Creode are a leading digital marketing agency based in Leeds specialising in working with technology businesses. Guy and Andy are the two founders of the company.
In 2011 we made the transition from practitioners to business owners; we really had little idea about running the business – we were making it up as we went along.
The transition from having a job as a digital marketeer to be a business owner and making a profit is difficult.
Making decisions about staffing and employment levels or office costs is hard. We struggled to weigh up the risks and rewards. And we lacked proper financial controls.
We were naive but we knew we had an opportunity to grow.
Out initial accountant was just involved once a year and did not really contribute anything to the business – but we didn’t know what an accountant should bring to our business.
It slowly became clear that we needed more help and that our accountant should be filling that space.
After few years I realised how important the financials were and that we needed someone on that 100% of the time. It was a turning point
Still with some anxiety, we decided to change. We were not sure at the time exactly what we needed but we knew if the business was to grow we needed to step up our financial systems and our support team.
Once we moved it was a relief. We get more support each and every month with Ascentis, than we did in a whole year with our old accountant.
Ascentis have helped us to read the accounts and understand what it really means. What are the numbers really telling us about our business? At a glance they give us insights into the finance AND operational and sales sides of our business.
We have had great advice, helping us understand our options, often many more than we thought, and this has been critical at times.
I honestly think that without Ascentis we would not be here.
At one point we didn’t feel the business had a future and would have folded and walked away. But Ascentis calmly set out our options and put a 6-month plan together for us to work on.
We think about the business very differently now. We are much more focused on utilisation and productivity. Our confidence is much higher, and we know we are not on our own. Ascentis have helped us with anything and everything.
We are aiming now to punch through to the next level. Our challenges are in funding that growth and putting in place the systems to control the expansion. Ascentis will be a key partner in that journey.
If you would like to speak to us to see how we can help your business contact us today!