It officially happened. I hit “send” on my very first Billi invoice…And minutes later, the notification popped up: PAID. IN. FULL. Cue the confetti. 🎉 The is this really happening? moment. The flood of gratitude. Because this wasn’t just another invoice. This was the first $5,000 I made through Billi. A platform that didn’t exist until we dreamed it up, coded it out, tested it, tweaked it, and turned it into something real.

Let Me Back Up…

Over the years, my business has evolved into this wild, beautiful, multi-offer machine. It’s a mix of client work, passive income, memberships, and digital goods. You name it, I’ve probably dabbled in it.

But trying to run all those moving parts? It’s been a full-on juggling act.

I needed something that actually fit the way I run my business, something that didn’t feel like I was forcing square pegs into round holes. So instead of waiting for someone else to build it…

We built Billi.

Not because I wanted to launch another tech company.
But because I needed a tool that worked for me.
And guess what? If it works for me, I bet it’ll work for you too.

That First $5,000

Let’s talk about that moment again, because whew. It was magic.

I created the invoice in seconds inside Billi. Sent it over. And my client? She paid directly from her phone, without any back-and-forth.

Simple. Seamless. Instant.

It was one of those full-circle, “I can’t believe we actually did this” moments.

We weren’t just testing buttons and dreaming in Google Docs anymore.
Billi was real. And it was working.

Why This Matters (For Me and For You)

One thing I’ve learned? The easier you make it for someone to pay you, the faster the sale happens.

It doesn’t matter if you’re selling $20 templates or $2,000 services—
If your checkout is clunky, slow, or confusing… you’re losing people.

With Billi, we took all the guesswork out of getting paid.
Invoices are beautifully branded. Mobile-friendly. Click and done.
No friction. No fuss. Just money in the bank and time back in your day.

We’re Just Getting Started…

What gets me really excited?
We’re not stopping at invoicing.

We’re about to launch public shop pages, and let me tell you: this is the part where I scream from the rooftops. 🥳

You’ll be able to list all your services, offers, and digital products in one beautiful public storefront. Your customers can browse, book, and buy without you lifting a finger.

And Billi’s got all the good stuff under the hood too:
Client management
Calendar Scheduling
Task tracking and to-do lists
Projects + appointments

It’s like the tool your business has been dreaming of… but way more fun to use.

Want to Be Part of It?

The most fun part? You don’t have to sit on the sidelines.

You can sign up right now for free → https://hellobilli.com/
And if you’re the kind of person who loves dreaming big and building smart, we want your voice in the room.

We’ve got a public idea board where you can upvote features, suggest tools, and literally help shape what we build next.

This isn’t just my platform. It’s ours.

🗳 Vote for Features → billi.frill.co

This first $5,000?
It’s just the beginning.
But it was a massive reminder that when we create with purpose and build tools from our actual needs, amazing things happen.

So if you’ve ever dreamed of running your business in a way that feels simple, beautiful, and actually fun…

Your seat at the table is waiting.

Because this? This is where everything starts to change.

Come try Billi → https://hellobilli.com/
No pressure. No payment required. Just possibility

Oh, and before you go…

We’re doing things a little differently around here.
Billi is 100% free to use.
No monthly cost. No upgrade needed. Just you, running your business with ease.

Instead, we take a small 1% of any sales you make through Billi,
so as you grow, we grow.

It’s our way of staying invested in your success.
Because we believe in building something together.

There’s something powerful about being part of the beginning. About seeing the messy middle, the behind-the-scenes, and still choosing to show up and say, “I believe in this.” That’s what you’ve done. Whether you’ve cast a vote, shared your thoughts, or simply made an account to explore—you’re not just watching something grow. You’re helping build it. And that kind of support? It’s not just appreciated. It’s the heartbeat of everything we’re doing.

We didn’t create Billi to chase trends or mimic the giants in the industry. We created it because we knew small business owners like you deserve better—something built with real people in mind, shaped by feedback, and rooted in community.

We’re not backed by venture capital. We don’t have a 30-person dev team or deep pockets. We’re going into this 100% bootstrapped. No outside investors. Just two small business owners who saw a gap and decided to build what we wish existed. Something simpler. Smarter. Built for the way we actually work.

And here’s what makes this story different:

We’re not building Billi alone.

We’re building it with you.

What Happens When You Let People In

Recently, we opened up voting for the next feature we should build. We didn’t send out a formal product survey. We didn’t hold a fancy focus group. We simply invited our users, you, to help shape the future of this platform.

The results? Beyond what we imagined.

You voted, left comments, and shared ideas that made us pause, smile, and go, “Oh wow… that’s actually brilliant.”

