Greenlit: Send Quotes, Get Approval and Collect Deposits

Sending a quote should be straightforward. You work out the price, explain what's included, send it to the customer and wait for them to agree.

In practice, it rarely works quite that smoothly.

You send a quote by email, WhatsApp or PDF. The customer says they'll have a look. A few days pass. You send a follow-up message. Eventually, they agree to go ahead, but now you need to arrange the deposit, confirm the work and make sure everyone understands what's included.

For a small business, that can mean several messages, a bank transfer to chase and more administration than the actual quote should require.

It's a familiar problem for tradespeople, freelancers, artists, makers and anyone who provides a price before starting work.

That's why we're building Greenlit, a straightforward way to turn a quote into a link that customers can open, accept and pay a deposit through.

No complicated job-management system. No unnecessary paperwork. Just a clearer way to move from a quote to an agreed job.

The problem with traditional quotes

Most small businesses don't have a dedicated sales or administration team.

If you're a joiner, decorator, electrician, photographer or freelance designer, you're probably the person doing the work, answering enquiries, preparing quotes and chasing payments.

You might spend an evening preparing a detailed estimate, only to send it as a PDF attachment that disappears into someone's inbox.

The customer might be genuinely interested, but they're busy too. They open the document, put their phone down and forget to reply.

A few days later, you're wondering whether to reserve time for the job or accept another booking.

Even when the customer agrees, there's often another conversation about the deposit.

You send your bank details. They promise to transfer the money. You check your account the following morning.

It's not necessarily that customers are unreliable. Often, the process simply involves too many separate steps.

A quote is sent in one place, approval happens somewhere else and payment requires another action.

Each extra step creates another opportunity for the process to stall.

For a business handling several enquiries every week, those small delays add up.

Why getting a clear yes matters

A customer saying "that sounds good" isn't always the same as formally accepting a quote.

Perhaps they've agreed to the general price but haven't confirmed the start date. Perhaps they haven't read the terms. Or perhaps they're still comparing prices.

Until there's a clear agreement, it's difficult to know where you stand.

That uncertainty can affect how you run your business.

You might turn down other work because you expect a job to go ahead. You might order materials before receiving payment. Or you might spend hours preparing for a commission that the customer eventually decides not to proceed with.

A proper acceptance process helps both sides.

The customer can see exactly what they're agreeing to, including the price, scope of work and payment arrangements.

The business has a record of that acceptance and can move forward with greater confidence.

For jobs requiring an upfront deposit, combining acceptance and payment into one process makes things even clearer.

The customer agrees to the quote and pays the agreed deposit without needing a separate email or bank transfer.

That's the central idea behind Greenlit.

What is Greenlit?

Greenlit is a new quoting and deposit collection tool being developed by Amethyst Apps.

It's designed for small businesses that need customers to approve a price and, where appropriate, pay a deposit before work begins.

Instead of creating a PDF and managing the rest of the conversation manually, you create a quote and send the customer a link.

They open that link on their phone, tablet or computer.

The quote displays your business details, the work being proposed, the price, the deposit required and your terms.

The customer can then accept the quote and pay securely using a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay through Stripe.

Once the quote is accepted and the deposit is paid, you receive confirmation.

The money goes directly into your own Stripe account. Greenlit doesn't hold customer payments or take a percentage of the transaction.

The aim is to make the process straightforward for both the business and the customer.

And importantly, your customer doesn't need to create an account or download an app.

They simply open the link you send them.

How Greenlit works

The process is built around five steps.

1. Create your quote

Start by entering the customer's details and describing the work.

That might be fitting a kitchen, decorating a room, creating a commissioned painting, building a website or supplying custom furniture.

You enter the agreed price and decide whether a deposit is required.

Deposits can be set as a fixed amount or a percentage of the total.

For example, if you're quoting £1,200 for a job and require a 25% deposit, the customer would pay £300 upfront, leaving £900 outstanding.

You can also include photographs to help explain the work.

The quote can display your business branding, giving customers a professional document without requiring you to design one from scratch.

2. Send the customer a link

Once the quote is ready, you share its link.

You can send it by WhatsApp, text message, email or whichever method you normally use to communicate with customers.

There's no attachment to download or document to print.

The customer opens the link and sees the quote directly.

This is particularly useful when you're working away from a desk.

A tradesperson could prepare and send a quote from their phone after visiting a property, rather than waiting until they're back at a computer.

3. The customer reviews and accepts

The customer can read the description, check the price and review your terms.

If they're happy to proceed, they formally accept the quote.

Greenlit records the customer's name and the date and time of acceptance.

