What you'll see at month-end
- Project P&L — every active project showing budget vs actual, gross margin, freelancer cost allocation, profit at completion
- Client P&L — total client lifetime profit including retainer + project + freelancer pass-through
- Retainer schedule — what's recognised this month, what's deferred, what's expiring soon
- Utilization reporting — billable hours per team member vs target, with revenue impact
- 13-week cash forecast — including expected retainer renewals and project milestone billings
- Pipeline-to-cash forecast — quotes-out → expected close → expected billing schedule
Most agencies we onboard discover their second-largest client by revenue is their lowest-margin (or actually loss-making) once freelancer costs are properly allocated. Surfacing this typically pays back our fee 5-10x in year one.
What we do behind the scenes
- Set up project accounting in Xero (or migrate from QuickBooks/FreeAgent if needed)
- Configure project tools (Productive, WorkflowMax, Float, ClickUp) with consistent project codes flowing through to finance
- Build retainer revenue recognition policy (typically straight-line over contract term, with explicit treatment for usage-based components)
- Set up freelancer cost allocation - who works on what, at what rate, with timesheet-driven allocation
- Run monthly close - 5-7 business days after month-end
- Quarterly review with leadership covering metrics, trends, and decisions to make
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do you replace our existing project tool?+
No - we work with Productive, WorkflowMax, Float, ClickUp, monday, or whatever you have. We integrate it with finance rather than replacing it.
What if our retainers vary monthly (e.g. usage-based)?+
Common, and we have policies for it. Usage-based components are typically recognised when the usage occurs; flat retainer components are recognised straight-line. We document the policy explicitly so it survives audit and team turnover.
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