Some of the best suggestions came from everyday business owners who saw possibilities we hadn’t even thought of. That’s when it hit us. THIS is what happens when you don’t just build for your users, but with them.

The direction we’re taking Billi is directly influenced by what you told us matters. We’re listening. We’re building fast. And more importantly, we’re building in the right direction, because it’s your direction too.

The Reality of Starting Something From Scratch

Let me be real with you.

Building something from the ground up isn’t always glamorous. It’s early mornings and late nights. It’s learning as you go. It’s celebrating small wins while staying focused on the big vision. It’s patching together what you can with the time and resources you have, and then showing up again tomorrow to make it better.

We don’t have a massive team. We’re not a polished tech company with a full-scale support department and a never-ending marketing budget.

We’re a team of two with big hearts and a whole lot of ambition. And yet, because we’re small, we get to do something that the big platforms can’t always do:

We get to stay close to the people we’re building this for.

And that, I truly believe, is our biggest strength.

Why We’re Not Intimidated By Big Names

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. There are already some huge players in this space. Multi-million dollar CRMs with complex dashboards and decades of development behind them.

But while the big guys are raising money and managing massive operations, we’re having real conversations with real users.

They may have boardrooms. We’re building a community.

They have shareholders. We have small business owners who are willing to raise their hand and say, “Here’s what would make my life easier.”

They have endless and massive feature bloat. We’re focused on building tools that are actually useful, intuitive, and made for the way you work.

We’re not trying to beat them at their game. We’re creating a new game. One where the users help write the rules.

Tools That Work With You

If you’ve ever used a CRM or client management system that felt clunky, confusing, or built by someone who clearly never ran a business themselves… you’re not alone.

We felt that too.

That’s why we built Billi with one core goal: to make it easier for small business owners to stay organized and get paid, without feeling overwhelmed or buried in tech.

We designed it to be clean, intuitive, and joyful to use. Not just functional, but actually enjoyable.

Invoicing, contracts, project tracking, booking, and services. It’s all here, and it’s all simple. You don’t need a degree in software to figure it out. And as new features roll out, you’ll know they’re based on what real users asked for. Not what we think looks cool in a demo.

Billi was made for small teams, solopreneurs, and creatives who are building their dream business one day at a time. Sound familiar?

The Heart Behind the Platform

This whole journey has reminded me how powerful it is to create with people.

We could have taken a more traditional route. Built the product quietly behind closed doors. Launched it with a big splash and hoped for the best.

But that’s not how we do things.

We wanted to build with transparency. With collaboration. With real-time feedback. We wanted to build something that feels personal. Because it is.

And honestly? The most exciting part of this isn’t just launching new features. It’s watching people fall in love with the process. Watching you cheer us on. Watching you get excited about something you helped shape.

You’re not just a user. You’re a co-creator. And that kind of relationship? That’s what makes Billi feel different.

If You’ve Been Waiting for a Sign

Maybe you’ve been following our journey from the sidelines. Maybe you’re already using a CRM that kind of works, but you don’t love it. Maybe you’ve been burned by complicated platforms that charge too much and deliver too little.

Whatever brought you here, I want you to know, there’s space for you at this table.

Billi is completely free to use. We only charge a 1% fee on any payments processed through the platform. That’s it. No monthly fees. No lock-in contracts. Just a simple, supportive tool that grows with you.

By creating a free account, you’re not just gaining access, you’re stepping into a front-row seat of what we’re building. You’ll be the first to know what’s coming next. You’ll get to weigh in. You’ll be part of something that’s growing from the ground up, one intentional step at a time.

We may be bootstrapped, but we’re not short on heart. And we’re just getting started.

Let’s Build This Together

So, from one small business owner to another; Thank you. Whether you’ve voted on a feature, left a comment, shared Billi with a friend, or simply opened this article… thank you.

You’re part of something that matters. You’re helping create a tool that was built with love, strategy, and a whole lot of listening.

And if you haven’t yet, I want to personally invite you to join us.

Because the best kind of business tools? The ones that are built by people like you, for people like you. The ones that feel like they get you. The ones that make your job a little easier and your day a little brighter.

Create your free Billi account today! 

If you’re a small business owner, you know how unpredictable things can be. Some months feel like magic. Payments come in, new clients say yes, and you’re riding that wave of “This is working.” Other months? Not so much. You’re still working hard, showing up for your people, but the cash flow isn’t quite cooperating.

This is where most CRMs completely miss the mark. They expect you to pay a monthly fee no matter what. Whether you’re onboarding five clients or zero, the bill still shows up like clockwork. It doesn’t matter if you’re on vacation, revamping your services, on maternity leave, or in a quiet season of business. You still have to pay.

