Know which clients actually make you money.
A monthly view of margin by client, who owes you what, and the next 13 weeks of cash. Delivered as a live dashboard and a short PDF, with the reasons behind every number.
For UK and US agencies and consultancies, roughly 5 to 50 people.
Which clients are worth keeping?
Action Linden Retail is losing money once contractor days are counted. Reprice or rescope before the next phase.
Who owes you, and how late?
Watch £21k is over 60 days. Two invoices need a founder-level call this week.
Will cash hold through payroll and VAT?
Action Cash dips to £32k in w/c 21 Dec, below the £40k buffer. Bring two collections forward or move one contractor payment.
- Works alongside your bookkeeper
- Read-only access to your systems
- Live dashboard plus monthly PDF
- No setup fee, monthly rolling
Three questions you can answer in five minutes.
Which clients are worth keeping?
Revenue less delivery cost (team time and contractors) for every client, and for every project on Growth. Loss-makers are flagged with a recommended action.
Who owes us, and when will it land?
Receivables ageing with an expected payment week per invoice and a prioritised list of who to chase. Your team does the chasing; the report tells them where to start.
Will cash hold?
A 13-week cash forecast on Growth, built on written assumptions and refreshed each month. Payroll, VAT and contractor weeks are flagged before they bite.
Every report also includes a short "what moved and why" note and a 30-minute review call.
Can you answer these today?
Tick the ones you could answer with confidence, without opening a spreadsheet.
A full report, on a fictional agency.
The sample shows the Growth plan: dashboard, client and project margins, receivables ageing, 13-week cash forecast, commentary and an action table. The data is invented; the format is real.
Open the sample reportFrom first call to first report.
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1
Free reporting review · 30 min
We go through how you report today. You leave with: the reporting gaps that matter most, what information is needed to close them, and a recommended scope with a fixed monthly quote.
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2
Set-up · about two weeks
The two weeks start once I have read-only access to your accounting system and, for project margins, your time or project tracking. Clients, projects and cost lines are mapped once.
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3
Every month
The dashboard refreshes and the PDF pack arrives within an agreed number of working days after month end, followed by the review call.
Fixed monthly fee, scoped to your business.
Each plan is quoted in writing after the reporting review. No setup fee. Monthly rolling, cancel with 30 days' notice.
Essentials
One entity, one currency
- Live dashboard and monthly PDF
- Revenue, costs and margin by client
- Receivables ageing and who to chase
- What moved and why
- 30-minute review call
- Agreed revision allowance
Growth
Many projects and contractors
- Everything in Essentials
- Margin by project, not just client
- 13-week cash forecast, refreshed monthly
- Contractor cost against fees
- Monthly action table
- Larger revision allowance
Custom
Groups and complex set-ups
- Multiple entities or currencies
- Consolidated group view
- Investor or board pack
- Weekly cash forecast updates
- Scope agreed on a call
What sets the quote
Number of entities and currencies, data sources, active projects, and how often you want cash updated.
What your books need
Bank and sales invoices reconciled to within the last two months. If they're further behind, your bookkeeper catches up first.
One person, doing the work herself.
Marginstead is run by Marie, a finance and operations professional who produces monthly management reporting, receivables tracking and cash planning across multiple entities and jurisdictions.
- Marie builds your report, writes the commentary and runs the review call. Nothing is outsourced.
- Your numbers are checked against your accounting system before anything reaches you.
- Clear boundaries: no bookkeeping, payroll, tax filing or statutory accounts.
Handled the way a finance team should.
Read-only access
No payment, banking or editing permissions, ever. You can revoke access at any time.
One secure workspace
Exports and working files are stored only in Marginstead's Google Workspace, not in shared drives or personal accounts.
Deleted at the end
Access is removed and your data deleted within 30 days of the engagement ending. AI tools are used on your data only with your written consent.
Before you book
What happens in the free reporting review?
A 30-minute video call about how you report today. You leave with the gaps that matter most, what information is needed to close them, and a recommended scope with a fixed quote. No preparation needed; an aged receivables report or project list helps if it's handy.
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.
Do you chase unpaid invoices?
No. Each report includes a prioritised list of who to chase and what's at stake. Your team makes the calls.
What format is the report?
A live dashboard you can open any time, plus a short PDF pack each month with commentary and actions.
Do you use AI?
Only with your written consent, and only within approved tools. Every number is checked by hand against your accounting system.
How is it priced?
A fixed monthly fee per plan, quoted in writing after the review. No setup fee, no hourly billing, monthly rolling with 30 days' notice.
Book a free reporting review
Talk through how you report today, the gaps that matter, and what it would take to close them.