Hours need confirmation
Scheduled time is not always paid time. Setup, cleanup, substitutions, and cancellations need one visible record.
Coterie Operations Core
A simpler system
Coterie can own.
The problem: every completed class leaves the owner to confirm who taught it, what time should be paid, what changed, and what belongs in the monthly payroll records.
This proposal creates one reliable path from the calendar to approved instructor time using low-code tools that Coterie can manage without depending on reTHREAD for daily operations.
See the proposed system Prepared for Coterie Fitness
A focused operations proposal. This solution supports instructor timecards, approvals, and payroll preparation. It does not replace Coterie’s existing CRM.
What needs to change
The owner should manage exceptions, not reconstruct every class.
Coterie already has the essential information. It is spread across the calendar, instructor messages, time confirmations, and payroll preparation. The opportunity is to connect those steps into one dependable owner workflow.
Changes create follow-up
The owner needs to know which classes are complete and which ones require a decision without checking every message.
Payroll needs a clean close
Approved hours should be ready for QuickBooks in a consistent format with a clear record of who approved what.
Focused boundary
Google Calendar remains the schedule. Coterie’s CRM remains the CRM. QuickBooks remains the financial system. The new workflow connects the operational gaps between them.
The proposed system
Familiar tools, connected into one owner-managed workflow.
The recommended structure uses established low-code tools for administration and one branded, mobile-friendly Airtable form for instructor time tracking. No custom owner portal, desktop application, or code-dependent mobile application is included.
Google Calendar
Classes continue to be scheduled in the tool Coterie already uses.
Stays in placeMake
Moves records, sends reminders, and flags missing information.
Documented scenariosAirtable
Class records, timecards, exceptions, and approvals live in Coterie-managed tables and views.
Coterie-managedMobile timecard form
Instructors confirm completion and actual paid time through a branded Airtable form.
No app downloadQuickBooks®
Approved instructor time is prepared for the monthly payroll workflow.
System of recordThis is the full workflow. Google Calendar schedules the class, Make moves the record, Airtable manages the back office, the mobile form collects time, and approved records are prepared for QuickBooks.
Coterie receives access to every low-code account and automation, plus plain-language documentation for routine edits and troubleshooting.
Vendor marks belong to their respective owners and are shown only to identify the proposed tools. No affiliation or endorsement is implied. QuickBooks is a registered trademark of Intuit Inc.
What daily use looks like
One mobile timecard form. No custom application to maintain.
The instructor experience is a branded Airtable form that works in a phone browser. Coterie manages the form, records, and exceptions inside Airtable, keeps scheduling in Google Calendar, and continues its financial process in QuickBooks.
What Coterie manages directly
The back office stays in the tools named in the workflow.
Airtable tables and viewsReview classes, correct records, resolve exceptions, and approve time without a custom portal.
Google CalendarContinue scheduling classes in the existing calendar process.
QuickBooks® softwareUse the validated handoff or payroll-ready export during the monthly close.
Clear deliverable boundary: no custom desktop dashboard, owner portal, CRM, or native app is included.
MOBILE-FRIENDLY AIRTABLE FORM
9:41
C
CoterieTime confirmation
CLASS COMPLETE
Confirm your time
1.25hours
Your response updates the Airtable timecard record. The operating loop
Five steps Coterie can run without reTHREAD.
Routine records move forward automatically. The owner steps in only when information is missing, changed, or ready for final approval.
- 01Automatic
Schedule
A Google Calendar event creates or updates the class record.
- 02Instructor
Confirm
The instructor receives an email link and confirms completion and actual time from a phone.
- 03Owner
Review
An Airtable review view highlights substitutions, cancellations, changed time, and missing responses.
- 04Owner
Approve
The owner resolves the exceptions and approves the monthly time records.
- 05Controlled
Close
Approved records follow the confirmed QuickBooks handoff or the payroll-ready export fallback.
Built for handoff
Coterie owns the system after launch.
Every account is opened in Coterie’s name. Every workflow is documented. The owner can make the changes that a growing operation needs without opening a development ticket.
Coterie-controlled accounts
Logins, billing, data, and permissions stay under Coterie’s control.
Editable business settings
Add instructors, properties, class types, rates, and approval rules through simple tables and forms.
Plain-language playbook
Written instructions cover daily use, common changes, monthly close, and basic recovery steps.
Live owner training
A recorded handoff session walks through administration, reporting, and routine troubleshooting.
