---
title: Getting started with SpinBook
id: getting-started
description: What SpinBook is, how the DJ and client portals differ, and how to find your way around on day one.
category: Getting Started
order: 1
tags: [basics, portal, onboarding]
related: [checklist-and-forms, per-event-view]
updated: 2026-08-04
---

SpinBook is the one-stop portal for running your DJ business — bookings, contracts,
payments, and event planning, all tied to each event. This guide gets you oriented.

## Two portals, one system

SpinBook has two views of the same data:

- **The DJ (staff) portal** — you and your team. You see every client, every event,
  and can manage checklists, contracts, payments, and planning.
- **The client portal** — the couple. They sign in and see only their own event(s):
  their checklist, their forms, their contract, and what's left to do.

Both portals are branded with your logo, colors, and fonts (set these in **Settings**).

## Signing in

- DJs log in at **/dj/login** with an email and password.
- Couples log in at **/login** with a **one-time email link** — no password to
  remember. Every link we email signs them straight in, including the
  "reset password" one: if a couple ends up on the password-reset page, the
  emailed link simply takes them to their portal.

Your workspace lives at a slug like `your-name` (e.g. `/your-name/dashboard`).

## The dashboard

After signing in as a DJ, the dashboard lists every event with a quick progress bar,
**grouped by status** in your own pipeline order (toggle to one sorted list), with a
**search box** and category filter pills to find anything fast — see
[event status & the lifecycle](/event-status). Click any event to open its
**per-event view**, where you manage everything for that event in one place. New
inquiries from your booking form show up here too.

The top navigation also gives DJ staff a **[Calendar](/calendar)** (every event and its
milestones, with search), a **[Payments](/payments)** hub (everything owed and collected
across the business), and **Settings**.

## Your first steps

1. Brand the portal and add your payment handles in [Settings](/branding-and-settings).
2. Customize your [booking form](/booking-and-inquiries) and default
   [checklist](/checklist-and-forms).
3. Share your public links: the booking form, the availability checker, and (if you use
   them) [instant quotes](/instant-quotes) and [call scheduling](/call-scheduling).
4. Add your first booking, mark it **Booked**, and watch the couple's portal light up.

## Checklist

- [ ] Set your branding (logo, colors, fonts) in Settings
- [ ] Customize your default checklist and booking form
- [ ] Add (or import) your first client and event
- [ ] Open the event and review its checklist
- [ ] Share the client portal link with the couple