Cash is the lifeblood of your business. To keep it flowing, you need to get paid on time, and that starts with your invoices.
Think of an invoice as more than just a “bill.” It’s a professional document that lists the goods or services you’ve provided and exactly what is owed. Beyond that, it shapes how seriously clients take your business and how quickly they pay you.
A clear, well-structured invoice tells your client exactly what they’re paying for, how much, and when it’s due, no room for back-and-forth. Your client sees the service, the amount, and when to pay. Done.
So whether you’re a sole trader, a limited company, or VAT-registered, your invoices must meet specific legal requirements to stay compliant.
Using BrandDrive’s invoicing feature makes it easy to send professional invoices that look great and meet all legal standards.
Here’s what BrandDrive does for you:
Make a Great Impression – Choose from professional templates like Bifrost, Veda, or Loki to match your business personality (we covered this in the Templates section).
Stay Compliant – Automatically include necessary tax details and business information.
Save Time – Create and send branded e-invoices in seconds from any device.
Remember, consistent branding across your invoices builds trust and makes your business look established.
Note: You can customise your footer to include a friendly “Thank you” or specific payment instructions to help speed up the process.
Accessing Invoicing
There are two ways to get to the invoicing section:
Option 1: From Your Dashboard
[IMAGE 1: Dashboard with quick access buttons]
From your dashboard, scroll to the quick access buttons at the middle. Click on “Invoices” (the receipt icon).
Option 2: From the Main Menu
[IMAGE 2: Bookkeeping dropdown menu]
At the top of the page, click on “Bookkeeping” in the main navigation. A dropdown menu appears showing:
– Sales
– Expense
– Customers
– Vendors
Invoicing ← Click here
– Services
– Purchase Order
– Product
– Point of Sale
– Online Shop
Click on “Invoicing” to access the full invoicing section.
Your Invoices Overview Page
[IMAGE 3: Invoices & Quotations page]
Once you’re in the invoicing section, you’ll see at the Top:
Search bar – Search by customer name, amount, or email
Filter icon – Filter invoices by status, date, or other criteria
Calendar icon – Filter by date range
Export button – Download your invoice list as a file
Create new button (blue, top right) – Start creating a new invoice, quotation or recurring invoice
Invoice Status Summary
At the top right, you’ll see quick stats:
The number of open invoices
The number of overdue invoices (shown in red)
This gives you an instant view of your invoice health:
– How many invoices are still open
– How many are overdue
– Total value of unpaid invoices
Invoice List Table
Below that, you’ll see a table with columns:
– No – Invoice number
– Customer Name – Who the invoice is for
– Email – Customer’s email address
– Due Date – When payment is due
– Status – Paid, Partial Paid, Unpaid, Overdue
– Balance – Amount still owed
– Total Amount – Full invoice amount
– menu – Actions (view, edit, delete, send reminder)
Creating Your First Invoice
Let’s walk through creating an invoice step by step.
Step 1: Click “Create new”
[IMAGE 3: Create new dropdown]
– Click the blue “Create new +” button in the top right corner. A dropdown appears with three options:
– Create new invoice ← . Select this
– Create new quotation (for sending quotes before invoicing)
Create recurring invoice (for regular monthly/weekly invoices – we’ll cover this later)
Click on “Create new invoice”
Step 2: Fill in Invoice Details
[IMAGE 4: Create invoice page]
You’ll land on the “Create invoice” page. Let’s fill it in section by section.
Invoice Name or Title
At the top, you’ll see “Invoice name or title” with a text field.
Enter what this invoice is for. Examples:
– “Catering service”
– “March 2026 Consulting”
This is for your internal reference, so make it descriptive enough that you’ll remember what it’s for.
Select Customer
[IMAGE 4: Select customer dropdown]
– Click on the “Select customer” field. A popup appears titled “Select customer” with:
– A search bar: “Search Customer”
– Guest Customer option
– Your existing customers listed below
– An orange “+” button in the top right to add a new customer if they’re not listed
If the customer is already in your system:
1. Type their name in the search bar OR scroll to find them
2. Click on their name
3. Their details auto-fill into the invoice
If this is a new customer:
1. Click the orange “+” button
2. Enter their details (name, email, phone, address)
3. Save
4. They’re now added to your customer list AND selected for this invoice
For one-time walk-in customers:
Select “Guest Customer” – use this when you don’t need to save their details for future reference.
Select Business Branch/Outlet
If you have multiple business locations, select which branch this invoice is from.
In the example, you see: “branch_5360_1”
If you only have one location, this will be pre-selected automatically.
Currency and Exchange Rate
On the right side, you’ll see:
Currency: NGN (Nigerian Naira, or whatever your default currency is)
Exchange rate: ₦ 1 (if invoicing in a different currency than your default, set the exchange rate here)
Most of the time, you’ll leave this at your default currency. Only change if you’re invoicing an international client in their currency.
Invoice Date
Invoice date: This is the date you’re issuing the invoice. It’s usually today’s date, but you can backdate or future-date if needed.
Click the calendar icon to pick a different date.
Payment Due
Payment due: This is when you expect to be paid.
