> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.helmkit.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Getting Started

> Create your account and configure your workspace

## Creating your account

You can sign up for Helm using your email address or your Google account.

**To sign up with email:**

1. Go to the Helm sign-up page
2. Enter your email address and create a password
3. Click "Sign up"
4. Check your email for a verification link
5. Click the verification link to confirm your email address

**To sign up with Google:**

1. Go to the Helm sign-up page
2. Click "Continue with Google"
3. Select your Google account and authorize Helm
4. You'll be signed in automatically—no email verification needed

After you verify your email (or sign in with Google), you'll be taken to your dashboard. From here, you can either create a new organization or join an existing one if you've been invited.

## Your first login

When you first log in to Helm, what happens next depends on whether you're starting your own organization or joining an existing team.

### Creating your organization

If you're setting up Helm for your travel agency or tour company, you'll create a new organization. This makes you the organization owner, which means you'll have full control over settings, billing, and team management. The setup process has four steps:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Organization identity">
    Tell us about your organization:

    <ul>
      <li>
        <strong>Organization name</strong>: Your company or agency name
      </li>

      <li>
        <strong>Organization type</strong>: Choose whether you're an agency
        managing tours or a guide working independently
      </li>

      <li>
        <strong>Contact information</strong>: Your business email and phone
        number
      </li>
    </ul>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your plan">
    Select the pricing plan that fits your needs. You can see what's included
    with each plan and change your plan later if your needs grow.

    <Note>
      Each plan has a team member seat limit: Free includes 2 seats, Growth
      includes 5, and Pro includes 12. Guide roster connections are unlimited on
      all plans — seat limits only apply to organization members (owners, admins,
      and members).
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Payment">
    Enter your payment information to activate your account. You'll be charged
    according to the plan you selected.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Success">
    Your organization is now set up. You can start inviting team members,
    configuring settings, and using Helm.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Joining an organization

If someone on a team invited you to join their organization, you'll receive an invitation email.

To accept the invitation:

1. Click the link in your invitation email
2. If you don't have a Helm account yet, you'll be prompted to create one
3. Once you're signed in, you'll see the invitation details
4. Click "Accept invitation" to join the organization

After accepting, you'll become a member of that organization and can access its bookings, schedules, and assignments based on your role.

### Switching between organizations

If you're part of multiple organizations (for example, if you're a guide working with several agencies), you can switch between them:

1. Click your profile icon in the top-right corner
2. Select "Switch organization" from the menu
3. Choose which organization you want to view

Each organization has its own bookings, team members, and settings. Switching organizations changes your entire view in Helm.

## Inviting your team

Once your organization is set up, you can invite team members to join you in Helm. This is how you add guides, coordinators, and other staff who need access to your bookings and schedules.

**To invite team members:**

1. Go to your organization settings
2. Navigate to the "Team" or "Members" section
3. Click "Invite team member"
4. Enter their email address
5. Assign them a role (see below)
6. Click "Send invitation"

The person you invited will receive an email with a link to join your organization. If they don't already have a Helm account, they'll create one as part of accepting the invitation.

### Roles and permissions

When you invite someone to join your organization as a team member, you assign them a role that determines what they can do in Helm:

* **Owner**: Full access to everything, including billing, settings, and team management. Can delete the organization.
* **Admin**: Can manage team members, bookings, and most settings. Cannot access billing or delete the organization.
* **Member**: Can view and manage bookings, assignments, and their own schedule. Cannot change organization settings or manage other team members.

You can change someone's role at any time from the team management page.

<Note>
  **About guides**: Guides are not organization members with a role. They're
  independent users who work with your agency through the roster feature. When
  you need to work with a guide, you add them to your roster, which gives them
  access to view and manage their assignments from your agency. Guides can work
  with multiple agencies, and each agency adds them to their own roster
  separately.
</Note>

## Next steps

You're all set up! Your account is active, your organization is configured, and your team can start joining.

Now it's time to complete your first task in Helm. Head to [Your First Success](/getting-started/first-success) to learn how to create your first booking, connect your booking system, or complete your guide onboarding—depending on your role.