Setup Checklist

The basics — tell MilkShelf how your farm operates.

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  Turn on Herdshare Mode (herdshare farms only)

  If your farm operates as a herdshare, flip this toggle before setting your pricing — it swaps terminology farm-wide (customers→shareholders, jars→shares, pickups→distributions) and changes which pricing fields appear. With Herdshare Mode on, you'll set a monthly price per share and an optional one-time buy-in fee per share instead of price-per-jar. You can also set jars per share if one share is more than one physical jar. When you reach Phase 3, you'll also pick Monthly Herdshare or 4-Week Herdshare as your billing mode.

  Settings → Farm Settings → Herdshare Mode
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  Set your jar price (optional)

  Enter what you charge per jar. Shows on your customer portal and in the welcome email.

  Settings → Pricing & Deposits
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  Set your jar deposit (optional)

  If you charge a deposit for jar returns, enter the amount here. Customers will see it displayed alongside your jar price.

  Settings → Pricing & Deposits
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  Add a deposit policy (optional)

  A short note explaining how deposits work, e.g. "Deposits are returned when you return your jars." Shown to customers alongside the deposit amount.

  Settings → Pricing & Deposits
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  Set your pickup days and capacity

  Check which days you offer pickup and set how many jars per day. Only checked days show on your customer portal.

  Settings → Pickup Days & Capacity
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  Set your jar size

  Tell customers what "one jar" means — half gallon, quart, etc. Shows on the signup form.

  Settings → Pickup Days & Capacity
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  Preview your pickup schedule

  After setting your pickup days, tap the Schedule tab to see a 4-week calendar of your pickups — expected jars per day, who's coming, and where you have open slots.

  Dashboard → Schedule tab
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  Customize your confirmation email (optional)

  Add a personal message that appears in the welcome email sent to new signups — pickup time, cooler bag reminder, anything you want customers to know right away.

  Settings → Email Settings → Email Templates
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  Customize your pickup reminder (optional)

  Write a custom reminder message sent before each pickup. Use {customerName}, {pickupDay}, and {jars} to personalize it. Leave blank to use the default.

  Settings → Email Settings → Email Templates
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  Confirm your pickup address

  We pre-filled this from your signup, but please double-check — this is what customers see in the "Directions to Our Farm" link that opens in Google Maps. A typo here means customers end up at the wrong spot.

  Settings → Farm Settings → General Settings
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  Confirm your timezone

  We pre-filled this from your signup, but please double-check — this controls exactly when your pickup reminders go out. If it's wrong, customers could get reminders at the wrong time. Go to Settings → Farm Settings → General Settings and verify the timezone shown is correct for your farm's location.

  Settings → Farm Settings → General Settings

Make the customer portal look and feel like your farm.

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  Upload your farm logo

  Shows on your customer portal and in every email. PNG with a transparent background works best. Don't have one? Use remove.bg to remove the background for free.

  Settings → Farm Settings → Farm Logo
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  Upload a pickup location map

  A screenshot or photo showing exactly where customers pick up. Porch fridge? Barn cooler? Show them.

  Settings → Farm Settings → Pickup Location Map

Connect your bank account to collect jar payments automatically. Customers pay when they sign up — you get paid every pickup.

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  Connect your bank account (optional)

  Takes about 5 minutes. Once connected, new customers can pay by card at signup — you always receive your full jar price. Fees are passed to the customer on top of the jar price.

  What to expect:

  1. Click Connect Bank Account below — you'll be taken to Stripe's secure onboarding flow.
  2. Enter your legal name, date of birth, and last 4 of SSN (standard identity verification).
  3. Enter your bank account and routing number for direct deposit.
  4. Upload a photo ID if prompted (driver's license or passport).
  5. Submit — Stripe reviews instantly in most cases. You'll see a green checkmark when you're approved.

  Payouts deposit to your bank account automatically. MilkShelf never touches your money — Stripe handles everything directly.