This creates a useful record of what was agreed.

The customer then pays the requested deposit using Stripe's payment system.

Where available, they can use their card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

The important difference is that approval and deposit payment happen together, rather than requiring two separate conversations.

4. You receive confirmation

Once the customer has accepted and paid, Greenlit notifies you.

The deposit is processed through your connected Stripe account, with Stripe handling settlement according to your account's payout schedule.

You can see that the quote has been accepted and payment has been made.

Both parties receive a receipt automatically.

Instead of searching through messages to work out whether the customer has confirmed, you have a clear record.

You can then arrange the work, order materials or reserve the agreed time.

5. Request the remaining balance

When the work is complete, Greenlit lets you request the outstanding balance.

The customer receives another payment link, allowing them to settle the remaining amount without needing to arrange a separate bank transfer.

This keeps the original quote, acceptance and payments connected.

For a small business, having everything associated with the same job makes it easier to understand what's been agreed, what's been paid and what's still outstanding.

Why deposits are important for small businesses

Deposits aren't just about getting money into your account earlier.

They can play an important role in managing cash flow, booking time and reducing financial exposure.

Consider a decorator who agrees to repaint several rooms.

Before starting, they might need to purchase paint, protective materials and other supplies.

If the customer cancels at short notice, the decorator could be left with materials they've already purchased and several days of work that are now difficult to fill.

A reasonable deposit can help cover agreed upfront costs and demonstrate that the customer is committed to proceeding.

The same applies to many other businesses.

A furniture maker may need to purchase timber. A photographer may reserve a date that can't easily be offered to another customer. An artist may spend days creating a personalised commission that would be difficult to sell to someone else.

The appropriate deposit depends on the work, the agreement and applicable consumer law.

Deposits should be fair, clearly explained and supported by suitable terms. Taking a deposit doesn't automatically mean a business can keep it if a customer cancels.

Greenlit is designed to help businesses communicate their payment arrangements clearly and collect the agreed amount.

It doesn't replace the need for appropriate terms and conditions.

Greenlit for tradespeople

Tradespeople are one of the main groups Greenlit is being built for.

Plumbers, electricians, joiners, builders, decorators and landscapers often spend considerable time preparing quotes.

Some jobs are relatively straightforward. Others involve materials, labour, multiple visits and work that may change once the project begins.

Greenlit is intended to make the administrative side easier.

Send quotes while you're out working

You shouldn't need to return to an office to send a professional quote.

Greenlit is designed to work on your phone, allowing you to create and send quotes wherever you're working.

You can include the job description, price and deposit requirements, then share the link with the customer.

Reuse quotes for common jobs

Many tradespeople regularly quote for similar work.

Rather than entering everything from scratch each time, Greenlit's planned saved templates will help you prepare recurring types of quotes more quickly.

You can adjust the details and price for each customer while keeping the underlying structure consistent.

Agree on additional work

One of the most common causes of disagreement on a job is extra work.

A customer might ask for another room to be painted, additional electrical sockets or a change to the original specification.

Sometimes these changes are discussed casually while work is underway.

The problem comes later when the final invoice includes work the customer didn't realise would cost extra.

Greenlit is being designed to support variations and additional work, allowing you to describe the change, explain the price and request approval.

That gives both parties a clearer record of what's included in the original quote and what's been added afterwards.

Know which jobs are confirmed

When you're juggling several enquiries, it's useful to know which customers have actually committed.

Greenlit's dashboard is planned to show whether quotes have been sent, viewed, accepted and paid.

Instead of relying on memory or searching through conversations, you'll be able to see where each quote stands.

Greenlit for artists, makers and freelancers

Although Greenlit is useful for tradespeople, the idea also applies to creative businesses.

Artists, designers, photographers, developers, woodworkers and other makers regularly take on work that is unique to each customer.

Unlike selling a standard product, commissioned work often involves discussing requirements, agreeing a price and receiving approval before anything can begin.

As an artist myself, I know that a commission can involve considerably more than simply producing the finished piece.

There may be reference photographs, discussions about size, colour choices, revisions, delivery arrangements and payment terms.

A clear process from the beginning helps avoid misunderstandings later.

A commission enquiry link

Greenlit is being developed with a dedicated commission enquiry feature.

The idea is simple.

An artist or maker can place a "Commission me" link on their website or social media profile.

Potential customers open the link, describe what they're looking for and upload reference photographs.

For example, someone commissioning a painting could provide photographs, their preferred dimensions and details about the subject.

The artist can review the enquiry and prepare a quote based on the actual requirements.

This is more useful than receiving a vague message asking, "How much would a painting cost?"