What self-managed means
Coterie can run the day-to-day workflow, manage records, correct mistakes, update settings, and prepare the monthly close. Code-level failures are covered during the launch-support period, with optional support available afterward.
Phase one scope
Solve the current operating problem first.
This first phase is intentionally smaller than the original concept. It delivers the core benefit now without charging Coterie today for every feature it may need at 112 or more classes.
Coterie Operations Core
- Workflow and payroll-rule mapping
- Google Calendar class intake
- Instructor and property records
- Branded Airtable mobile timecard form
- Email delivery of instructor timecard links
- Airtable review view and exception queue
- Approval history and audit fields
- QuickBooks workflow validation
- Payroll-ready export fallback
- Documentation and owner training
- 30 days of full launch support
Advanced automation
- Custom desktop portal or multi-role application
- CRM replacement or CRM migration
- Complex instructor matching
- Advanced notification sequences
- SMS or text-message delivery
- Compensation or payment execution
- Advanced analytics or a custom reporting portal
These capabilities can be added when class volume and operating needs justify the additional investment.
qb
QUICKBOOKS COMMITMENT
Validate the exact handoff before promising automation.
The guaranteed phase one deliverable is a clean monthly export and documented close process. Direct posting through Make will be enabled only after a live test confirms Coterie’s QuickBooks Online plan, worker classification, permissions, and accounting workflow. QuickBooks Time, payroll subscriptions, contractor-payment subscriptions, and payment execution are not included.
Implementation plan
A focused build, followed by a complete handoff.
The implementation is designed to validate the real workflow early, test it with representative classes, and leave Coterie with a system it understands.
- 01WEEK 1Rules approved
Map and confirm
Document the current process, payroll rules, exceptions, CRM boundary, QuickBooks setup, and platform accounts.
- 02WEEKS 2 AND 3Workflow validated
Configure and test
Build the Airtable base, views, mobile timecard form, automations, and monthly output. Test representative classes and edge cases.
- 03WEEK 4Coterie takes control
Train and hand off
Run the owner training, deliver the playbook, confirm access, and move the approved workflow into daily use.
- 04AFTER LAUNCHLaunch support
Stabilize
Provide full launch support for the delivered workflow during the included 30-day period.
Investment
One focused implementation.
No required reTHREAD subscription.
Coterie pays for the setup, configuration, testing, documentation, and handoff. The software accounts remain with Coterie. Plan for approximately $30 to $40 per month in new platform fees, paid directly to the providers.
FIXED IMPLEMENTATION
$3,000
50% to begin
50% at approved handoff
- Defined phase one scope
- Client-owned platform accounts
- Training and documentation
- 30 days of full launch support
Expected software costs
A small operating budget, visible before the build.
Current September 2026 list prices are shown for planning. Coterie selects and pays each provider directly. Vendor pricing may change.
Airtable Team
$20 to $24per monthOne paid owner seat after handoff. A temporary implementation seat may add up to $24 during the build.
Make Core
Starts at $9per monthIncludes 10,000 monthly credits. Automatic credit purchases will remain off.
Google Calendar
$0additionalCoterie continues using its existing Google account and calendar.
QuickBooks Online
No API feethrough MakeA compatible paid QuickBooks Online plan is required. Any plan change needs Coterie’s approval before implementation.
EXPECTED NEW MONTHLY COST$30 to $40
FIRST-YEAR PLANNING RANGE$350 to $450
Excludes Coterie’s existing QuickBooks subscription. QuickBooks Time, SMS delivery, payment execution, and new payroll products are not required for the proposed phase one workflow.
Working assumptions
01Coterie will provide administrative access to the selected accounts and a representative set of schedules and payroll records.
02Instructor rates, setup time, cancellation rules, approval ownership, and contractor classification will be confirmed before configuration.
03Coterie’s existing CRM remains outside this implementation unless a specific data handoff is later approved.
04Direct QuickBooks posting requires a compatible paid QuickBooks Online account and a successful live connection test. The monthly export remains the guaranteed fallback.
05Third-party software costs, plan limits, and vendor policy changes are outside reTHREAD’s fixed implementation fee.
06The 30-day full launch-support period covers configuration fixes, issue resolution, and operational questions for the delivered workflow. New features and changed business rules are separate work.
ReThread
COTERIEFITNESS
A CLIENT-OWNED OPERATIONS SYSTEM