Outsourced Bookkeeping Provides a Pathway to Growth

Consumer behavior continues to change, causing marketing strategies to shift. Every quarter, the goalpost moves just a little. As brands try to wrap their minds around the differences between digital, experiential, omnichannel, and personalized marketing strategies, they’re increasingly turning to marketing agencies for expertise.

According to Gartner, 58% of in-house marketing teams have gaps in expertise. That’s an opportunity for growth that’s trickling all the way down to small agency owners. While that might be great news, how many small agency owners can say that they’re not distracted from capitalizing on opportunities by the state of their accounting operations?

One small marketing agency was on the hunt for help when they found our team at kept.pro. We earned their trust, taking them from being unsatisfied with their books to complete visibility by going ‘back to basics’ with a fundamentals-first approach.

We Meet You Where You Are–and Build From There

There are more than 14k marketing agencies in the US, a number that continues to grow year over year. That’s a lot of competition for small agencies trying to gain a foothold in a saturated market.

Layer in the typical challenges that small businesses face, like client acquisition and retention, talent recruitment, technology integration, and data security. Then, look at those challenges in terms of costs.

A step in the right (or wrong) direction usually begins with finance and accounting.

It’s a familiar story. A small marketing agency was unsatisfied with their reporting quality. They struggled with cash flow problems. They couldn’t trust their books. Missing and incomplete transaction data barely provided a baseline starting point for financial conversations.

They simply didn’t have the information that they needed to see what was profitable, much less use that information to make business decisions. Looking for help, this agency sought out a fractional CFO (Chief Financial Officer) to help them get their finances in order.

They engaged kept.pro and discovered that an fCFO wasn’t the solution they needed after all. Like many small agencies, they needed to start at the beginning with competent bookkeeping. We offered a tailored, team-based approach to help assess and address needs based on the agency’s current state and future goals.

A ‘Back to Basics’ Approach Provides Actionable Insight

Strong financial management, the kind that fuels sustainable growth, begins with the basics. This includes configuring and validating accounting software, designing and documenting workflows, and establishing policies appropriate to the context and size of the business.

The team at kept.pro provided an extensive onboarding service that focused on a ‘back to basics’ approach, ensuring that accounting and payroll data inputs were accurate and that appropriate automation was in place to facilitate data delivery.

• Our onboarding team helped with:
• Setting Up Profitability by Client and Project Reporting
• Configuring Quickbooks Online (QBO) Integrations
• Setting Up Client Records in QBO
• Setting Up Services/Rates in QBO
• Configuring Monthly Payroll Accrual & Allocation
• Documenting Accounting Policies
• Configuring Internal Compliance Reporting Mechanisms

In addition to a ground-up redesign of essential systems, the kept.pro service delivery team also conducted ongoing bookkeeping and accounting operations for the agency.

Financial Visibility Drives Stronger Decision-Making

While a strong foundation of solid accounting practices is a great first step, our team became invaluable to this marketing agency the moment that they were actually able to use their financial statements to make business decisions.

For the first time ever, the agency had complete visibility into key areas of their business, like:

• Customer/Contract-Specific Profitability
• Employee Utilization
• Time Accounting/Adherence
• Operational Expenses/Overhead

This information enabled decisions that directly increased profitability. Additionally, our work allowed principals running the marketing agency to focus more time on business development rather than spending that time correcting errors resulting from poor invoicing and accounting practices.

Make Every Minute Count with Accounting that’s Done Right the First Time

The team at kept.pro can help you get your business right the first time so that you’re spending less time working in your business and more time growing it. Contact our team today to learn more.