Agree on the scope before starting

Creative projects can be particularly vulnerable to changes in scope.

A customer might request a portrait with one subject, then ask to add another person after work has begun.

A website client might agree to a five-page site and later request several additional pages.

These changes may be perfectly reasonable, but they can involve additional time and cost.

Greenlit is being designed to help businesses set expectations from the beginning, including the agreed work and any included revision rounds.

Share progress and request approval

For commissions and creative projects, Greenlit also plans to support progress updates.

An artist could share a photograph of a painting in progress.

A designer could provide a draft for review.

A furniture maker could show the customer how a bespoke piece is developing.

The customer would be able to review and approve progress at agreed stages.

This helps keep everyone informed without scattering approvals across several email conversations.

Collect the balance before delivery

For commissioned work, it's common to request the final balance before delivery or collection.

Greenlit will support balance payment requests, making it easier to connect the final payment with the original agreement.

The aim is to give independent creatives a professional quoting and payment process without requiring an expensive business-management platform.

Why not just use a PDF and bank transfer?

There's nothing inherently wrong with sending a PDF quote and asking for a bank transfer.

For many businesses, that process works perfectly well.

The difficulty comes when you're handling several quotes, chasing responses and trying to keep track of which customers have paid.

A PDF is essentially a document.

It doesn't automatically tell you whether the customer has accepted the quote, agreed to your terms or paid the deposit.

Those details usually need to be managed separately.

You might have the quote in an email, the acceptance in WhatsApp and the payment recorded in your banking app.

Greenlit brings those stages into one process.

The customer receives a link, reviews the quote, accepts the terms and pays the deposit.

You receive confirmation and can see the status in your dashboard.

It's not about replacing every part of how you run your business.

It's about removing unnecessary steps from one important process.

What about larger job-management systems?

There are already established platforms offering quoting, invoicing, scheduling, customer management and job tracking.

For larger businesses, these systems can be extremely useful.

If you're managing several employees, vehicles, appointments and complex projects, a full job-management platform might be exactly what you need.

But not every business requires that level of software.

A self-employed joiner might simply need to send five quotes a week and collect deposits for the jobs that go ahead.

An artist might take two commissions a month.

A freelance designer might need a professional way to confirm a project and receive an upfront payment.

For those businesses, a complicated system can introduce more administration rather than less.

Greenlit is being built around a narrower purpose.

Send a quote. Get the customer's approval. Collect the deposit.

The goal isn't to compete with every feature of a comprehensive business-management platform.

It's to make this particular process easier and more affordable.

Keeping track of quotes without spreadsheets

As a business grows, remembering the status of every enquiry becomes difficult.

You might have one customer who requested a quote yesterday, another who viewed a quote last week and a third who agreed to proceed but hasn't paid.

Without a system, it's easy to lose track.

Greenlit's planned dashboard brings these stages together.

You'll be able to see which quotes have been sent, opened, accepted and paid, along with any outstanding balances.

This should make it easier to identify customers who may need a reminder and jobs that are ready to proceed.

Greenlit also plans to support automatic reminders.

Rather than manually following up every unanswered quote, the system can send a polite reminder after an appropriate period.

For businesses that regularly send quotes, this could remove a repetitive administrative task.

Of course, not every unanswered quote means the customer has forgotten.

Some people need time to consider the price, discuss the work or compare options.

The intention is to make following up easier, not to bombard customers with messages.

How payments work with Greenlit

One of the important decisions behind Greenlit is how customer payments are handled.

Greenlit uses Stripe for payment processing.

When you connect your Stripe account, customers can pay their deposits through Stripe's secure payment system.

Payments are made to your own connected account.

Greenlit doesn't hold the money and doesn't take a percentage of your payments.

Stripe's standard processing fees still apply.

For example, if you collect a £500 deposit, Greenlit won't deduct an additional commission from that payment.

Stripe will apply the relevant processing fee based on your account and payment method.

The remaining funds are settled according to Stripe's normal payout arrangements.

This approach keeps payment processing with an established provider and avoids introducing another percentage-based charge for the business.

It also means you can continue using your own Stripe account rather than having Greenlit hold funds on your behalf.

How much will Greenlit cost?

Greenlit is still in development, but we're planning a straightforward pricing structure.

Free plan

The proposed free plan will allow businesses to send up to three quotes each month.

It will include the core quoting and deposit collection features.

For someone who only takes occasional commissions or sends a handful of quotes, this could be enough without paying a monthly subscription.

Pro plan

The proposed Pro plan will cost around £8 per month.

It's intended for businesses sending quotes more regularly.

