Financial Advisory

Strategic Financial Advisory, Exclusively for Agencies and Creative Firms

Growing and running an independent agency can be a tough business. And if you're doing less than $25M in annual revenue, hiring the full-time financial talent you need to stand with you in guiding your business doesn't make sense. You need someone who's already done the job, in your industry, who can step in at the level your business requires.

Most clients start with the Financial Assessment. From there, the work usually moves into Strategic Financial Advisory, the ongoing engagement where the real value compounds. Strategic Planning and the Exit Readiness Program are available whenever the business calls for them, whether that's this year or several years out.

Typical engagement path
01 The Financial Assessment Start here
02 Strategic Financial Advisory Ongoing
   03 Strategic Planning As needed
   04 Exit Readiness Program Horizon-based
Services 03 and 04 available whenever the business calls for them
01

The Financial Assessment

Project 30 Days Fixed fee
What it is

This is where every engagement starts. I look at your current financial infrastructure and identify the gap between what you have and what the business needs. I work alongside your existing financial and accounting team rather than replacing them.

What's delivered

A live operating dashboard and a prioritized action plan. Not a report that gets filed and forgotten. A working view of the business you can actually use, built in the first 30 days.

Who it's for

Any owner who isn't sure their numbers accurately reflect what's happening in the business or doesn't feel they have the most comprehensive information to make the best decisions. This is the right starting point regardless of where you are in your relationship with the financials.

02

Strategic Financial Advisory

Ongoing Retainer 12-Month Min. Monthly retainer
What it is

This is the core of the work and where most clients spend their time with me. Once the Financial Assessment is complete, we shift from getting the systems right to using them to run the company. Monthly dashboard reviews, compensation and hiring decisions backed by real numbers, margin management, and budget accountability by department.

This is where the value compounds. The longer we work together, the more the financial infrastructure becomes a tool your team uses to make decisions, not something you have to interpret on your own.

What's delivered

We'll use the systems we built to run and improve the business and work toward your specific goals. Clients in ongoing advisory are substantially more successful in meeting or exceeding their targets than those that go it alone.

Who it's for

Owners of independent agencies and creative firms who want a highly experienced and specialized financial partner to stand with them as they build what's next. Most clients move here directly after the Financial Assessment.

03

Strategic Planning

Standalone Annual / Semi-Annual Fixed fee
What it is

A dedicated session focused on the next one to five years. Where is the business going? What does the financial infrastructure need to support that? How do we build enterprise value? This steps back from the day-to-day and focuses entirely on the forward view.

What's delivered

A forward-looking plan covering growth targets, enterprise value, and what has to happen operationally to support both.

Who it's for

Current Strategic Financial Advisory clients, as a high-value annual or semi-annual touchpoint. Also available for former clients or founders who aren't ready for a full retainer but want structured, forward-looking planning.

04

Exit Readiness Program

Project 6–12 Months Fixed fee + retainer
What it is

A structured program for founders with a defined horizon — a sale, a succession, or a transition to largely passive ownership. This goes deeper than the retainer, with a specific end state in mind: a business with clean financials, an operating model that doesn't depend on you personally, and a financial narrative that holds up under scrutiny.

Founders who do this work before they're in a transaction are in a meaningfully different position than founders who bring in an advisor after a buyer has already shown interest.

What's delivered

A transferable operating model, clean and compelling financials, and a financial narrative built to hold up under buyer or successor scrutiny.

Who it's for

Founders with a specific exit or succession horizon who want to walk into that process from a position of strength instead of starting the work after a buyer is already at the table.

Client Stories

Results from real engagements

A look at how creative and technology firms have used the Financial Assessment and ongoing advisory to build better businesses.

Financial Advisory

Transforming a Creative & Tech Firm

Rebuilt the financial infrastructure of a creative services firm — taking margin from 12% to 38% and giving the founders a clear view of their business for the first time.

12% → 38%
Operating margin
+150%
Owner compensation
+21.2%
Revenue growth
Read case study →
Financial Assessment

Finding the Growth That Was Already There

A 30-day Financial Assessment for a $5M multi-division firm — surfacing $351K in at-risk receivables and a clear, sequenced path to $7M revenue at 20% margin.

$351K
At-risk A/R identified
$5M → $7M
3-year revenue target
$300K+
Net profit improvement
Read case study →
View all client stories →

Not sure where to start? That's what the conversation is for.

You don't need to know exactly which service is right for you. We'll talk through where the business is today and figure it out together.

Talk to Kathleen

30 minutes · No obligation · Kathleen responds personally