That never felt right to us.

So we built something very different. We built Billi to be a tool that actually supports the way small businesses really work. It’s completely free to use, and we only take a small 1% fee when you get paid.

Let’s walk through exactly what that means.

What “Only Pay When You Get Paid” Actually Looks Like

With Billi, you can create invoices, send contracts, manage clients, track projects, and stay organized—all without ever entering a credit card. There’s no monthly fee. No free trial countdown. No subscription that sneaks up on you.

We only make money when you do. So if you send an invoice for $100 and your client pays through Billi, we take 1%—that’s $1. You keep the rest.

That’s it.

No setup fees. No hidden charges. No pressure.

If you’re in a slower month, you’re not paying anything. And when the money is coming in, our platform simply takes a small portion so you’re never paying out of pocket just to keep things running.

Why We Chose This Model

We saw too many business owners stuck paying $30, $50, even $100 a month for CRMs that weren’t aligned with their current season. They were in a slow period, shifting their offers, or just getting started—but the charges didn’t care.

So we asked a better question.

What if your CRM actually supported your income instead of draining it? What if you could grow first, and pay later? What if you only had to give a little bit back when you were thriving?

That became the foundation for Billi.

Why That 1% Fee Is Worth Every Penny

We know you’ve probably been burned before by tools that start small but balloon with extra charges or locked features. So when we say 1%, we mean 1%.

That single percent gives you full access to:

• Unlimited clients and projects
• Beautiful, customizable invoices
• Digital contracts with e-signatures
• Shareable service listings
• A dashboard that makes your business easier to run

No upsells. No tiers. Just the essentials—all available from day one.

And because we only earn when you do, our mission is simple: help you earn a living doing what you love.

Built for Business Owner Who Wear All the Hats

You’re not just running a business. You’re wearing every hat—sales, admin, marketing, support, delivery. You’re following up on leads, sending thank-you notes, and probably doing it all with a cup of coffee in hand.

You don’t have time to waste on software that makes your life harder.

Billi was built with simplicity and flexibility in mind. You can step away from your business without worrying about pausing your account. You can shift your focus without another charge coming through. You can grow knowing the tools are there to support you—without adding more to your plate.

This isn’t just a pricing model. It’s a whole new way of thinking about what your business really needs.

For Anyone Building a Business from the Ground Up

If you’re in the early days of your business, riding the rollercoaster of excitement, uncertainty, and determination—you’re in the right place.

Maybe you’re offering a service people really need. Maybe you’re freelancing, consulting, coaching, creating. You’re working hard to look polished and professional while stitching together a system of free trials and spreadsheets.

We’ve been there too.

The early days are full of learning curves. You’re marketing yourself, finding clients, sending contracts, and figuring out how to get paid. And most tools make it harder than it needs to be. They expect you to invest money you haven’t made yet. They keep the best features behind a paywall.

That’s why we built Billi the way we did.

From day one, you can manage your service-based business professionally. Clients, contracts, payments—all in one place. You don’t need to hack together a system. You don’t need to upgrade. You just need to get started.

And here’s the best part: you only pay when you get paid.

Whether you’re a designer, developer, dog trainer, photographer, or virtual assistant, Billi was built for you. You’re offering a service. You’re building something that matters. You deserve tools that help you move faster, not hold you back.

And while we’re focused on service-based businesses right now, this is only the beginning.

We didn’t build Billi because the world needed another CRM. We built it because we wanted to help real people create real freedom.

You shouldn’t have to pay just to try. You shouldn’t have to lose money to stay organized. And you definitely shouldn’t have to keep upgrading just to look professional.

Billi is free to use because we believe every business deserves a strong start.

That 1% fee? It’s our way of saying, we’re in this with you.

So whether you’re landing your first client or scaling up with a client list, we’re here to help.

Want to give Billi a try?

You can sign up for free, no credit card required. Set it up today, and only pay when your business brings in money.

No pressure. No stress. Just tools that work the way you do.

https://hellobilli.com/
Let’s build something beautiful together.

I never thought I’d be writing this blog post. After selling the Essential Studio Manager (ESM), we closed that chapter with full hearts and high hopes. We believed the new owners would carry the torch with care, support the community we built from the ground up, and keep making ESM better for all of you, the creative, service-based business owners we built it for.

But if you were part of the ESM Facebook group, you already know how the story unfolded.

Support vanished. Updates stopped. Messages were completely ignored.

And it broke our hearts.

