Keep the business running while you Launch The Forge
Start, Core, and Pro include Guided Launch; Forge Operations includes a scoped Managed Launch, confirmed after the Fit Review. The optional Forge Operational Blueprint adds a professional review before you start. With Guided Launch, your team prepares its records and follows the setup steps. With Managed Launch, our team handles the agreed setup, information move, supported connections and training. Both paths include a check before you switch.
Going live isn’t the end of it. Your plan sets the support and review schedule. Agree any additional setup or connection work before it starts; the review details below explain what we check as your business changes.
Guided Launch vs Managed Launch
Both paths reach the same launched platform. The difference is who does the work and how launch cost is offset.
Guided Launch
Included on Forge Start, Core, and Pro. Work through a structured launch and earn Forge Credits as your team completes each onboarding milestone. Forge Operations requires a scoped Managed Launch instead.
- Industry template selection
- Structured setup checklist
- Included integration connection within your plan allowance
- Standard import templates for your records
- Recorded training for your team
- Validation checklist and go-live readiness review
- Your team performs the data preparation and connection steps
- Earn Forge Credits as milestones are approved
Managed Launch
You provide access, context, and approvals. Our team configures, connects, migrates, tests, trains, and launches The Forge remotely.
- HustleForge performs the configuration and supported integrations
- We migrate your customers, jobs, staff, and history
- Your existing systems keep running until you approve the switch
- Testing, training, and a coordinated go-live — remotely
- Can be paid upfront, distributed over six months, or included in an Operations annual agreement
- Your final quote is confirmed during discovery
| Guided Launch | Managed Launch |
|---|---|
| Included on Start, Core, and Pro | Optional on Start/Core/Pro; required scoped launch on Operations |
| Lower upfront cost | Lower customer workload |
| Your team completes structured tasks | HustleForge does the setup |
| Earn launch credits on milestones | Earn participation credits |
| Best for prepared teams | Best for hands-off transitions |
| Customer-led progress | Our team leads progress |
| Standard templates and import tools | Managed configuration and migration |
See how launch cost and Forge Credits work in full on the pricing page.
A Worked Example, Start to Finish
Every cost family below stays separate — subscription, one-time, managed service, marketplace, third-party provider, and usage are never blended into one number.
Small business getting started
A small business just getting started uses the Blueprint to map their software and workflows, then launches on Forge Start and completes Guided Launch on their own timeline.
Forge Operational Blueprint → Forge Start → Guided Launch
| Cost family | Item | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| One-time | Forge Operational BlueprintFull $249 applies toward Managed Launch, an annual Core or Pro agreement, an approved integration, or migration assistance. | $249 |
| Subscription | Forge Start, 12 months (billed annually)$125/month billed annually × 12 months = $1,500. Paying month-to-month instead is $149/mo, $1,788 for the year — this example uses annual billing throughout. | $1,500 for the year |
| Managed service | Guided LaunchNo separate launch fee. Your team completes structured onboarding milestones at your own pace. | Included |
| Marketplace | Marketplace add-onsNone added in this example. Marketplace access is included on every plan. | — |
| Third-party provider | Software you keepAccounting, payroll, payment processing, and any other software you keep running stay billed directly by their providers — not by The Forge. | Billed by your provider |
| Usage | Metered usageNo usage-based Marketplace services (like per-minute call handling) in this example. | — |
| Forge Credits | Illustrative Forge Credits appliedA mid-range illustration from Start's earn up to $100 in forge credits, assuming Guided Launch milestones are completed and applied toward eligible setup or integration costs. Actual credits depend on what your team completes — this is not a guarantee. | -$50 (illustrative)Illustrative |
| Illustrative first-year total (billed annually) | $1,699 | |
$249 Blueprint + $1,500 for 12 months of Forge Start billed annually = $1,749, minus $50 in illustrative credits. Software you keep, billed by its own provider, is not part of this total.
See three more worked examples — including a Managed Launch on Forge Operations — and build your own on the pricing page or the pricing & cost estimator.
What a Business Should Have Ready
None of this is a hard prerequisite — the Blueprint is designed to help fill gaps. Having these ready before your kickoff call shortens the early weeks of either launch path.
Example launch stages — agree timing for your business
These stages explain the work to agree, not a promised completion time. Scope, supported connections, data preparation and your team’s availability determine the schedule. Confirm responsibilities and timing before launch work begins.
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Discovery & Blueprint confirmation
Confirm the software inventory, workflow review, and recommended Forge configuration from your Blueprint, then finalize what the launch will include.
Configuration & data preparation
The platform is configured to what you confirmed in the first stage. On Guided Launch your team prepares records for migration; on Managed Launch you provide access and context while the launch team configures.
Integration connections & migration
Supported integrations are connected and customer, job, staff, and history records are migrated. Existing systems keep running in parallel — nothing is disconnected yet.
Testing & training
We check the moved information against your original systems, test core workflows end-to-end, and train your team on their role-based view.
Go-live & early monitoring
The switch to The Forge happens once you approve it, followed by close monitoring of adoption and whether your connections keep working in the first weeks of use.
What The Forge Manages and What Stays With Your Providers
The Forge connects day-to-day work and financial tracking. Keep external books with your chosen accounting provider, or review the native Pro ledger tools with your bookkeeper. Neither option establishes tax-ready accounts. Payroll processing, tax filing, card processing, insurance and legal advice stay with the specialist providers responsible for them.
You own and control
- Customer, job, and account records
- Business documents and files uploaded into the platform
- User accounts, roles, and internal access decisions
- The decision to connect, disconnect, or replace any integrated system
Your providers stay responsible for
- Accounting & general ledger
Keep external books with the accounting provider you choose. Pro also offers native ledger tools; review bookkeeping needs before using them. QuickBooks imports do not write changes back.
- Payroll & tax filing
Your payroll provider stays your official payroll processor and tax filer.
- Card & payment processing
Your payment processor stays your official card processor; The Forge does not process or store full payment-card data.
- Insurance
Your insurer stays your official source for coverage, underwriting, and claims.
- Legal matters
The Forge does not provide legal advice — your legal counsel remains responsible for legal matters.
The Forge manages
- Platform configuration, workflow automation, and dashboards
- Connections between The Forge and your supported integrations
- Operational visibility that summarizes information pulled from the systems that keep your official records
- Access controls and activity history within the platform itself
What Must Be Ready Before You Go Live
The switch to The Forge happens once every item below is true, not on a fixed calendar date.
What Gets Watched Once You’re Live
Launch isn’t the finish line. Adoption is monitored after go-live so friction gets caught early rather than discovered months later.
Ready to see what a launch would look like for your business?
Full $249 applies toward Managed Launch, an annual Core or Pro agreement, an approved integration, or migration assistance.
Timelines above are typical, not a guaranteed schedule — actual dates are confirmed in your launch agreement. Contact contact@hustleforge.tech with questions about what your launch will include.