Where CFO Meets COO: Parakeeto's Unique Approach to Profitability, With Carson Pierce

Points of Interest 00:00 – 03:21 – From UGURUS to E2M: Brent Weaver shares how he went from coaching thousands of agencies at UGURUS to becoming CEO of E2M Solutions after the DigitalOcean chapter ended. 03:35 – 04:51 – What makes E2M different: Marcel frames E2M as a standout white-label partner, and Brent explains why serving only agencies creates sharper focus on partner success. 04:51 – 08:16 – Process flexibility as a moat: Brent contrasts “one standardized process” versus adapting to each agency partner’s SOPs and tools and why fitting into the partner’s workflow improves outcomes. 08:27 – 10:08 – Why anti-fragility matters right now: Marcel connects E2M’s adaptability to the broader need for agencies to stay resilient through another major disruption cycle. 10:08 – 12:01 – Defining anti-fragility in business terms: Brent explains anti-fragility as building a business that can withstand shocks by avoiding fragility drivers like thin margins and operational vulnerabilities. 12:01 – 15:53 – Practical fragility reducers: Brent outlines concrete levers, higher margins as a buffer, less debt, fewer single points of failure, and building teams and systems that scale. 13:29 – 15:53 – Perennial value drivers: Brent argues agencies should anchor decisions to what clients always want, faster delivery, lower cost, and higher quality and certainty, regardless of the economy. 15:53 – 18:01 – Investing under uncertainty: Marcel reframes strategy as betting on what will not change and asks how agencies can choose investments that will keep paying dividends. 18:01 – 22:44 – AI audits, not shiny tools: Brent describes E2M’s AI assessment approach as constraint-hunting, then using automation and process optimization to reduce friction and accelerate results. 23:08 – 25:02 – High-impact AI use cases: Brent lists repeatable agency wins, lead research and sales prep, proposal and scope automation, and workflow-friendly tooling like Slack-based automations. 25:02 – 26:45 – Client reporting as a force multiplier: Brent highlights AI-driven reporting and analysis, using chat interfaces connected to analytics data to produce consistent client insights faster. 39:51 – 41:13 – Where to learn more: Brent shares where to find E2M Solutions and the Vistara AI event, including the May 11–13 Austin dates and the waitlist link. Show Notes List Agentic workflows - AI workflows E2M actively run for 50+ agencies - ready to plug into your delivery, sales, and operations E2Msolutions.com Vistara AI Event @ Austin, Texas on May 11-13, 2026 Brent’s LinkedIn Love the Podcast Leave us a review here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:01 – 01:36 – Introduction: Marcel introduces the episode as a public reflection on Parakeeto’s positioning, prompted by feedback from LinkedIn and client conversations. 01:36 – 02:43 – The Identity Problem: Carson shares the internal confusion many consultants feel when their role spans finance, operations, delivery, and strategy. 02:43 – 04:52 – Clear Problem, Fuzzy Solution: Marcel explains that while Parakeeto has always been clear about solving profitability, clients still struggle to understand how that actually happens. 04:52 – 05:44 – Profitability Touches Everything: The discussion highlights why profitability work inevitably spans finance, delivery, ops, leadership, and new business. 05:44 – 08:12 – Category Creation vs. Familiar Labels: Marcel reflects on the challenge of inventing “profit management” as a category versus borrowing understanding from CFO and COO roles. 08:12 – 10:17 – Why Titles Don’t Really Help: Carson points out that many agencies don’t think in executive titles at all—they just need someone to make the whole system work. 10:17 – 14:18 – The Real Founder Frustration: Marcel describes the pain of having too many specialists, unclear ownership, and no one quarterbacking profitability end-to-end. 14:18 – 18:05 – Agency Context as a Force Multiplier: Carson explains why Parakeeto’s deep agency experience eliminates the long ramp-up most external hires require. 18:05 – 22:23 – CFO vs. COO (and Why Both Fall Short): Marcel breaks down the limitations of finance-only or ops-only approaches and why profitability lives at their intersection. 22:23 – 26:49 – The Assessment Explained: Marcel walks through Parakeeto’s assessment process—modeling, interviews, and workshops that create clarity and a focused roadmap. 