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Set your foundation

The foundation phase is where you make the handful of choices that everything else depends on. The Getting started guide walks you through the settings themselves — this page explains the decisions behind them, because these are the ones that are painful to change once data relies on them.

Your inventory start date is the most important choice​

Your inventory start date is the day SKU begins counting stock. Stock movements dated before it don't affect your on-hand quantities — they're treated as history that predates your books in SKU.

Set it to the date of the inventory count you will enter as opening stock, and set it before you enter that stock, so your quantities line up from day one. Changing it later means re-reconciling every quantity, so decide it deliberately now.

Currency, timezone, and units​

Set your currency, timezone, and units of measurement once, at the start. SKU auto-detects your timezone from your location — confirm it's right, since every date and time in the app displays against it. Like the start date, these are foundational: pick them now rather than after data depends on them.

Business identity brands everything customers and suppliers see​

Your logo, company name, and address aren't cosmetic. They brand the documents and emails SKU sends on your behalf, so the people who receive them see you, not "SKU.io":

  • Invoices, quotes, and credit notes
  • Purchase orders sent to suppliers
  • Packing slips in every shipment
  • Order confirmation, shipping, and tracking emails
  • The "from" name and address on every email you send

Add these while you are in the foundation phase so nothing goes out unbranded.

Warehouses include your 3PLs and FBA​

Add every place you hold or ship stock from — not only your own locations, but virtual warehouses for your 3PLs and Amazon FBA. A warehouse's address is its ship-from address: SKU sends it to your shipping providers, and an incomplete address can cause providers to reject fulfillments. Fill each one out fully.

Supplier terms and lead times do real work​

When you add suppliers, their payment terms and lead times aren't just reference fields — they drive purchase-order timing and demand planning. Capture them accurately now so your first POs and forecasts are trustworthy.

Next steps​

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