiting client input to complete final contract alignment

Pending

3 hrs (est.)

Input Needed

★

User Access, Notifications & Communications

Infinity Mirror · Apr 2026

★ Infinity Mirror ~9 hrs Complete ▼

★ Setup Miguel (Matt) User Account Access

Profile changed to connect@380guide.com; sales profile configured

Apr 14, 2026

7 hrs

✓

★ Simplify Salesperson CRM Interface

Sales profile view simplified for non-admin users

Apr 13, 2026

6 hrs

✓

★ Email Notification Setup

Mail Org ID & authentication; notification templates & automation configured

Apr 20, 2026

1 hr

✓

★ Domain Validations

DKIM values sent with namekey on mail; domain authentication verified in CRM; updates sent to Katie

Apr 20, 2026

1 hr

✓

★

CRM Fields, Packages & Tracking Enhancements

Infinity Mirror · Apr 2026

★ Infinity Mirror ~8 hrs 1 Pending ▼

★ CRM Fields Setup (Payment & Autopay)

Payment amount & autopay enrollment fields added; layout configurations updated

Apr 20, 2026

1 hr

✓

★ Add Autopay Enrollment Section

Autopay tracking section added to deal records

Apr 12, 2026

5 hrs

✓

★ Add Small Business Package Option

New option added to Ad Strategy dropdown field

Apr 13, 2026

6 hrs

✓

★ Add Advertising Deal Category Option

Advertising deal category field added to deal module

Apr 12, 2026

5 hrs

✓

★ Add Social Media Tracking Fields

Facebook added as lead source option; social tracking fields added

Apr 13, 2026

6 hrs

✓

★ Create 380 Guide Daily Lead Report

Report to show new leads, pipeline status, and follow-up actions each morning

Pending

2 hrs (est.)

Input Needed

Contract Development History

Contract Development History — April 2026 Sprint

Contract: Rebuilt, Refined
& Deployed This Month

Background

The contract had an underlying technical constraint from the start: Zoho Writer does not support checkbox auto-population from CRM fields. Earlier work established the architecture — structured tables replacing checkboxes, conditional visibility logic, and CRM field consolidation. Those foundations made this month's final push possible.

What Was Completed in April

Full Design Overhaul: Condensed from 6 pages to 3 — improved typography, indentation, page numbering, and a cleaner first-page summary.

Autopay & Payment Terms: Language restored precisely, capitalization standardized, bolded initials field added for client sign-off.

CRM Field Fixes: EIN formatting corrected, Suite Numbers added, issue months dynamically ordered and automated.

Delivered This Month

The contract is now fully live via Zoho Sign — auto-populating from CRM data, applying conditional formatting, and routing to e-signature without any manual steps. A step-by-step guide and screen recording were delivered to the 380 Guide team to ensure smooth adoption from day one.

One Item Remaining

A final contract alignment task is pending client input. Once confirmed, the contract module will be considered fully complete with no outstanding items.

Apr 2 — Task Opened

Contract Alignment

Initial alignment task opened; field structure and layout review began

Apr 7 — Sprint

Design Overhaul

Complete visual redesign kicked off; 6-page → 3-page restructure underway

Apr 12–13 — Complete

Fields & Automation

Issue months, autopay, CRM merge fields, and payment terms all finalized

Apr 20 ✓ — Live

Zoho Sign Deployed

Contract live end-to-end; guide & recording delivered to client team

Contract Status: Live via Zoho Sign — 1 remaining alignment item awaiting client input Apr 20, 2026

Billing History

Complete invoice and payment record per the 380 Guide Billing History sheet, including the January credit and note on invoice timing correction going forward.

💡 January Credit — Context: Nathan signed the Infinity Mirror agreement on January 13, 2026. A Zoho-side delay (which affected both 380 Guide and Mirror Advisors) meant the subscription could not be formally activated immediately. As a goodwill gesture, Mirror Advisors reset the subscription start date to February 2, 2026 and applied a credit covering the gap period. Invoice #INV-0130 was therefore due Jan 12 (sent early — see note below) and paid Feb 2, covering the Feb 2 – Mar 2 subscription window.

