Blog/Author
Marlon Misra
Cofounder/CEO at Assembly
132 posts
The best client tracking software in 2025 (free + paid)
Looking for the best client tracking software to help you manage your service business? Here are our favorite tools you can use right now in 2025.
Marlon MisraJan 27, 2025How to collect money from clients who won't pay (6 ways)
Looking to recover debt from non-paying clients? In this article, we'll show you six ways how to collect money from clients who won't pay.
Marlon MisraJan 21, 2025How to create a project execution plan (PEP) in 6 steps
Master the art of successful project management with our detailed guide on creating a project execution plan (PEP) in just 6 easy steps.
Marlon MisraJan 15, 2025101+ service business ideas to inspire you in 2025
Looking to start a side project or become a full-time entrepreneur? Here are over 101 service business ideas and examples you can start with $0.
Marlon MisraJan 14, 2025How to find SEO clients in 2026 (8 powerful strategies)
In this article, I'll show you ways how to get SEO clients in a way that will help you build a long-lasting business. Here are my eight strategies.
Marlon MisraJan 4, 20257 best client collaboration software and tools in 2025
Looking for the best client collaboration software to help you manage your agency or freelancing business? Here are our favorite tools in 2025.
Marlon MisraJan 2, 202516 best productized service examples that will inspire you
Discover unique productized service examples and ideas to help you spark some creativity and turn your service business into a predictable revenue stream.
Marlon MisraDec 30, 2024Bonsai vs HoneyBook: An honest comparison for 2025
Looking to manage your service-based business? Here's a detailed look at Bonsai vs HoneyBook to help you figure out which tool is best for you.
Marlon MisraDec 24, 20245 Webflow User Accounts alternatives for small businesses
Looking for a Webflow User Accounts alternative to add user logins and membership accounts to your Webflow website? Here are our favorite tools.
Marlon MisraDec 12, 202410 best ManyRequests alternatives and competitors in 2026
Looking for the best Manyrequests alternatives? In this article, we'll go over our favorite tools to help you run your service business in 2026.
Marlon MisraDec 6, 202422 unique gift ideas for clients that actually make sense
Want to show a client your appreciation for them? Here are 22 of the best gift ideas for clients that make you stand out from other service providers.
Marlon MisraNov 26, 20245 marketing contract templates for agencies & freelancers
Ready to sign that new client? Here are five of the best marketing contract templates you can use when onboarding your new marketing client.
Marlon MisraNov 25, 2024How to create a Framer client portal (easiest guide)
In this guide, we'll go over how to create a Framer client portal step by step.
Marlon MisraNov 21, 20246 client testimonial examples your website needs in 2025
Discover powerful client testimonial examples and learn how to collect, craft, and legally utilize them to enhance trust and drive conversions.
Marlon MisraNov 18, 20242024 Winter Release
At Assembly, we want to offer service-based businesses a true all-in-one platform. Our Winter 2024 Release introduces three major features that gets us closer to this vision: a task management app, business analytics, and built-in automation tools. Manage tasks with the Tasks App With the Tasks App we’re taking our first steps into the world of task and project management. You can now create tasks and assign them to internal users, clients, and companies. Filters at the top and search make it
Marlon MisraOct 23, 202410 Task Management Software & Tools in 2024
Looking for the best task management software? Discover our top 10 picks to start, run, and grow your service-based business.
Marlon MisraOct 8, 2024How to Write a Client Contract (7 Steps + Examples)
Secured your first client? Whether you are a small business owner or an entrepreneur, here’s how you can easily write a contract step by step.
Marlon MisraSep 28, 2024How to create a HIPAA-compliant client portal
Learn how to create a HIPAA-compliant, secure, and user-friendly client portal in just five steps.
Marlon MisraAug 9, 2024How to start a drop servicing business (in 8 steps)
In this article, I'll show you how to start a drop servicing business in just eight steps. Sign clients, productize services, and build a brand.
Marlon MisraJul 15, 202413 unique consulting website examples to inspire yours
Learn what makes a great consulting website and discover over 13 different consulting websites and examples to gain inspiration for your own site.
Marlon MisraJul 2, 2024300+ design company names & ideas to help inspire yours
In the early stages of starting your design company and looking for a brand identity? Here are over 300 design company names to help inspire yours.
Marlon MisraJul 1, 2024300+ staffing agency names & ideas to help inspire yours
Looking for unique staffing agency names to help inspire yours? We put together over 300 names to help you spark some creativity for your brand.
Marlon MisraJun 26, 2024300+ bookkeeping business names to help inspire yours
Discover over 300 unique bookkeeping business names to brand your business. Dive into creative ideas and strategies to create a brand you'll love.
Marlon MisraJun 24, 20248 best document management system (DMS) software
Managing client documents securely is at the core of every business. Here are our favorite DMS software options designed for businesses of all sizes.
