Now, before we start the process of implementing Beacon, there are some key things you will need to have done:

This step might seem obvious, but we can't get started without first having our core Beacon account to start working with.

You only ever need to add to Beacon (and pay for) the Elements you need to help your organisation function and grow.

It might first be beneficial to look at how Beacon is structured, and therefore priced.

Whether you're creating your first account, are at the end of a trial or about to create a brand new account after some prior trialling, you'll be prompted to choose the 'Elements' you want in your account. Let's first understand what Elements are.

Beacon is divided into core functional areas that you can 'enable' and 'disable' in your account depending on what you do as an organisation. When looking at Elements, consider "What are our main operational areas and which Beacon elements do we need to build and store them?"

The Beacon elements explained:

Additional features are add-ons that support your use of the elements mentioned above. They are:

Your Beacon price is based on the number of individual "contact" records you need to store in your database. Both People and Organisations count as contacts.

Once using Beacon, you will have the opportunity to increase your contact limit at any point during your billing cycle, fully dependant on your organisation's needs.

A good way to get a rough idea of the number of contacts you'll want to start with, is by taking a look at your existing data:

And then potentially forecasting:

We'll be talking later in this guide about migrating existing data from either spreadsheets or a previous database. Make sure you have a good initial grasp about the number of contacts you're planning to move to Beacon.

How many members of your team will need to use Beacon?

All Beacon plans (or package tiers) come with a set number of free Users.

Remember, you don't need to be sure right now. Beacon is designed to grow with you and any additional contacts, elements or users can be added as and when you need them, at any point during your billing cycle.

If in any doubt use our pricing calculator to work out what you need, and have a chat with one of our friendly sales team before you set up your billing and begin your implementation.

If you've already set up a Beacon trial account, it's likely that you've switched on some Elements to see what they can do, which is great! You'll have the chance to disable any you don't currently need before setting up your billing.

Made a complete mess of your trial account and want to start with a clean slate? No problem at all! Simply click the arrow next to your organisation name in the top right hand corner of your screen:

And choose 'create new' to start afresh:

Either way, now you've decided what you need in your Beacon account, it's time to set up your billing. Simply head to your Settings > Billing and take the process step by step.

Select "Start now" and take the 9 steps to choose your account composition:

That's it! You now have a live Beacon account, all set and ready for customisation, data migration and the rest.

But we're not ready to dive in just yet. There's one more crucial step to set you on the right path first of all.

You might be thinking at this point 'but surely training comes at the end'?

However, before even attempting to run your own migration, you're going to need to know your way around Beacon. Whilst many of our online courses are specific to certain elements, our Admin training course will teach you the fundamentals of Beacon and help you make sense of many of the next steps in this guide.

Most importantly, our Lighthouse courses are always free!