26:49 – 30:44 – Ongoing Profit Management in Practice: The conversation details how recurring reporting, forecasting, and advisory support keep teams focused on the right levers. 30:44 – 40:56 – What Actually Creates ROI: Marcel and Carson emphasize that alignment, confidence, and decisive action—supported by numbers—are the true outcomes clients pay for. Show Notes Connect with Carson via LinkedIn Free Agency Toolkit Parakeeto Foundations Course Free access to our Model Platform Love the Podcast Leave us a review here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest 00:00 – 02:00 – Why Agencies Avoid Talking About Money: Drew reflects on why financial transparency was rare in agencies historically and why that silence created widespread confusion about profitability. 02:00 – 05:00 – The Myth of “Impossible” Profitability: Drew explains why claims that an agency “can’t be profitable” usually stem from avoided decisions, misunderstood agency math, or intentional lifestyle choices. 05:00 – 07:30 – Agency Growth Breaking Points: Drew outlines common headcount thresholds where systems, processes, and structure begin to break down as agencies grow. 07:30 – 10:00 – Challenges of Very Small Agencies: The conversation explores why sub-10-person agencies struggle with inefficiency, tribal knowledge, and inconsistent delivery. 10:00 – 13:00 – Generalists vs. Specialists: Drew explains why early-stage generalists often struggle as agencies scale and why specialization becomes essential for profitability. 13:00 – 15:30 – Management Layers and Cost Pressure: Marcel and Drew discuss how introducing management roles adds financial strain and operational complexity. 15:30 – 17:30 – The Most Profitable Agency Size Range: Drew shares data showing agencies with 15–40 employees consistently outperform others on profitability. 17:30 – 19:30 – Why Growing Up Improves Margins: The episode breaks down how systems, niching, and client selection drive efficiency and longer tenure at mid-size agencies. 19:30 – 22:00 – Bigger Agencies, Bigger Expectations: Drew explains how larger clients demand higher sophistication, better talent, and increased operational investment. 22:00 – 25:00 – Lifestyle Businesses vs. Scalable Agencies: The conversation reframes success, validating highly profitable small agencies that are never intended to be sold. 25:00 – 28:00 – Running the Business by the Numbers: Drew and Marcel align on first principles like AGI and the 55-25-20 model as the foundation for healthy decision-making. 28:00 – 37:00 – AI, Commoditization, and the Future of Agencies: Drew connects decades of industry evolution to today’s AI shift, arguing that strategy, thinking, and leadership—not production—are the true sources of agency value. Show Notes Connect with Drew via LinkedIn AMI Website Newsletter Podcast Love the Podcast Leave us a review here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest00:01 – 01:04 – Framing the PM/AM Pricing Question: Marcel welcomes listeners, introduces Carson Pierce, and frames the central question agencies face around whether and how to charge for account and project management time.01:04 – 02:14 – Why This Issue Persists: Carson explains why underpricing project and account management work continues to surface across agencies despite increased industry maturity.02:14 – 03:28 – The Myth That Clients Won’t Pay: Carson challenges the belief that clients resist paying for PM and AM work and reframes these roles as valuable parts of delivery.03:30 – 04:32 – Why PM and AM Time Is Hard to Track: Carson outlines how fragmented tasks, short work intervals, and multi-client meetings make accurate time tracking impractical.04:33 – 06:20 – Pricing Model Confusion as the Root Cause: Marcel connects PM/AM underpricing to weak separation between price, scope, and cost, especially in time-based billing models.06:21 – 07:25 – The ABR Distortion Effect: Carson explains how excluding PM time inflates average billable rate and hides true delivery economics.07:25 – 08:24 – Two Ways to Price PM and AM Work: Marcel introduces the two viable approaches—pricing PM/AM directly in scope or absorbing the cost through margin targets.08:24 – 09:50 – When Client Pushback Actually Appears: Carson explains why most clients accept reasonable PM allocations and why resistance typically signals excessive or poorly designed PM effort.09:51 – 14:02 – Why Time-Tracking Fixes Often Fail: Carson reviews common PM tracking approaches and explains why they frequently add overhead without producing actionable insight.14:03 – 19:59 – Building PM Costs Into Margin Targets: Marcel explains how agencies can model PM and AM