Marlon MisraJun 18, 2024Consulting business model: The ultimate guide for 2024
In this article, we'll explore the power of a consulting business model. If you have a knack for solving business problems, this is a fruitful model.
Marlon MisraJun 4, 2024How to onboard a new bookkeeping client: A full checklist
Onboarding is the first impression a client has working with you. Here is a bookkeeping client onboarding checklist that will impress your clients.
Marlon MisraMay 30, 202410 best Liscio alternatives for service businesses in 2025
Looking for a Liscio alternative to help you run your accounting business? Here are our top picks for business owners in 2025.
Marlon MisraMay 20, 2024Custom visibility for apps
With custom visibility for apps, you can dynamically control which clients have access to an app. This lets you provide differentiated levels of service to clients. For example, you might only allow clients with custom field plan = premium access to schedule time with you (e.g. access to the Calendly App) and message you (e.g. access to our Messages App). You can also create dynamic onboarding experiences. For example, a new lead may need to sign a contract before they can access other parts of
Marlon MisraMay 2, 202410 best Indy alternatives to run your service business
Looking for the best Indy alternatives to help you manage your service business? From client onboarding to sending invoices, here are our top picks!
Marlon MisraApr 15, 20247 best consulting contract templates for any service
Discover the best consulting contract templates to help you look professional when signing new clients for your service business.
Marlon MisraMar 28, 2024Introducing App Store and Platform
At Assembly, we set out almost 4 years ago to build the best software suite for creative and professional service businesses. In the beginning, we focused on the foundation and must-have features like a flexible CRM, payments, messaging, and contract management. But every service business is unique and we learned quickly that there was no way to build everything that our customers wanted fast enough. The only way forward was to build a true platform and developer ecosystem. Today we’re excited
Marlon MisraMar 28, 202410 best AI consulting firms and companies in 2024
Looking for examples of the best AI consulting firms? Here are our top picks based on a range of different industries and services.
Marlon MisraMar 25, 202420+ best law firm websites and examples to learn from
Looking for some inspiration for your law firm website? We put together a list of examples you can learn from. Discover the best law firm websites!
Marlon MisraMar 1, 20242023 Winter Release
We’re excited to announce the Winter Release 2023. Watch the video to see a full product walkthrough of new features or read about them below. ⬇️ Contracts App There are dozens of eSignature solutions out there, but we wanted to build something better – something that is tightly integrated with the rest of the Assembly Platform. The Contracts App is just that – it’s the 6th addition to our app marketplace and is joining our Messaging App, Billing App, Files App, Forms App, and Helpdesk App.
Marlon MisraJan 19, 2024333+ unique business name ideas for startups of all kind
Discover over 333 unique business name ideas for startups in various industries. Craft a memorable brand identity with expert tips for success.
Marlon MisraJan 17, 2024How to start a virtual bookkeeping business (In 5 Steps)
You’ve decided to take the leap and start your own virtual bookkeeping business. That’s great, but where do you begin? Learn the basics here.
Marlon MisraDec 26, 2023Announcing Assembly on Make
Starting today, Assembly is available and fully supported on Make. Now, alongside our existing API and Zapier capabilities, you can harness the power of Make's visual programming to automate workflows between Assembly and the apps you use daily. Check out our Make profile here. Why we built Assembly on Make Previously, the only no-code tool available for creating automations we supported was Zapier. In order to give you more flexibility when it comes to automations, we decided to release all
Marlon MisraNov 8, 2023Secure client file sharing portal with Assembly
Did you know file sharing with clients comes with potential risks? Learn how secure file sharing portals work and how to choose a secure service.
Marlon MisraOct 20, 2023How to send an email proposal to a new client (4 samples)
Master the art of sending compelling email proposals to clients. Uncover tips, examples, common mistakes, and how Assembly can simplify the process.
Marlon MisraOct 6, 2023Assembly 2023 Fall Release
We’re excited to announce the Assembly Fall Release 2023, a collection of features we’re releasing today or shipped over the last few weeks. Log in with Google for clients One of our product principles at Assembly is to remove as much friction as possible for your clients. In line with that, today we rolled out Sign up and Log in with Google and enabled it for clients in all portals. Google authentication works seamlessly for new clients and also for clients that previously set up with an ema
Marlon MisraSep 26, 2023How we built it: Reply via email
Many startups build chat capabilities into their products. For example, most marketplace, community, and social products provide users with a way to communicate with one another. At Assembly, we make client portal software, and an important use case for us is to let service businesses communicate with clients and vice versa using our web-based Messaging App. In the first iteration of the service, when users sent messages in our web app, we sent out messaging email notifications to inform recipi
Marlon MisraSep 19, 2023Working backwards from the customer experience
Startups are often founded on a small number of product insights that significantly shape their trajectory. In this post I wanted to share what one of those early insights was for us. TLDR: While most startups prioritize just their immediate customers, we felt that there was an important and under-appreciated opportunity to prioritize our customers’ customers instead. How we came to this realization Assembly wasn’t the first company my cofounder Neil and I started. We’ve done so before, and
Marlon MisraSep 18, 202310 client acquisition strategies that work (with examples)
An expert shares proven-to-work client acquisition strategies and shows how you can implement them to grow your business.
