Slide Nine - Upsourced

AGENCY TYPE: Marketing & Communications

LOCATION: Columbus, OH

COMPANY SIZE: 25 Employees

A public relations agency that focuses on creating stories that shift perception and move people to action. Slide Nine quickly grew and had an antiquated approach to finance and accounting. They were seeking to level up their financial strategy in order to achieve their goals for the business to grow in scale and be more efficient.

About The Client

Slide Nine was established in 1983 but reinvented in 2022. They are a modern communications, public relations, and digital marketing agency based out of Columbus, Ohio. They work to take the friction out of storytelling and strive to make an impact.

Growing their business from a 1 million dollar agency to a multi-million dollar agency in a couple of years, the business was rapidly changing. They had outgrown the financial operations that had previously been in place and were seeking a partner that matched their vision and growth trajectory. Slide Nine was looking for ways to keep the business running as smoothly and as efficiently as possible. They chose Upsourced because of our industry knowledge and ability to jump right into things without needing to explain how creative agencies run, which caused a smooth transition.

“Upsourced came to us at the perfect time when we were in need of a true financial advisor and partner. They understood our business from day one and continue to give us that strategic guidance in addition to the day-to-day functional support we need.”

Lauren Parker

President & CEO

Our Process

We met with Slide Nine to help them better understand their finance and accounting structure and helped them develop a plan. We were able to get them the detailed information they were missing before to help them make important decisions. Where they had previously been given reports with no explanation behind them, we were able to be more transparent about what was in the reports and what the data meant. This, in turn, gave leadership time to focus on their operations rather than wasting time trying to dissect the accounting pieces on their own, helping them grow.

How We Helped

Worked with their team to upgrade their bill pay system. They were previously hand-writing checks; we transitioned them to Bill.com to streamline the process.
Provided benchmarking data specific to creative agencies for an added layer of strategic counsel.
Changed their invoicing approach by transitioning it to a different system that allowed much more efficiency for the team and visibility across the team.
Helped make real-time adjustments to the strategy based on market conditions and provided clear, insightful, actionable advice.
Provided financial reports and explanations to the team so they could advance their knowledge and improve their decision-making process.

“Upsourced has matched that same expectation of quality service that we strive to give our own clients. We see them as an extension of our team.”

Whitney Sommerville

Chief Experience Officer

Overall Improvement

By taking away the burden of dissecting their financial data and analyzing what it meant and what they should do next, the leadership team was able to focus on other areas of the business to help them continue to grow sustainably. The team spends less time worrying about their accounting and more time developing plans to expand the agency. They now have access to information when they want and need it in a way that makes sense to them.

We’ve helped Slide Nine identify blind spots in their financial strategy while also giving them an understanding of these topics as they arise. Overall, this has provided the team with peace of mind that they are running the business in a foundationally sound way that will move them toward their goals.

President & CEO Lauren Parker stated:

“Upsourced truly wants our business to succeed and has always had our best interests at heart. They’ve positively influenced our day-to-day operations through their strategic guidance. We’re a better business for it.”

Being specialized in creative agencies, we have the ability to give perspectives into what other studios are doing and share our learnings. Our clients matter to us in more than just a business transactional way. Think your studio could benefit from an additional lens? Let our team provide you with the financial clarity and peace of mind you and your team deserve.