Bank manager freaking out? Don’t worry, help’s on the way! In this guest post, Paul Ainley—Partner at marketing and communications agency Chatter and a Float founder member—explains how his company is planning more effectively for the future.

Chatter

Along with two partners, I run Chatter, a marketing and communications agency based in Leeds. We specialise in HR communications and help businesses like Skype, MTV and Telefónica to build and manage their employer reputation. We’re particularly strong in terms of digital communications, so get involved in lots of careers websites, employee portals and social media stuff.

Taking Charge of Our Finances

We set up Chatter in April 2011 and were using FreeAgent as our finance and accountancy tool from day one. We quickly realised we needed a forecasting tool that was equally simple to use. Float was the natural choice because of its strong integration with FreeAgent.

When we first started using Float, we could see it had the potential to help us manage the business more effectively, but, to be fair, it had a long way to go. The main reason we decided to buy a subscription was because of the way the Float team engaged with us, sought our input, and fed that into their development plans.

A few months ago, we finally ditched all the spreadsheets and moved to Float as our sole forecasting tool. Being in at the beginning has meant we’ve had the opportunity to help mould the software from a user perspective, making clever technology simple and easy to use.

No More Bank Manager Freak-Outs

We use Float to help us keep track of any opportunities that have been scoped, but not signed off. It helps to focus and drive our sales activity, and keep track of anything that’s outstanding and needs attention. It also helps us to forecast and budget with greater confidence. Like most start-up businesses, we find cash-flow our biggest challenge. Float helps us plan more effectively for the future without freaking the bank manager out!

One final thought: this type of software will enable even the smallest enterprise to manage their business more efficiently, but it’s important to really commit to using it to get the full benefit.

Paul Ainley, Partner at Chatter
0113 3572083 | hello@welovechatter.com

Struggling to stay on top of your business’s financials? Float can help. Start managing your cashflow better today by signing up for a free trial.

Already using Float? Spaces on our Founder Plan are going fast. Help shape Float and get a bargain in the process by grabbing yourself a Founder Plan now.

Cashflow is hard. Here to save the day is one of our founder members, Madelyn Postman of Grain Creative. In this guest post, she talks about how and why she stays on top of her agency’s financials.

Grain Creative

To start—I am a creative director at Grain Creative, a branding and design consultancy founded 10 years ago in Marylebone, London. We work mostly with high-end lifestyle clients on naming, branding, packaging and print and digital work including websites and apps. Our clients include Gucci, Burberry, Qantas and Nokia. For a taste of what we do, see our newest employee’s view on brands.

A Finger on the Pulse

I got my invite to Float in July last year, and became a founder member not long after. I use FreeAgent a few times daily to log time and to keep an eye on everything going on in the business, and I check Float every couple of days—again, to keep my finger on the pulse of the business, the pulse being its cash flow and budgets.

Before Float introduced the budget functionality, I was using a cumbersome cash flow spreadsheet (and I usually love spreadsheets!), bringing over the figures from the FreeAgent P&L every month or quarter. Float and especially the budgeting aspect immediately shows us how we’re doing on forecasted expenses and income, and allows us to set realistic monthly income targets.

Cash is King

I am a designer, but I think that deep down I am really a coder and an accountant waiting to be freed. So seeing Float’s interface design and functionality evolving has been interesting, and helpful to our business on a practical level: it makes budgeting and tracking cash flow easy even for less geeky people too.

If I can coin a new phrase: cash is king!

Madelyn Postman, Grain Creative
020 7524 7550 | madelyn@graincreative.com

Struggling to stay on top of your business’s financials? Float can help. Start managing your cashflow better today by signing up for a free trial.

Already using Float? Spaces on our Founder Plan are going fast. Help shape Float and get a bargain in the process by grabbing yourself a Founder Plan now.