Resources
Straight talk on agency finances.
No fluff. Just the financial knowledge that actually helps you run a tighter, more profitable agency.
Marketing Agency Annual Budget Template: How to Build One
A real annual budget isn't last year's revenue plus 10 percent. Revenue phasing, payroll built off utilization, an overhead ceiling, and a worked $2M example.
Read articleBreakeven Analysis for Marketing Agencies: The Formula and a Worked Example
The breakeven formula adapted for agencies, a worked example at $1.2M in revenue, and why your margin of safety disappears the moment one retainer client walks.
Read articleHow Much Cash Reserve Should a Marketing Agency Keep?
Three months of operating expenses is the bare minimum. The formula, what counts as operating expenses, and how contractor payouts and client concentration push the number higher.
Read articleWhen to Hire Your Next Agency Employee (and When Not To)
Utilization above 80-85% for three straight months and signed revenue to cover the cost, that's the hiring signal. The math behind when to hire your next agency employee, and what the hire really costs.
Read articleAgency Accounts Receivable: A Collections Process for Late-Paying Clients
Agency accounts receivable benchmarks, a 4-stage collections process, and the retainer terms that stop late-paying clients before they start.
Read articleCash vs. Accrual Accounting for Marketing Agencies
Cash basis hides your real margin until the bill comes due. The IRS threshold, the three-step switch process, and why most agencies should already be on accrual.
Read articleMonth-End Close Process for Marketing Agencies: A Step-by-Step Guide
A finished checklist isn't a close. The nine-step month-end close process for agencies, the accruals generic checklists miss, and how many days it should take.
Read articleMonthly Bookkeeping Checklist for Marketing Agencies
A 10-point monthly bookkeeping checklist built for how agencies bill and spend: ad spend float, retainer revenue, AR aging, and contractor payouts included.
Read article1099 Contractor Bookkeeping for Marketing Agencies
A freelance roster doesn't behave like payroll. The chart of accounts, the W-9 paperwork, and the misclassification risk that catches agencies off guard.
Read articleClient Concentration Risk for Marketing Agencies
One client at 35% of revenue isn't a growth story, it's a single point of failure. The benchmarks, the formula, and how to reduce the risk before it costs you.
Read articleHow Much Should a Marketing Agency Owner Pay Themselves?
Salary vs. draw, how much is reasonable by revenue size, and how much of what's left over is safe to take as a distribution.
Read articleAgency Revenue Per Employee Benchmarks: What's Healthy in 2026
Headcount feels productive. Revenue per employee tells you whether it actually is. The formula, 2026 benchmarks by agency type, and what to do when your number is low.
Read articleHow to Raise Agency Retainer Prices Without Losing Clients
A 10 to 15% retainer increase sounds riskier than it is. Here's how much to raise prices, when to do it, and the scripts that keep clients from walking.
Read articleMarketing Agency Pricing Models: Retainer vs. Project vs. Performance
Retainer, project, or performance? The real numbers behind each marketing agency pricing model, and how to pick the right one for a given client.
Read articleAgency Utilization Rate Benchmarks: What's Healthy in 2026
The formula, the 2026 benchmarks by role, and why a high utilization rate and a healthy profit margin aren't the same thing.
Read articlePPC Agency Bookkeeping: How to Account for Ad Spend and Fees
Most of the money in a PPC account isn't the agency's. Here's the chart of accounts, platform billing quirks, and the float formula that keep spend from distorting what you actually earned.
Read articleRetainer Revenue Recognition for Marketing Agencies
Invoiced isn't earned. Here's the ASC 606 method for retainer revenue, the three retainer structures that recognize differently, and the deferred revenue journal entries to use.
Read articleAd Spend Pass-Through Accounting for Marketing Agencies
Media spend isn't your agency's revenue, until you book it wrong. Here's the gross vs. net method, the chart of accounts setup, and the journal entries that keep margin honest.
Read articleHow to Increase Agency Profit Margins (Without Just Raising Prices)
Raising prices only works until scope creep and slipping utilization eat the increase. Here's the order that actually moves the number: utilization, unprofitable clients, the chart of accounts, then price.
Read articleCatch-Up Bookkeeping Explained: What It Costs and How Long It Takes
Behind isn't the same as messy. Here's what catch-up bookkeeping actually costs per month behind, how long it takes, and the six-step process to get current.
Read articleFractional CFO for Marketing Agencies: What It Actually Looks Like
Retainer timing, contractor-heavy delivery, and ad spend pass-through break a generic CFO's playbook. Here's what the role actually looks like for an agency, and what it costs.
Read articleHow to Read Your P&L as a Business Owner
What each line on a P&L actually means, five ratios worth tracking every month, and three red flags that show up before the bank balance does.
Read articleAgency Profit by Client: How to Build a Per-Client P&L
Your agency P&L says the business is profitable. It won't tell you which clients are paying for the ones that aren't. Here's how to build the per-client view.
Read articleWhat Gross Margin Should a Marketing Agency Have?
50-65% is the healthy range. Under 40% is a pricing or scope problem. Here's what belongs in cost of delivery, and the four things that quietly pull the number down.
Read articleBookkeeping for Marketing Agencies: What's Actually Different
Ad spend pass-through, contractor-heavy delivery, and retainer timing break generic small-business bookkeeping. Here's what an agency's books actually need to handle.