  Dashboard → Payments → Collect Payments → Connect Bank Account
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  Add your logo to Stripe checkout (optional)

  When customers pay by card, they'll see a Stripe-hosted checkout page. Upload your farm logo there so it feels familiar and professional. Open your Stripe dashboard from MilkShelf's Payments tab (look for the Open Stripe Dashboard → button after you've connected your bank account), then go to Settings → Branding and upload your logo.

  Dashboard → Payments tab → Open Stripe Dashboard → Settings → Branding → Logo
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  Create a payment link for extras (optional)

  Want customers to pay for eggs, yogurt, or other extras? Create a Stripe Payment Link and paste it into MilkShelf — customers will see a "Make a Payment" button on their portal page.
  
  Open your Stripe dashboard from MilkShelf's Payments tab (look for the Open Stripe Dashboard → button after you've connected your bank account), then go to Payment Links → Create. Set the product name (e.g. "Farm Extras") and leave the price flexible so customers can enter any amount. Copy the link, then paste it into Dashboard → Settings → Farm Settings → Payment Link and click Save.

  Dashboard → Payments tab → Open Stripe Dashboard → Payment Links → Create, then paste into Dashboard → Settings → Farm Settings → Payment Link
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  Choose your billing mode (optional)

  Pick how card customers are charged: Per Pickup (billed on each pickup day), Monthly (flat charge on a set day of the month), or — for herdshares — Monthly Herdshare or 4-Week Herdshare. If you pick a monthly mode, also set the Billing Anchor Day (1–28) for when in the month customers are billed.

  Dashboard → Payments tab → Billing Mode
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  Decide whether customers can switch to cash on their own (optional)

  In Payments → Customer Billing Options there's a toggle: "Allow Customers to Switch to Cash." When on, card customers can self-cancel and switch to paying you directly. When off, they need to contact you to switch. Default is off — turn it on if you want self-serve downgrades.

  Dashboard → Payments tab → Customer Billing Options

Make sure everything looks right, then go live.

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  Send yourself a test email

  See what your confirmation and reminder emails look like before customers do.

  Settings → Email Settings → Send Test Emails
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  Test the customer signup yourself

  Visit yourfarm.milkshelf.com Copy, enter your own phone number, and sign up as if you were a customer. Check that your pickup days, jar options, and confirmation email all look right. When done, come back and search for your phone number in the dashboard — then delete yourself so you're not taking up a real spot on your schedule.
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  Bookmark MilkShelf on your phone

  Bookmark your dashboard so it's one tap away during morning chores.

  iPhone: tap the share button → Add Bookmark (or Add to Favorites for the home page).

  Android: tap the browser menu → Add to Bookmarks.

  Your dashboard will open in your phone's browser, signed in and ready.

  Phone browser → Bookmarks
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  Your farm is live!

  Your customer signup page is now public at the link below — copy it now so it's ready. Phase 5 walks you through the best ways to get customers using it.

  yourfarm.milkshelf.com Copy

Help your existing customers start using the portal instead of texting you.

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  Print your QR code flyer

  MilkShelf generates a printable flyer with a QR code that links straight to your customer page. Print it and pass out to your existing customers or tape it to your farm fridge, barn door, or pickup area — anywhere customers will see it.

  Dashboard → QR Code Flyer → Open Printable Flyer
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  Text or email your existing customers

  Send your customers a quick message with your link: "Hey! We're using MilkShelf now to manage milk pickups. Sign up here to manage your subscription, get reminders, and check for extras: yourfarm.milkshelf.com"
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  Post your link on social media

  Share your customer page link on Facebook, Instagram, or wherever your farm community hangs out. New customers can sign up on their own — no back-and-forth needed.

  yourfarm.milkshelf.com Copy
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  Manually add customers who don't sign up

  Some customers won't sign up on their own — and that's fine. Add them manually from your dashboard so they still get reminders and show up on your labels.

  Dashboard → Customer Management → Manually Add Customer