Practical guides and deep-dives for running a better organization - from client intake to project delivery.
Gross margin, net margin, utilization, realisation, project margin spread, debtor days, WIP and cash runway - what each tells you, how to read them together, and building a 20-minute review.
Agencies fail from cash, not profit, because costs are monthly and income is delayed 60 to 90 days. The 13-week forecast, the four levers, collecting faster, and what to do when it is already tight.
Gross, operating and net margin explained, what the published benchmarks are worth, why project-level margin is the only view that changes decisions, and the five things that erode it.
Raise new-client rates first, give existing clients 60 days and a reason, and expect to lose your lowest-margin accounts. The sequencing, the exact wording, handling pushback, and why delay costs more than the increase.
Pricing is a risk transfer, not a rate card. Hourly, fixed-fee, retainer and value-based compared - what each does to your incentives, how to calculate a real rate, and the mistakes that break a good model.
Value-based pricing requires more cost discipline, not less. The three preconditions, how to run the value conversation, three worked examples, and the realistic path to getting there.
Utilization rate explained: the two formulas and why the denominator changes the answer, what the benchmarks are worth, why maximizing it is a mistake, and the number that matters more.
