--- title: The Basics description: Get started quickly with The Business Assistant. url: "https://theasst.com/docs/the-basics/" updated: "2026-10-08" category: Getting Started --- # The Basics Thank you for joining our growing family of users. We hope you will love this as much as we do. There are a few things that you should know before you get started. ## Navigation Bar At the top of the page is the navigation bar. This is the main way that you will reach all of the sections of The Business Assistant™ (TBA). ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-2.webp) ## Help Menu On the right side of the navigation bar is Help. If you hover your mouse over it, you will see this: ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-3.webp) Clicking on "Help for This Page" will bring you to a page that will give you specific instruction for the page you are on. It will open a new window, so that you can show the instructions side-by-side while you work in TBA. This is especially useful if you have more than one monitor. ## Color Theme We all have different color preferences, and sometimes, we just feel like a change. To set your color theme, go to "My Stuff" in the top navigation bar, then click on "My Color Theme." ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-4.webp) This brings you to a page where you can select from the default theme for your company or you can select your own. ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-5-1024x314.webp) You can even copy one of the themes and create your own. Here are samples of the three color themes that come standard. ### Teal Theme ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-6-1024x333.webp) ### Light Theme ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-7-1024x334.webp) ### Dark Theme ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-8-1024x333.webp) ## Sidebar On the left side of every page is the sidebar. This is where you will see your options for the page you are on. ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-9.webp) Here is a sidebar for the invoice page. Notice at the top you have a Logoff button. At the bottom you always have the Utility Menu, providing you with some handy tools. Above the Utility Menu, you will see a link for "New Browser Tab." This will open a new tab in your current browser, where you will still be logged into TBA using your same session. This is perfect for looking at two sections of TBA at the same time. If you have two monitors, you can drag one of the tabs to the other monitor and view two things at the same time. ## Pages Some of the pages show you long lists. When this list is too long to show at one time, the list will be broken down into separate pages. You will see this list on the lower right corner of the window. ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-12.webp) Notice here we see that we are on page 1 of 4. Click on one of the page numbers to skip to that page. Click on the single right arrow to move to the next page. ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-13.webp) Clicking the two right-arrows icon brings you to the last page. ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-14.webp) The left single arrow goes to the previous page, and the left double arrow takes you to the first page. If you want to see more or fewer records per page, click on the dropdown arrow next to "per page." ![](https://theasst.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/image-15.webp) Here, you can choose to see 25, 50, 100, or 200 records at a time. ## Global Find Can't remember where something is? Go to **My Stuff** on the navigation bar and choose **Global Find**. It searches clients, vendors, items, inventory, quotes, orders, invoices, bills, purchase orders, and payments all at once, for a piece of text, a dollar amount, a quantity, a date, a time, or a record number. You only see results from the areas you have permission to view. See [Global Find](https://theasst.com/docs/global-find/) for the details. ## More Ways to Get Around - [Logging In and Two-Factor Authentication](https://theasst.com/docs/logging-in-and-two-factor-authentication/) — the login page, your first login, and verification codes. - [Home Page and Menu Pages](https://theasst.com/docs/home-page-and-menu-pages/) — the tiles on your home page and on each section’s menu, and how to rearrange them. - [Utility Menu](https://theasst.com/docs/utility-menu/) — change site, reload permissions, clock in, your In/Out board and tasks, and support sessions. - [My Tasks](https://theasst.com/docs/my-tasks/) and [In/Out Board](https://theasst.com/docs/in-out-board/). - [My Color Theme and Preferences](https://theasst.com/docs/my-color-theme-and-preferences/). - [Quick Start Setup Wizard](https://theasst.com/docs/quick-start-setup-wizard/) — getting a new company set up. - [Attachments and Pictures](https://theasst.com/docs/attachments-and-pictures/) — adding files and photos to records. Every page’s **Help** menu opens the article for that page, so everything described in this knowledgebase is one click away from where you are working. The sections are [Clients](https://theasst.com/docs/client-overview/), [Sales/Service](https://theasst.com/docs/sales-service-overview/), [Items](https://theasst.com/docs/items-overview/), [Bills](https://theasst.com/docs/bills-overview/), [Accounting](https://theasst.com/docs/accounting-overview/), [Human Resources](https://theasst.com/docs/human-resources-overview/), [Reports](https://theasst.com/docs/reports-overview/), and [Setup](https://theasst.com/docs/setup-overview/). ## On a Phone TBA also works in your phone’s browser, switching automatically to a touch-friendly layout: a menu button for navigation, an actions button for the sidebar, cards instead of tables, and pick lists that slide up from the bottom. See [Using TBA on Your Phone](https://theasst.com/docs/using-tba-on-your-phone/).