Operator Guide: Managing Affiliates

This guide is for the HandyBook operator who runs the affiliate program. The affiliate admin console is staff-only — access is hardcoded to a single account (jarrodhale08@gmail.com) and is not extendable through general staff settings. Affiliates never see it.

Open the console at Dashboard → Admin → Affiliates.

The console overview

The landing screen (Affiliate Program) shows program-wide stats and a list of every affiliate:

Stat cards: total affiliates (and how many are active), conversions over the last 3 months (vs. signups), current monthly payout run-rate, and total paid to date (with pending amount).
Sales chart + Top affiliates by current monthly commission, plus the overall conversion rate.
All affiliates table: name, email, code, status, customer count, commission %, and monthly commission. Click any row to open that affiliate's detail page.

Creating an affiliate

Click Add affiliate (top right). In the modal:

Choose a mode:
- Invite by email — provisions a brand-new account and generates a setup link.
- Promote existing user — links the affiliate to an existing HandyBook account (the email must match one).
Enter Name and Email.
Optionally enter a ZIP code — this becomes the center of the affiliate's 50-mile prospect search radius.
Set the Commission % (defaults to 30).
Click Create affiliate.

On success, a discount-free referral code is generated automatically (customers enter it for attribution — no discount). The modal shows the new code and a setup link with a Copy button. The invite email goes out automatically; if it fails the modal says so, and you can share the setup link directly or use Resend invite on the affiliate page. They'll sign the partnership agreement on first sign-in.

The affiliate detail page

Click an affiliate to open their page. From here you can:

Edit profile & status

Edit name / email inline.
Change Status (active, invited, disabled) from the dropdown. Disabling an affiliate can also revoke their comped Business plan.
Adjust their Commission rate in the stat card and click the check to save.

Add discount / promo codes

Under Promo codes, click Add code to create a customer-facing discount tied to this affiliate. Choose:

Type: % off, $ off, or months free.
Value and Duration: first invoice (once), N months (repeating), or forever.
An optional custom code (auto-generated if left blank).

Each code earns the affiliate commission and can be activated / deactivated from the table. The affiliate's primary attribution code is marked Primary.

Generate a prospect list

Click Generate prospect list to run discovery for this affiliate (centered on their ZIP, ~50-mile radius). Found businesses are added to their prospect portfolio for them to work. This action is cost-controlled and operator-only.

Review customers & sub-affiliates

Referred customers lists each customer's plan, seats, billing interval, and monthly cost, with a total MRR → commission footer at the affiliate's rate.
Sub-affiliates they invited appears when relevant, showing each sub-affiliate's status, customers, and your affiliate's 10% override per month.

Manage payouts

The Payout history table lists each finalized monthly snapshot: month, type (Direct or Override), customer count, rate, amount, and status. Use Mark paid / Mark unpaid to record when you've sent a check. The first snapshot runs at the start of the month after an affiliate starts referring.

Generating fliers

Fliers you create for an affiliate are saved to their account and appear in their Your fliers portal page. Every QR code and link on a generated flier already carries that affiliate's referral code.

FAQ

Who can access this console? Only the single hardcoded operator account. Being in the broader platform-staff list does not grant access.

Why share the setup link manually instead of emailing it? The invite email is sent on create. Resend invite on the affiliate page emails a fresh link (a new set-password link for provisioned accounts).

What's the difference between the referral code and a promo code? The referral code is discount-free and exists purely for attribution. Promo codes add a customer-facing discount on top — and still credit the affiliate.

Does changing an affiliate's commission % affect past payouts? No. Finalized payout snapshots store the rate used at the time. Rate changes apply going forward.