Know which clients
actually make you money.
One clear monthly report for agencies and consultancies: project and client profitability, who owes you what, and how much cash you will have in 13 weeks. With the reasons behind every number.
Busy, profitable on paper, tight on cash.
- The team is fully booked, yet the bank balance doesn't reflect it.
- Some clients feel unprofitable, but you can't prove which ones.
- Invoices drift past 60 days and nobody owns the chase.
- Contractor costs creep up without a clear link to project fees.
- Payroll and VAT weeks are a guess until they arrive.
- Your accountant files the returns, but nobody explains the month.
One report. Six answers.
Management dashboard
The month on one page: revenue, margin, cash and receivables, against last month and your targets.
Project & client profitability
Revenue less delivery cost, including contractors, by client and project. The leaks become visible.
Receivables aging
Who owes what, how late, and when each invoice is realistically expected to land.
13-week cash forecast
Week by week, built on written assumptions you can see and challenge. Pinch points flagged early.
What moved and why
A short plain-English note on the movements and exceptions that need your attention.
Monthly review call
30 minutes to walk through the report, with a defined revision allowance afterwards.
Marginstead works alongside your bookkeeper or accountant. It doesn't replace bookkeeping, payroll or tax filing.
A real report layout, on a fictional agency.
Browse the full sample: dashboard, client margins, aging, cash forecast and commentary. The data is invented; the format is exactly what you would receive.
Open the sample reportLive in two weeks.
Free Snapshot
A free 30-minute call on how you report on your numbers today. We map the reports you are missing and the workflows worth simplifying, whether or not you continue.
Set-up
Read-only access to your accounting system (Xero, QuickBooks or similar) and your project or time tracking. I map your clients, projects and cost lines once.
Monthly report
Delivered within an agreed number of working days after month end, followed by the review call.
- Agencies, studios and consultancies with roughly 5 to 50 people
- Project or retainer work with contractors in the mix
- A bookkeeper or accountant already keeping the books
- A founder who wants decisions, not more spreadsheets
- You need bookkeeping, payroll or tax returns done
- You need audited or statutory accounts
- Your books are more than three months behind
Scoped to how your business runs.
Every agency's systems and reporting needs differ, so each plan is priced after the free Snapshot. You get a fixed monthly fee in writing before anything starts.
Essentials
For one entity with clean books
- Monthly management dashboard
- Revenue, costs and margin by client
- Receivables aging and collections outlook
- What moved and why
- 30-minute monthly review call
Growth
For agencies running many projects and contractors
- Everything in Essentials
- Profitability by project, not just client
- 13-week cash forecast with written assumptions
- Contractor cost tracking against fees
- Two revision rounds per month
Custom
For groups and complex setups
- Multiple entities or currencies
- Consolidated group view
- Custom KPIs or investor and board pack
- Weekly cash reporting
- Scope agreed on a call
Investor-grade reporting discipline, sized for an agency.
Marginstead is run by Marie, a finance and operations professional who produces monthly management reporting across multiple entities and jurisdictions. The same discipline that sits behind investor reporting, applied to the questions an agency founder actually asks: which work pays, who owes us, and will cash hold.
Book a Cash & Margin Snapshot
A 30-minute call on how your agency reports on its numbers today: the reports you are missing, and the workflows that could be simpler. No preparation needed.
Before you book
What access do you need?
Read-only access to your accounting software and, if you use one, your time or project tracking tool. I never need payment or banking permissions.
Do you replace my accountant or bookkeeper?
No. They keep the books and handle compliance. Marginstead turns those books into a monthly management view and explains it.
How is my data handled?
Access is read-only and limited to what the report needs. Data is used only to prepare your report and is removed at the end of the engagement on request.
How is it priced?
A fixed monthly fee per plan, confirmed in writing after the Snapshot. It depends on the number of entities, projects and data sources, and how you want to see your numbers. No hourly billing.
Which currencies and countries?
UK and US businesses, reporting in GBP or USD.