Because you didn’t just buy a tool — you believed in us. You trusted us to make your business a little simpler, a little more streamlined. And watching that trust dissolve after we handed it off… that’s something we’ve carried with us ever since.

The posts we saw in the Facebook group, the ones pleading for help, asking if anyone was still listening, they weren’t just coming from faceless users. They were you. The real people Jon and I had gotten to know. The ones who helped us shape ESM from the very beginning. Who cheered us on through every new feature launch, who gave thoughtful feedback, who showed up for us as much as we hoped to show up for you.

Watching that community go quiet felt personal. And it’s a big part of what brought us back.

We had zero plans to build another CRM. Not a hidden someday. Not a maybe. Not even a backup idea scribbled in a notebook. When we sold the ESM we were ready to put the CRM world in the past.

But the silence where there should’ve been support? That lit something in us. Not out of spite, but out of love. Out of respect for the business owners we set out to serve from the very beginning.

From First Project to Full Circle

Here’s something not everyone knows: ESM was actually Jon’s very first project. He literally built it as he learned how to code. And the fact that so many of you used it, loved it, and grew your businesses with it? That will always be one of the proudest milestones as entrepreneurs.

But Billi? Billi is different.

Billi was built by an expert, by someone who now has years of experience building full-scale, high-functioning platforms. It’s not just a CRM with a fresh coat of paint. It’s a full reimagining of everything we wish we could have done back then.

We took every lesson, every note, every piece of feedback (and yes, every moment of burnout and “we should have done this differently”) and used it to create the CRM we always wanted to build.

Meet Billi

Billi is the result of that journey. It’s everything we dreamed a CRM could become — and more.

• Built for service-based entrepreneurs
• Clean, friendly design (no learning curve required)
• Powerful tools without the overwhelm
• Transparent pricing with no gatekeeping
• And yes, we’re actually here when you need support

But what really sets Billi apart is just how beautifully simple it is to use. The UI? It’s stunning. It feels warm, welcoming, and modern. It doesn’t look like enterprise software, it looks like something made for you.

We know running a business is hard enough. Your CRM shouldn’t make it harder. Billi strips away the clutter and gives you what you actually need to manage your clients, send contracts, get paid, and stay organized. That’s it. No bloat. No fluff. Just ease.

Let’s Talk About Pricing

Now here’s the part we’re most excited to share: Billi is 100% free to use.

No monthly fees. No pricing tiers. No paywalls on features.

You only pay a 1% flat fee on any invoices paid through Billi. That’s it.

So if you’re not actively booking clients or making money? You don’t pay a thing.

And when you are? That tiny fee helps us keep Billi running, improving, and growing — without ever forcing you to upgrade to some “Pro Plan” to get access to the good stuff.

But here’s what most people don’t know:
This idea wasn’t born from some calculated business plan. We didn’t sit down and say, “Let’s build a CRM that’ll generate millions.”

This started as something much more personal.

We just wanted to build something for our ESM users, something they could actually use. Something they would love. And when we started talking about pricing… everything in us said: we don’t want to do this the way everyone else is doing it.

We didn’t want crazy subscription models. We didn’t want tiered pricing. We didn’t want to gatekeep features or make people feel like they had to pay more to do more.

So I threw out a wild idea:
What if we kept it really simple? What if we charged a tiny percentage on paid invoices, and that’s it?

That way, no matter how big or small your business is, no matter what season you’re in — you’d always have a CRM you could count on. One that doesn’t drain your budget. One that grows with you.

This pricing model was a no brainer for us. Because we believe:

• Tools should empower you, not penalize your growth.
• Great software should be accessible, not exclusive.
• And if you’re just getting started or you’re in a slow season, your CRM shouldn’t feel like a financial burden.

Billi was built with this in mind, a CRM that works for you, not the other way around.

We Can’t Change the Past, But We Can Build Something Better

If ESM left you feeling a little burned, we understand. We really, really do.

We can’t rewrite the path it took after it left our hands. But there’s nothing stopping us from building something better. Something more intentional. Something that goes above and beyond for its users.

That’s exactly what Billi is here to do.

And we hope, whether you were with us from the early ESM days or you’re just now hearing about us, that you’ll come along for the ride.

Because this time? We’re doing it the way we always wanted.

Use Billi For Free

If you’re looking for a CRM that’s simple, beautiful, powerful, and actually has your back — we’d love for you to give Billi a try.

Click here to meet Billi

We built this for the version of you who is juggling clients, contracts, and calendar chaos. The version of you who wants things to just work. And the version of us who knew we could do it better.

Thank you for trusting us before. Thank you for being part of our story. And thank you for giving Billi a chance to be part of yours.