Marlon MisraSep 1, 2023Recurring revenue business models: what you need to know
How to transition from a one-time sale model to a recurring revenue business model.
Marlon MisraAug 31, 2023How to collect online credit card payments
Payment processing can be intimidating for small business owners. Learn how to collect online credit card payments the right way.
Marlon MisraJul 24, 2023How Assembly helps you improve client retention
In this article, we'll show you how Assembly can improve client retention for your agency or firm.
Marlon MisraJun 21, 20235 Ways to Automate Client Portals With Assembly and Zapier
Unlock the power of automation for your service business with Assembly and Zapier. Learn 5 ways to streamline operations and enhance your client services.
Marlon MisraJun 14, 2023Introducing Assembly Automations
We’re excited to launch Assembly Automations, a set of pre-built workflows that help you save time, reduce human error, and overall run a more streamlined business. Jump right in and check out the new automation templates or read on to learn more about our motivation for this release and the rundown of new features. Also, don’t forget to join us for a live webinar where our experts will demo Assembly Automations. Why we built Assembly Automations When we first launched Assembly, we set to pro
Marlon MisraJun 13, 2023Introducing Forms 2.0
We’re excited to announce a completely redesigned Forms App that comes with support for always-on mode, multiple submissions per client, and more. Along with the product update, we’ve also redesigned our API for forms so that you can more easily set up workflows that begin with a forms submission. Watch the product walkthrough A more powerful & intuitive design We’ve redesigned the Forms App for both internal and client users. For internal users, when you click into a form you’re now greete
Marlon MisraJun 6, 2023How to Create a Client Portal in WordPress
Discover the best client portal platforms and learn how to create a secure white-label client portal and integrate it with your WordPress website.
Marlon MisraMay 31, 2023How to Craft the Perfect Meeting Request Email (4+ Examples)
Master the art of communication with our guide on crafting the perfect meeting request email. Explore our effective templates and real-world examples.
Marlon MisraMay 2, 202320 Best Freelance Writing Sites for Serious Writers
Discover the 20 best freelance sites for writers in 2023, offering lucrative opportunities and tips for success in your freelance writing career.
Marlon MisraApr 26, 20237 Steps to Start a Freelance Business (With a Full-Time Job)
Ready to take the leap and learn how to start a freelance business? In this article, we'll go over how you can get your freelance career started.
Marlon MisraFeb 23, 2023Introducing Copilot 1.0 and Announcing our Series A
We started working on Copilot (previously Portal) more than two years ago to help service companies start, run, and grow their business. Today we're delighted to unveil our latest version, Copilot 1.0. With Copilot 1.0, businesses can set up a client portal that enables clients to send messages, make payments, sign contracts, access custom apps, and more. We’re also thrilled to announce our $10M Series A round (covered by TechCrunch here) which enables us to create the best possible software to
Marlon MisraJan 19, 2023Assembly 2022 Winter Release
We're excited to share details of the Assembly Winter Release – the most significant release in our company's history. It includes four major new features and hundreds of design and performance improvements. Read on! A revamped Assembly Admin The new Assembly Admin is out and you can access it by logging in on assembly.com. You'll see a refreshed look, faster loading speeds, improved search, and a better overview of everything important to your business. The client experience (i.e. , your por
Marlon MisraJan 19, 2023How to hold an effective international off-site as a Series A startup
Everything we learned about doing an off-site in a far-away place with a team of 15.
Marlon MisraSep 3, 2022Assembly is now HIPAA compliant
Assembly is now HIPAA-compliant, meaning healthcare startups and consulting firms can now use our client portal software for their business operations.
Marlon MisraApr 28, 2022Assembly is now SOC 2 compliant
Assembly is now SOC 2 certified, which allows us to deliver the highest level of data security, transparency, and compliance to our customers.
Marlon MisraApr 25, 2022Introducing Helpdesk 2.0
From 1.0 to 2.0 We released the first version of the Knowledge base module 14 months ago. At the time we believed that service businesses (agencies, law firms, etc.) all had an incredible amount of knowledge that customers were willing to pay for. We've learned a lot since then and couldn't be more excited about Knowledge base 2.0, our most important update yet. What's new in Knowledge base 2.0 A Powerful New Editor The Knowledge base now comes with a powerful rich text editor that lets yo
Marlon MisraDec 1, 2021How To Analyze Metrics To Reduce Customer Support Time
Learn metrics to monitor and tips to improve customer support.
Marlon MisraNov 30, 2021