Read articleAgency Cash Flow: Why Profitable Months Still Feel Tight
Retainers pay net-30. Contractors want paying on delivery. Payroll runs every two weeks regardless. Here's why profitable months still feel tight, and what to do about it.
Read articleAgency Financial Reporting: The Five Reports You Should See Every Month
P&L by client, gross margin trend, cash position, AR aging, payroll-to-revenue. What each report shows, the number to look at, and the action a bad reading should trigger.
Read articleThe Right Chart of Accounts for a Marketing Agency
The account structure that separates cost of delivery from overhead, splits revenue by type, and isolates ad spend pass-through — so gross margin actually shows up on your P&L.
Read articleCash Flow Forecasting for Agencies: How to Build One You'll Actually Use
The 13-week model, real formulas, and the agency-specific timing problems — retainer lag, ad spend pass-through, late payers — that break simple forecasts.
Read articleFractional CFO vs. Full-Time CFO: The Real Cost Comparison
Real 2026 numbers side by side: $2,000-$15,000/month for a fractional CFO versus $216,000-$450,000/year fully loaded for a full-time hire — and the revenue point where the math flips.
Read articleHow to Clean Up Messy Books: A Step-by-Step Guide
The five-step process for turning behind, disorganized books into ones you can trust — plus real timelines and what a cleanup actually costs.
Read articleBookkeeping vs. Accounting: What's the Actual Difference?
Bookkeeping is the daily recording. Accounting is the tax filing and analysis built on top of it. Here's what each actually covers, real price ranges for both, and which one to hire first.
Read articleHow Much Does a Fractional CFO Cost Per Month?
Real 2026 pricing by revenue size: $2,000-$5,000/month under $1M in revenue, up to $15,000+/month for complex businesses — and how that compares to a $180K+ full-time hire.
Read articleWhat Should Be Included in Bookkeeping Services?
The real checklist — reconciliation, reporting, and the extras that separate a bookkeeping service from a data-entry shop. Know what you're paying for before you sign.
Read articleWhen Does a Business Need a Fractional CFO?
Revenue alone doesn't decide it. The five financial signals — cash unpredictability, payroll ratio drift, six-figure gut calls — that actually tell you it's time.
Read article7 Signs You Need to Outsource Bookkeeping
From spending five-plus hours a month on categorization to not trusting your own numbers anymore — the signs it's time to hand bookkeeping off, and what waiting actually costs.
Read articleWhat Does a Fractional CFO Actually Do?
Cash flow forecasting, KPI scorecards, pricing calls, and scenario planning — the real job description of a fractional CFO, and what it costs versus a full-time hire.
Read articleHow Much Does Bookkeeping Cost for a Small Business in 2026?
Real 2026 price ranges for DIY, part-time, full-time, and outsourced bookkeeping — plus what actually drives the number up or down.
Read articleHow to Migrate From QuickBooks to Digits
What transfers, what doesn't, how long it takes, and how to keep your historical books intact when you move from QuickBooks to Digits.
Read articleWhat Payroll-to-Revenue Ratio Is Healthy for a Marketing Agency?
What percentage of agency revenue should go to payroll? The healthy benchmarks, why the number drifts high, and how to bring it back in line.
Read articleHealthy Profit Margins by Industry (2026 Benchmarks)
Most owners know their revenue and have no idea what they keep. See healthy gross and net margin benchmarks for your industry — and run your own numbers with our free margin check tool.
Read articleFinding a Bookkeeper Who Actually Uses Digits
Plenty of firms say they'll work with Digits. Fewer actually run their client base on it. Here's how to tell the difference before you hire.
Read articleThe Real Cost of QuickBooks Workarounds: Apps, Add-Ons, and Manual Fixes
The subscription price is rarely the full cost. Here's what agencies actually pay once you count every app bolted on to cover the gaps.
Read articleDigits vs. QuickBooks: What Actually Changes When You Switch
QuickBooks relies on rule-based categorization and a monthly close cycle. Digits is built for real-time visibility. Here's what actually changes when you switch — and what doesn't.
Read articleQuickBooks Price Increases: Why Agencies Are Jumping Ship in 2026
Intuit raised QuickBooks Online prices twice in 2026. Here's what actually changed, and why it's pushing agencies to finally evaluate alternatives.
Read articleNo More Free Lunch: What the 2026 Meal Deduction Changes Mean for Employers
A TCJA provision finally kicked in on January 1, 2026: most employer-provided meals and snacks lost their deduction. Here's what changed, what's still deductible, and how to fix your chart of accounts.
Read articleWhat Your Payroll-to-Revenue Ratio Is Telling You — And Why Most Agency Owners Ignore It
There's one number that tells you more about your agency's financial health than almost anything else on your P&L. Most owners either don't know it or don't track it consistently.
Read article5 Signs Your QuickBooks Setup Is Costing You More Than It's Saving You
QuickBooks is the default. But for growing agencies, it has specific failure modes that show up so gradually you stop noticing — until something goes wrong.
Read articleHow to Know If Your Clients Are Actually Profitable (Most Agency Owners Don't)
Revenue is easy to see. Profitability by client is harder — and most agency owners are flying blind on it.
Read articleGet the monthly agency finance newsletter.
One email a month. Practical financial insights for agency owners — no filler.