When a project requires third‑party platforms or services that need account creation (e.g., APIs, cloud providers, communication tools), should the agency create those accounts or should the client create them and give the agency access?
I recommend having the client create the accounts. The simplest way is to schedule a kickoff call after they’ve paid you. During the call walk them through the three or four platforms they need to sign up for, have them share their screen, and guide them step‑by‑step—press this button, sign up for this plan, etc. This avoids two‑factor authentication issues, which are a major pain point. Most of the time you can bypass 2FA by using just email and password. If you can’t moderate the sign‑up, they’ll usually use Google OAuth or similar (GitHub, etc.), which often require authorization codes. As a bonus, if you provide an affiliate link for the platform, you can earn 20‑40 % of what they spend.
The reason I do this is twofold. First, it makes handoffs really easy. If you're no longer working with someone on this thing, you can say, 'Hey, you have everything you need. Here's the documentation on projects I've already delivered. Good to go. Goodbye. I love you. See you never.' Second, when you get people to sign up to these platforms, you can use your own affiliate link, which adds 3 to 5% to your margins almost immediately. That's how I do it—I don't have them deal with API keys or anything; I handle it all myself.
The best approach is to sign up for the needed services together with the client on a kickoff call, rather than asking for codes asynchronously. This gives you temporary access to their platforms for a few days, letting you grab API keys before the next 2FA round. While issues like password changes or data breaches can still happen, handling most of this up front minimizes 2FA headaches.
I recommend doing a kickoff call right after receiving payment or closing the deal. On that call, your sole goal is to gain access to every account you’ll need for the service. It’s straightforward: just say, ‘Hey Pete, let’s get everything running for you.’ In my experience, the main hurdle with automation integration is two‑factor authentication and access requests. If you’ve worked with someone like this before, you know people constantly ask you to unlock accounts or set them up—which I dislike. Instead, I handle everything ahead of time on a brief 30‑minute call: we walk through signing up on each platform together, I get the necessary access, and after that we don’t need to talk again except for my daily updates you receive each morning. By the end of the call I’ll have all required platforms—say, platform one, two, and three. If occasional two‑factor authentication is needed later, it’s easy because I already have most access. From there, you’ll have full access to their accounts and never need to build anything on your device and transfer it over; I’ve already done everything directly in their accounts, so there’sno handoff. That’s my recommendation.
I recommend getting on a kickoff call with the client. Walk them through signing up for every platform you’ll need, then have them give you their usernames, passwords, and any credentials—doing two‑factor authentication live if required. Log in to confirm access, and then perform the work directly in their account. No templates or handoffs are needed; you complete 100% of the work there.