Customer	Invoice #	Due Date	Date Paid	Period / Notes
FMB Legacy	#INV-0109	Oct 16, 2025	Oct 27, 2025	Original Bank of Hours agreement signed
★ Nathan signed Infinity Mirror on January 13, 2026 — credit applied for gap period due to Zoho activation delay
380 Guide	#INV-0130	Jan 12, 2026	Feb 2, 2026	Infinity Mirror Month 1 — Feb 2 to Mar 2. Invoice sent early (Jan 12); invoices will now be issued only on the due date (2nd of each month) going forward.
380 Guide	#INV-0139	Mar 2, 2026	Feb 12, 2026*	Infinity Mirror Month 2 — Mar 2 to Apr 2
380 Guide	#INV-0155	Apr 2, 2026	LATE	Infinity Mirror Month 3 — Apr 2 to May 2
── 3 Months Remaining on Agreement ──
380 Guide	—	May 2, 2026	Upcoming	Infinity Mirror Month 4 — May 2 to Jun 2
380 Guide	—	Jun 2, 2026	Upcoming	Infinity Mirror Month 5 — Jun 2 to Jul 2
380 Guide	—	Jul 2, 2026	Upcoming	Infinity Mirror Month 6 — Jul 2 to Aug 2 ← Agreement Expires

📆

Agreement Expiration

August 2, 2026

We value the partnership we've built with 380 Guide and would be happy to discuss renewal options as we approach the end of the current term. No action needed today — just something to keep in mind.

📌 Billing Note: Invoice #INV-0130 due date was incorrectly sent on Jan 12 (early) rather than the 2nd of the month. Going forward, all invoices will be issued only on the due date — the 2nd of each month. The invoice date was adjusted accordingly for future cycles.

Value Delivered — What You've Saved

The Infinity Mirror plan replaces hourly billing with a task-based subscription. Here's what that means in real numbers for 380 Guide.

$150+

Standard Hourly Rate

Mirror Advisors' standard development billing rate for Zoho CRM implementation and automation work.

~53 hrs

★ Infinity Mirror Hours Worked

Hours logged and estimated under the Infinity Mirror plan across contract builds, lead automation, user setup, field configuration, and notification setup.

~$7,950

Equivalent Hourly Cost (IM Only)

At $150/hr, the ~53 Infinity Mirror hours alone would have billed at approximately $7,950+ — delivered at no additional cost on the flat plan.

$40/hr

Effective Rate on Infinity Mirror

Based on the flat subscription cost divided by ~53 Infinity Mirror hours delivered, the effective rate is approximately $40/hr — a fraction of standard billing.

    Bottom Line: Had 380 Guide remained on hourly billing through this engagement, the development work delivered under Infinity Mirror alone would have cost an estimated $7,950–$15,000+ depending on scope complexity. The subscription model has delivered transparency, predictability, and significant savings — even through a complex and evolving build.
  

Partnership Recommendations

To help the remaining 3 months of the engagement go as smoothly as possible, we'd like to share a few collaborative practices that tend to make projects like this run more efficiently.

💬

Align Internally Before Submitting Feedback

When feedback is consolidated and agreed-upon before it reaches us, we can execute more efficiently. Multiple rounds of feedback from different stakeholders often extend timelines in ways that are hard to predict.

🧪

Dedicated Testing Windows

Setting aside time to actively test new features — and documenting what works and what doesn't — allows us to address issues quickly and ship with confidence rather than revisiting completed items later.

Future Roadmap

Known improvements and features scoped for the remaining 3 months of the Infinity Mirror plan — and beyond.

In Queue

Daily Lead Report

Automated morning report showing new leads, pipeline status, and follow-up actions. Currently awaiting client input on preferred report fields and delivery format.

In Queue

Contract Alignment — Final Pass

One remaining contract alignment task requires client sign-off before the contract automation can be considered fully production-ready.

Planned

QuickBooks Integration

Auto-generate QuickBooks invoices when a Zoho CRM deal is closed-won. Eliminates manual invoice creation and provides full payment tracking visibility in CRM.

Future

Editorial & Project Workflow

Phase 2 build for Zoho Projects — automating article content workflows, task queues for ad design, and shared "Issue" project boards for each magazine edition.

Future

KPI Dashboard & Ongoing CRM Refinement

Custom CRM dashboard with KPIs for deal velocity, payment status, and ad placement volume. Ongoing CRM tuning as 380 Guide's team deepens daily use.