If you can’t explain your finances on one spreadsheet, four won’t help.
What happens when your system is really just spreadsheets that don’t make sense.
You’ve got access to the right tools Xero, Cashflows and Budgets.
You’ve got reports from Xero. Forecasts in another tab. Maybe even a spreadsheet someone built you six months ago that’s now out of date and forgotten.
But when someone asks, “Where are you financially right now?”
You pause. You hedge.
You guess.
Because the truth is… you don’t really know.
Not in a way that makes sense to you.
That’s not a failure. It’s a sign that the system was never built for you in the first place.
But the real problem isn’t the lack of reports. It’s the lack of clarity.
Here’s what we see all the time with creative agencies:
You’ve got cash in the bank… but you’re not sure how long it’ll last.
You’ve got monthly reports… but they don’t tell you what to do.
You’ve got dashboards… but they don’t speak you don’t understand them.
So, when it comes to planning team meetings, pricing projects, or checking if you can hire
It all feels like guesswork.
You end up feeling stuck, anxious, and a bit ashamed you still haven’t “got a grip” on the finances.
You’re not alone.
This is a clarity problem.
And clarity doesn’t come from more dashboards.
It comes from one good one..
We replaced four reports with one clear spreadsheet.
One of our recent clients came to us with:
A spreadsheet showing sales
Another one showing expenses
One showing the invoices that had been paid
And one trying to show their “financial position”
They didn’t need more information.
They needed one place where it all made sense.
So we built them one clean cashflow that had everything in one place and was easy to understand.
That was it.
Now?
✔️ It runs their weekly team planning
✔️ It tells them what payments are due
✔️ It gives them real financial control
Because when you know what’s coming in, what’s going out, and what that means for the next 90 days…
You stop guessing.
Now the finances work for them not the other way around.
We didn’t just make a cashflow.
We gave them their business back.
They now:
Understand what they can afford (and what they can’t)
Make confident pricing decisions
Feel calm and in control, even when things get busy
That’s the power of one clear plan.
Not complicated. Just honest, focused, and useful.
Want to feel in control again? Start with a conversation.
If your current setup feels like a pile of tabs and guesswork…
You don’t need more data. You need a system built for you.
🗓️ Join our next Ask Me Anything session (24 July)
No pressure. No slides. Just real answers to help you start fixing what’s not working.
👉 p1sc.es/ama
Or if you're curious where your weak spot really is —
🎯 Take our quick 5C Bootcamp Quiz
👉 p1sc.es/5cbootcamp
