Overview
You launch with a cut-off date, a shipping day, and a repeatable month-to-month cycle. Billing failures follow a written retry path, stock decisions come from a worksheet, and fulfilment runs from one run-sheet instead of memory and messages.
You reached out because you’ve announced a signup deadline and you’re juggling lead times, packaging choices, and month-one risk. If you approve this, I’ll send the kickoff checklist and book the first working session.
I start by locking the launch month: dates, box contents, and the decisions that affect ordering and packing time. Then I set up checkout, recurring billing, and dunning so failed payments do not become a manual chase. Finally I turn the plan into day-by-day fulfilment steps and stock numbers you can reorder against.
Who you are working with
I’m Aisha Al Balushi, a subscription operations consultant. I do the unglamorous parts of subscription boxes: calendars, billing rules, inventory timing, and fulfilment steps that hold up when orders spike. I got into this work after seeing too many good product ideas lose customers in month one for reasons that were preventable on a spreadsheet and a checklist.
Most people hire me when they can already see the first cycle getting messy: stock arriving late, packaging still undecided, and no one sure what happens when a card fails. I keep the setup practical. I pick tools and rules you can run without extra headcount, and I document the cycle so you are not rebuilding the process every month.
How the order runs
Once you approve and sign, I’ll confirm the launch date you are aiming at and the choices I need from you. The setup runs as a short sequence of working sessions plus offline build time, ending with a month-one run-through and a postmortem after the first shipment goes out.
1. Kickoff and dates On order I send a kickoff checklist and a short calendar template. You tell me your target ship day, your planned cut-off date, and your box frequency. I confirm what has to be decided first because it affects ordering lead times and packing time. 2. Build the cycle Week 1 I map the launch-month calendar and turn it into a repeatable monthly cycle. You approve the cut-off date, billing day, pick-pack day, and ship day. I flag any step that relies on stock arrival dates so you can adjust before you announce it again. 3. Billing and dunning Week 2 I configure checkout, recurring billing rules, and the dunning path for failed cards. You choose the customer-facing wording for emails and the grace period rules for retries and skips. I test common cases so the first failures do not become a manual support queue. 4. Fulfilment run-through Week 3 I write the fulfilment run-sheet, packaging spec, and a simple packing flow you can repeat each cycle. You confirm box dimensions, inserts, and label format. I deliver the inventory worksheet with reorder points, then we do a month-one run-through before you open subscriptions.
Launch-month calendar
A dated plan covering cut-off, billing, pick-pack, and ship day for the first cycle, written so you can repeat it each month with the same structure.
CHECKOUT AND BILLING SETUP
Configured subscription checkout settings and recurring billing rules, including how upgrades, skips, and cancellations are handled at the point of payment.
DUNNING FLOW FOR FAILED CARDS
A tested retry schedule and customer messages for payment failures, with clear rules for when an order pauses, resumes, or cancels.
Fulfilment run-sheet
A step-by-step packing and shipping run-sheet for ship day, including who does what, in what order, and what gets checked before it leaves.
PACKAGING SPEC
A written packaging specification covering box size, protective fill, inserts, and label placement, so packing stays consistent across cycles.
INVENTORY AND REORDER WORKSHEET
A spreadsheet model for the first two cycles that converts subscriber counts into item quantities, buffers, and reorder points based on lead times.
Order summary
This is the full price for subscription box program setup, covering the calendar, billing and dunning setup, fulfilment run-sheet, packaging spec, and the inventory worksheet for cycles one and two. Prices are per session.
Priced items
Next steps
Sign to lock in the subscription box program setup, and I’ll send the kickoff checklist and the first working session options the same day.
1. Sign this proposal to start the subscription box program setup. 2. Pay the 40% start invoice within 7 days of its date. 3. Send back the kickoff checklist so I can build your launch-month calendar.
Signature
Fee summary
Can we ship monthly without drowning in admin?
Yes, if the cycle is written down and the rules are decided once. The setup gives you fixed dates, a run-sheet for ship day, and billing rules that handle most edge cases without manual chasing.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CARDS FAIL OR PEOPLE SKIP A MONTH?
Failed cards go through the dunning path you approve: retry timing, customer emails, and a clear stop point. Skips and cancellations follow rules set in checkout so customers do not create one-off exceptions.
How much stock do I need for the first two cycles?
I’ll size stock from your subscriber goal, lead times, and the items that cannot be substituted. You will get a worksheet that shows quantities for cycle one and cycle two, plus a buffer line you can adjust based on risk.
WHAT’S THE CUT-OFF DATE AND SHIPPING DAY EACH MONTH?
I’ll propose a monthly rhythm based on your lead times and packing capacity, then you approve it. The final answer is a calendar you can publish, with the billing day and ship day aligned so customers get predictable timing.
Payment
The subscription box program setup is billed 40% to start and 60% when it is complete. Invoices are payable within 7 days of the invoice date. Ongoing monthly work, if added, is invoiced at the start of each month.
Start and schedule. I will book your kickoff once the 40% start invoice is paid. The work runs in four stages: kickoff and dates, build the cycle, billing and dunning, then fulfilment run-through. If feedback is delayed, the finish date moves with it.
What you provide. You will provide product list and costs, current stock on hand, supplier lead times, your subscriber goal for the first two cycles, and access to your store and billing tools. I use those inputs to set dates and size stock.
Approvals. I will send the launch-month calendar, billing and dunning rules, and the fulfilment run-sheet for approval before they are treated as final. Setup is complete when the approved versions are delivered, ready to publish and run.
Changes
This setup covers one box program with one monthly rhythm. If you change the cadence, add a second box, or swap platforms mid-setup, I will pause and confirm the extra work and price in writing before I continue.
Tools and logins. You keep ownership of your store, customer list, and payment account. I work inside your tools using access you control. If a tool limits a rule you want, I will show the limit and offer the simplest workable alternative.
Confidentiality. I will not share your sales numbers, subscriber counts, supplier pricing, or customer data with anyone else. If I need to show an example from your setup in my portfolio, I will ask first and use only what you approve.
Limits. I am not the payment processor, the courier, or your suppliers, so I cannot guarantee card approval rates, delivery times, or stock availability. My responsibility is the setup, the rules, and the run-sheets that reduce avoidable failures.
