Deliver
Time, milestones, and scope
Agencies · Consultancies · Project-based firms
Know the economics behind every project.
Before the surprise.
SaltLine connects work delivered, billing, collections, project margin, and cash so professional-services leaders can grow without flying blind between the contract and the bank account.
Built for expertise-led businesses selling time, retainers, milestones, fixed-fee work, or a mix.
SaltLine / Project economicsILLUSTRATIVE
Portfolio viewSeptember delivery pulse
12 activeEngagementDeliveredBilledMargin
Atlas92%75%31%
Northstar68%66%27%
Harbor81%52%18%
Unbilled work$128kacross 4 projects
Expected collections$214knext 30 days
Decision signalReview Harbor scope before next milestone
IndustryProfessional servicesFinance layersBooks · Control · DecisionsEngagementCustom scoped
How value moves
Follow the economics.
Find the decision.
The financial model should reflect how your business actually creates value—not force industry complexity into a generic monthly P&L.
Recognize
Contract-to-reporting support
Bill
Accurate, timely invoices
Collect
Aging, disputes, and cash
The operating friction
Growth exposes
the weak seams.
The right engagement starts with the conditions slowing the business down, then assigns the finance layer capable of owning them.
Busy teams, unclear margins
Utilization looks healthy, but write-offs, overruns, and contractor costs surface after the work is complete.
Revenue and cash tell different stories
Delivery, billing, and collection happen on different schedules while payroll and overhead remain fixed.
The owner is the finance backstop
Project questions, invoice approvals, collections, and month-end review keep climbing back to leadership.
Growth makes reporting less useful
More people, projects, contract types, and systems create data—but not one dependable operating view.
The management view
Metrics with a job
to do.
No ornamental dashboards. Each measure should trace to a source, have a stable definition, and make a recurring operating decision easier.
01
Project margin
See labor, contractor, and direct-cost performance before scope drift becomes a write-off.
02
Unbilled work
Surface delivered work that has not reached an invoice or milestone trigger.
03
AR aging and DSO
Make billing delays, disputed invoices, and collection risk visible.
04
Utilization
Connect capacity and delivery patterns to the economics of the team.
05
Backlog and capacity
Translate booked work into delivery demand and hiring implications.
06
Cash outlook
Connect expected collections, payroll, contractors, and overhead in one rolling view.
One finance system, three layers
Start where the
operating gap lives.
SaltLine can own one layer or connect all three. Scope follows the work—not a prebuilt bundle.
01
Capture the work cleanlyFull-cycle bookkeeping
- Project and client coding
- Billing, AP, AR, and reconciliations
- Monthly financial statements
02
Own the close and reviewVirtual Controller
- Close calendar and account review
- Unbilled and deferred balance review
- Reporting controls and team oversight
03
Guide the next decisionFractional CFO
- Cash and capacity forecasting
- Project and service-line economics
- Hiring, pricing, and scenario support
The finance rhythm
Useful numbers arrive
on a schedule.
Every engagement has named responsibilities, explicit inputs, and a cadence leadership can plan around.
Illustrative cadence
01Weekly
Billing-to-cash
AR action queue, expected collections, cash-sensitive exceptions
02Month-end
Close and project economics
Reconciled financials, margin exceptions, variance commentary
03Monthly
Leadership review
Cash, utilization, backlog, project margin, and decisions
04Quarterly
Final responsibilities and timing are documented after discovery.Plan and capacity
Hiring needs, pricing pressure, scenarios, and priorities
Decisions in motion
Finance joins the call.
Not just the recap.
Reliable accounting becomes valuable when it sharpens the next operating choice.
Can we afford the next hire?
Connect booked work, delivery capacity, payroll timing, collections, and cash—not just top-line growth.
Which work is worth repeating?
Compare client, project, and service-line economics with consistent definitions.
Where is cash getting stuck?
Separate delivery, invoicing, dispute, and collection friction so the team can act.
The operating outcome
A clearer line from signed scope to collected cash.
SaltLine builds a shared finance rhythm around the way professional-services work actually moves—without forcing a generic product-company scorecard onto a project business.
Faster issue visibility More legible project economics Better-timed cash decisions
Approved references and engagement examples are available during consultation.SaltLine is designed for project- and expertise-led firms such as agencies, consultancies, law firms, architecture and engineering practices, and similar businesses. The exact reporting model is configured around how you scope, deliver, bill, and collect.
Yes, when time, contractor, direct-cost, and billing data are available and coded consistently. SaltLine establishes practical definitions and reports the result without presenting a universal margin benchmark.
SaltLine can maintain schedules and support contract-to-reporting workflows, but does not provide legal advice, audit or assurance, or make licensed accounting determinations for every circumstance. We coordinate with your qualified advisers when needed.
Yes. SaltLine can add controller review, define ownership, and create a recurring close and reporting cadence around an existing team.
Not automatically. We begin with the current accounting, time, billing, and project systems, then recommend changes only when they materially improve control or visibility.
Free field guide
Pressure-test your Finance OS.
A focused diagnostic covering close, cash, planning, systems, and decision readiness—built for owners who want to see the gaps before they become drag.
SALTLINE / FIELD GUIDEFinance
OS AuditClose · Cash · Planning
Systems · Decision readiness
OS AuditClose · Cash · Planning
Systems · Decision readiness
FREE
GUIDE
GUIDE
The next move
Bring the operating model.
We’ll map the finance layer.
A focused 30-minute consultation is enough to identify the biggest visibility gap and whether SaltLine is the right fit.