Accountants for Agencies.
Most agencies are flat out. Far fewer know which clients and projects actually make money. We help creative, digital and marketing agencies see the truth - by client, by project, by hour.
220+
Businesses supported
Xero
Award winners
Bold St Media
Among our clients
Sound familiar?
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Agencies are easy to run busy. Hard to run profitably. Underpriced retainers, scope creep, and a team stretched across too many projects. When your accountant only shows up at year-end, you can't see which work is paying and which is quietly losing money.
• Profitability
The agency's busy and revenue looks healthy, but the profit never seems to match the effort going in.
• Project Margin
You couldn't say which clients or projects make money and which lose it– you just know the team feels stretched.
• Pricing
You suspect some clients are underpriced, but you've no real data on what each one actually costs to serve.
• Cash & WIP
Cash is tied up in work you've done but not billed, and the timing always feels tighter than it should.
What we track
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The numbers that matter for agencies.
Not generic accounts. The metrics that tell you whether your business is actually working and what to do about it.
• Profit by client & project
Know exactly which clients and projects carry the agency and which ones look prestigious but quietly lose money.
• Retainer vs project mix
Understand how much of your revenue is predictable versus one-off, and what that means for stability and growth.
• Team Utilisation
See how much of your team's time is billable versus absorbed, so you know whether you're over- or under-staffed.
• WIP & Cash Flow
Track work in progress and unbilled time so cash stops getting stuck between delivery and invoice.
• Effective hourly rate
What you're really earning per hour once scope creep is factored in. The number that tells you if your pricing works.
• Client Concentration
Know how exposed you are if your biggest client leaves — and plan the mix so one loss doesn't sink the year.
What changes for you
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From flat out and unsure to flat out and in control.
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See it
Know your real project margins.
A Xero setup built for agencies, with reporting that shows profit by client and project– not one lump sum at year-end.
Understand it
Sit down with us every quarter.
We walk through which clients are worth keeping, where you’re underpricing, and how to fix utilisation, in plain english.
Act on it
Pitch with confidence.
Walk into every pitch and renewal knowing your real costs and margins, so you never underprice again.
Case study
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Building, scaling and selling a business in three years.
From helping Gavin Bell better understand the numbers to supporting Yatter through rapid growth, due diligence and a successful acquisition, we were there as a financial partner at every stage, helping turn an ambitious business into a scalable, sellable asset.
Testimonial
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"Ashton McGill just got it. They went above and beyond, and it felt like they were as invested in our success as I was."
Gavin Bell, Yatter
Services
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Support that meets you where you are, and grows with you.
What you need from your accountant changes as your business evolves. Sometimes it’s about getting the foundations right. Sometimes you need a better understanding of how the business is performing. And sometimes you need someone alongside you as you think through a much bigger decision.
We build the right level of support around where your business is now, with the ability to evolve it as your ambitions, opportunities, and challenges change.
You're building the foundations.
You want to know the essentials are being handled properly and that the systems behind the business are set up to support you as it grows. We’ll help you build a strong accounting foundation from the start, with technology and processes designed around the way your business actually works.
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Accounts, tax, payroll and VAT taken care of reliably.
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Not an out-of-the-box setup. Your accounting system should reflect what you need to track and understand.
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Regular contact with a team that understands what you’re building and is there when you need support.
You want to understand how the business is really performing.
The business is established, but there’s more happening now. Revenue alone doesn’t tell you whether things are moving in the right direction. You want to know what’s performing, where money is going, what needs attention, and what your numbers mean for the decisions ahead. We’ll give you a clearer view of the business and the conversations that help you use it.
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See the numbers and performance measures that are genuinely useful for your business.
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Understand what’s changed, why it matters, and what deserves your attention next.
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Plan ahead rather than waiting until the year is over to find out what could have been done differently.
You're making bigger decisions about what's next.
Hiring. Investing. Changing your pricing. Raising funding. Expanding. Preparing for an exit. As the decisions get bigger, looking at what has already happened isn’t enough. You need to understand where different choices could take the business before you commit. We’ll help you plan ahead, test the possibilities and make those decisions with a stronger financial picture behind you.
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Turn where you want the business to go into something you can plan and measure against.
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Use forecasts and scenario planning to understand the financial impact of different choices.
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Funding, investment, and growth decisions thought through with someone who understands both the numbers and the business.
Let's find out where your business actually makes its money.
Book a free, no-pressure discovery call. We'll talk through where you are, what's frustrating you, and whether we can help.