Common payment terms:
– Due on receipt – Payment expected immediately (same as invoice date)
– Net 7 – Payment due 7 days after invoice date
– Net 14 – Payment due 14 days after invoice date
– Net 30 – Payment due 30 days after invoice date (most common for B2B)
Click the calendar icon and select the due date based on your payment terms with this customer.
Tip: The sooner the due date, the faster you get paid. But make sure it’s reasonable for your customer.
Send Payment Reminder on Due Date
Below the payment due date, you’ll see a checkbox:
Send payment reminder on due date
Check this box if you want BrandDrive to automatically send a reminder email to the customer on the due date if they haven’t paid yet.
This is helpful for:
– Politely nudging customers without you having to remember
– Maintaining good relationships (automated reminders are less awkward than you chasing)
– Improving cash flow by getting paid faster
Step 3: Add Products or Services
[IMAGE 5: Product/Service table with columns]
Now you need to add what you’re actually invoicing for. Scroll down to the table with columns:
– Product/Service
– Description
– Quantity
– Price
– Add Tax
At the bottom right, you’ll see an orange “+ Add product or service” button.
Click “Add product or service”
[IMAGE 7: Select a product or service pop-up]
A pop-up appears titled “Select a product or service” with:
– A search bar: “Search by product, service or category”
– Your existing products/services are listed below
– An orange “+” button to add a new product if needed
To add an existing product/service:
1. Type in the search bar OR scroll to find it
2. Click on the product/service
3. It gets added to your invoice
To add a new product/service:
1. Click the orange “+” button
2. Enter the product/service name, price, description, and quantity
3. Save
4. It’s added to your product catalogue AND to this invoice
Fill in the Line Item Details
[IMAGE 8: Product line item filled in]
Once you’ve selected a product, it appears in the invoice table:
Product/Service:
Description:
Quantity: How many units are you invoicing for?
Price: Price per unit
Add Tax: None (dropdown to select tax rate if applicable)
BrandDrive automatically calculates the line total:
To add more products:
Click the orange “+ Add product or service” button again and repeat the process.
Each product gets its own line in the invoice.
To remove a product:
Click the blue trash icon on the right side of the line item.
Step 4: Apply Discounts (Optional)
[IMAGE 5: Invoice summary section on the right]
On the right side, you’ll see the “Invoice summary” section showing:
Subtotal: (sum of all line items before discounts and tax)
Amount discount: (Click here to add a discount)
VAT total:
Total:
Amount paid:
To Add a Discount
Click on “Amount discount” – A field appears where you can enter:
– A percentage (e.g., 10% off)
– A fixed amount (e.g., ₦5,000 off)
The total updates automatically after applying the discount.
Why offer discounts?
– Early payment incentive (“Pay within 7 days, get 5% off”)
– Loyal customer reward
– Bulk purchase discount
– Resolving a service issue
Whatever the reason, BrandDrive makes it easy to apply and clearly shows the discount on the invoice.
Step 5: Select Payment Method
[IMAGE 5: Select payment method section]
Below the product table, you’ll see “Select payment method” with checkboxes:
☐ Card payment
☐ Cash payment
Check the box for how you expect to be paid. You can select multiple options if you accept both.
Step 6: Add Notes and Terms (Optional but Recommended)
[IMAGE 6: Note and terms of service section]
At the bottom of the invoice, you’ll see:
Note and terms of service
“If you’ve got a note, pen it down here”
This is where you add:
– Payment instructions:
– Thank you message:
– Late payment terms:
– Return policy:
– Additional context:
This section appears at the bottom of the invoice your customer receives.
Step 7: Save and Send Your Invoice
– terms:
– Return policy:
– Additional context:
This section appears at the bottom of the invoice your customer receives.
Step 7: Save and Send Your Invoice
[IMAGE 9: Save dropdown menu]
Once you’ve filled everything in, it’s time to save. Click the blue “Save” button in the top right corner.
A dropdown appears with four options:
Save and send – Saves the invoice and immediately emails it to the customer
Save and record payment – Use this if the customer has already paid (saves the invoice as paid)
Save as draft – Saves but doesn’t send yet (you can finish it later)
Save and close – Saves and returns you to the invoice list
Which Option Should You Choose?
Choose “Save and send” if:
The invoice is complete and ready to send to the customer right now.
Choose “Save and record payment” if:
The customer already paid you, and you’re just creating the invoice for record-keeping.
Choose “Save as draft” if:
You’re not quite ready to send it yet (maybe waiting for confirmation on quantities, pricing, etc.)
Choose “Save and close” if:
You just want to save it and come back to it later, but don’t want to send or mark as paid yet.
For most cases, you’ll use “Save and send” to create and email the invoice in one go.
What Happens After You Send an Invoice?
When you click “Save and send”, here’s what happens:
1. Invoice is saved to your BrandDrive account
2. Email is sent to the customer with:
-A PDF copy of the invoice, attached
– A message with payment details
– Your branding (logo, colors, footer note)
3. Invoice appears in your list with status “Unpaid.”
4. You get a confirmation that it was sent successfully
The customer receives a professional, branded invoice in their inbox and can pay according to the terms you set.