Planned Pro features include unlimited quotes, saved templates, custom branding, reminders and progress updates.

Greenlit won't take a percentage of payments on either plan.

Only Stripe's applicable processing fees will apply.

These prices are provisional and may change before launch.

Features planned for Greenlit

The first version of Greenlit is being designed around the features small businesses are most likely to use.

These include:

• Professional quote links with business branding.
• Fixed-amount or percentage-based deposits.
• Customer acceptance with a recorded name, date and time.
• Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay payments through Stripe.
• Quote status tracking and payment notifications.
• Automatic receipts.
• Quote expiry dates and customer reminders.
• Terms and conditions included with each quote.
• Balance payment requests.
• Optional VAT information for VAT-registered businesses.
• Saved quote templates.
• Commission enquiry forms with reference image uploads.
• Progress updates and customer approvals.
• Additional work and variation approvals.

The system is designed to work through a web browser, so neither the business nor the customer needs to install a separate app.

We're also considering further features for later releases, including Xero and QuickBooks connections, calendar synchronisation, built-in SMS sending and staged payments for larger projects.

These are planned developments rather than features available today.

Frequently asked questions

Is Greenlit available now?

Not yet. Greenlit is currently in development.

You can visit the Greenlit page and register to receive an email when it launches.

Does my customer need to create an account?

No.

Customers will be able to open their quote through a link without registering or downloading an app.

They can review the details, accept the quote and pay the deposit through the same page.

Can I use Greenlit on my phone?

Yes.

Greenlit is being designed to work through a web browser on phones, tablets and computers.

You won't need to install a dedicated mobile app.

Can I request a deposit of any amount?

You'll be able to set a deposit as either a fixed amount or a percentage of the quote.

For example, you could request £150 upfront or 20% of the total price.

Businesses remain responsible for ensuring their deposit terms are appropriate and comply with applicable consumer law.

Does Greenlit take a percentage of my payments?

No.

Greenlit won't charge an additional percentage on deposits or balance payments.

Payments are processed through Stripe, which applies its own standard processing fees.

Where does the customer's money go?

Payments go into your connected Stripe account.

Greenlit doesn't hold the money.

Stripe handles payment processing and payouts according to your account settings.

Can I send quotes through WhatsApp?

Yes.

You'll be able to copy the quote link and send it through WhatsApp, email, text message or another messaging service.

Your customer opens the link to review and accept the quote.

Can I include my own terms and conditions?

Yes.

Greenlit is being designed to display your terms and conditions as part of the acceptance process.

The customer will need to agree to them before proceeding.

Greenlit will record the acceptance details, but businesses should ensure their terms are suitable for the services they provide.

Is accepting a quote online legally binding?

Electronic acceptance can form part of a legally binding contract in the UK, provided the normal requirements for a valid agreement are met.

Greenlit is designed to record the customer's acceptance, including their name and the date and time.

However, whether a particular agreement is enforceable depends on the circumstances, the terms and applicable law.

Businesses should use clear terms and obtain legal advice where necessary.

Can I use Greenlit for commissioned artwork?

Yes.

Artists and makers are one of the main groups Greenlit is being developed for.

Planned features include commission enquiry forms, reference photograph uploads, customer approvals, revision limits and final balance requests.

Can I use Greenlit alongside my accounting software?

Yes.

Payment and receipt records are intended to be downloadable for use with your existing accounting processes.

Direct integrations with Xero and QuickBooks are planned for a later release.

Is Greenlit only for tradespeople?

No.

Although tradespeople are a major focus, Greenlit is also intended for freelancers, artists, makers, photographers, designers and other small businesses that provide quotes before starting work.

Will Greenlit replace my invoicing software?

Not necessarily.

Greenlit focuses on quotes, acceptance, deposits and balance payments.

Businesses with more complex accounting, invoicing or bookkeeping requirements may still need their existing accounting software.

A simpler way to get the go-ahead

Running a small business involves enough work without spending unnecessary time chasing quote approvals and deposits.

Whether you're fitting kitchens, painting houses, creating artwork or delivering freelance projects, the underlying process is often the same.

A customer asks for a price. You prepare a quote. They agree to proceed. You collect a deposit and get started.

That process shouldn't require several disconnected conversations and repeated reminders.

Greenlit is being built to bring those steps together.

It's a focused tool for businesses that want a professional way to send quotes, confirm agreements and collect payments without paying for a large management system they don't need.

We're still developing Greenlit, and there's more work to do before launch.

If it sounds useful for your business, you can visit the Greenlit page to learn more and register for a launch notification.

We'll let you know when it's ready.

Kevin Hunter
Amethyst Apps