This $14M agency was generating plenty of top-line revenue but struggling to convert it into profit. Payroll errors, CRA penalties, and vendor leakages were quietly draining hundreds of thousands of dollars. Leadership knew growth alone wouldn’t solve it — the business needed financial discipline and systemized controls.
Before: Where They Started
- Revenue: $14M
- Net Operating Income (NOI): 6%
- Gross Margin: 10%
- Payroll: Manual, error-prone, overpayments common
- Vendors: No approval thresholds, duplicate payments slipping through
- Taxes: CRA penalties mounting from inconsistent remittance
- Pricing: Rate cards inconsistent, gross margin unclear
Reality check: Solid sales, but fragile margins and cash lost to preventable mistakes.
Diagnosis (Week 1)
- Manual payroll → overpayments and missed billable recovery
- Inconsistent charge-out rates → revenue left on the table
- No vendor payment controls → duplicates, no backup approvals
- CRA penalties → avoidable drain on cash
- True gross margin blurred → no alignment between pricing and cost reality
Plays Implemented (30–60 Days)
Billing & Pricing
- Applied a 5% admin fee across all engagements
- Mapped Deputy payroll costs directly into Salesforce invoicing → accurate rate-card pass-through and revenue lift
Controls & Automation
- Rolled out Deputy payroll automation → eliminated manual hour errors
- Automated CRA installment payments via Plooto → penalty exposure reduced
- Centralized vendor payments in Plooto with approval thresholds → duplicate payments blocked
Margin Architecture
- Defined gross margin correctly and set 15% GM as the target
- Linked margin discipline to fund 10% NOI + 3% overhead for growth
Outcomes (90 Days → 6 Months)
- Gross Margin: 10% → 15%
- Operating Income: 6% → 10%
- Cash Impact: +$500k realized profit lift in 6 months
- Run-Rate: Now supports stable 10% NOI with growth overhead funded
Decisions Unlocked
- Enforced rate cards and tightened SOW change control
- Finance-led ops reviews on labor leakage and vendor accuracy
- Predictable tax + cash cadence with penalties curtailed
Ready to Fix Your Agency Finance?
We run 2 Agency Finance Health Checks per month.
In 90 minutes, you’ll get:
- Benchmark vs. peers
- 90-day cash + margin plan
Book yours HERE.
About the Author
Michael Argento, CPA
Founder + Fractional CFO at Argento CPA
Michael helps ambitious Canadian business owners align compensation with performance. From creative agencies and SaaS startups to scaling construction trades businesses, he builds financial systems that reward results—without sacrificing sustainability.