costs directly or indirectly based on tracking feasibility and role structure.20:00 – 29:00 – Structuring Account and Project Management Roles: Marcel and Carson discuss when to separate AM and PM roles, referencing Brett Harned’s perspective and tying structure to work complexity.29:01 – 36:13 – Sales Allocation, Overhead Clarity, and Wrap-Up: The episode concludes with guidance on allocating AM time to sales only when explicit, avoiding circumstantial overhead, and reinforcing intentional PM pricing.Show NotesBrett Harned - Agency consultant and advocate for separating account and project management roles.Related Episode: Casey Brown on pricing increases and margin correction.Love the PodcastLeave us a review here.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest00:01 – Introduction: Marcel introduces Skye Waterson and frames the conversation around SOPs, documentation, and building operational “rails” that teams can actually use.01:07 – Skye’s background and motivation: Skye shares her journey from academic burnout to discovering adult ADHD and building a business focused on helping founders work with their brains, not against them.03:04 – Why ADHD frameworks help everyone: Skye explains how ADHD-friendly systems emphasize flexibility and challenge outdated assumptions about productivity and work structure.05:05 – First principles for ADHD productivity: The discussion covers practical strategies like rewarding task initiation and reducing reliance on working memory through better capture systems.06:56 – The core problem with traditional SOPs: Skye and Marcel outline why most SOPs go stale—delegated, filed away, and only referenced during onboarding or emergencies.09:18 – SOP neglect as a hidden operational risk: The conversation highlights how disconnected SOPs undermine dashboards, metrics, and leadership visibility.11:32 – Visualizing the business as a flow: Skye introduces her core framework: mapping the business end-to-end (acquisition through expansion) using a visual tool like Miro.14:02 – Why digital visual tools matter: Skye explains why paper-based process mapping fails and why digital tools enable iteration, ownership, and follow-through.15:52 – Assigning a single DRI per process: Each node in the business flow is assigned a Directly Responsible Individual to eliminate ambiguity and improve accountability.16:40 – Red, orange, green process health: Processes are color-coded to show whether they are broken, manual and CEO-dependent, or documented and team-run.18:09 – Tying SOPs to weekly cadence and metrics: Skye explains how reviewing SOP health alongside performance metrics turns documentation into an operational diagnostic tool.24:41 – AI and living SOPs: The episode closes with best practices for using AI to bootstrap SOPs, delegate ownership, and treat documentation as a living draft rather than a finished artifact.Show NotesConnect with Skye via LinkedInUnconventional OrganizationSkye’s Podcast ADHD Skills LabAI Chatbot: Message Skye on Instagram with the word “Marcel” and she’ll send you the chatbotSoftware as a Science BookMatt VerlaqueLove the PodcastLeave us a review here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest00:00 – 01:31 – Introduction: Marcel and Kristen open with a relatable riff on Notion and AI features before framing the core issue of the episode: messy handoffs between sales, account management, and delivery in service businesses.01:31 – 03:14 – Why Handoffs Are a Universal Agency Problem: Kristen explains why sales-to-delivery handoff issues show up in agencies of every size and maturity and highlights their downstream impact on profitability and operational sanity.03:14 – 05:34 – Common Symptoms of Broken Handoffs: Kristen outlines key symptoms such as work starting in a vacuum after the contract is signed, deliverable-only briefs, and delivery teams missing the strategic goals and context from sales conversations.05:34 – 07:28 – Client Game of Telephone and Disjointed Data: Marcel describes how clients end up repeating themselves to every new team member and how poor internal communication leads to scattered information, inconsistent naming, and misaligned expectations across tools.07:28 – 10:34 – Incentive Misalignment Between Sales and Delivery: Kristen breaks down how quota driven sales teams and risk conscious project managers operate with different goals, creating tension when there is no shared understanding of scope, clarity, or repeatability.10:34 – 13:35 – Consequences for Client Trust and Profitability: They explore how early missteps fuel buyer’s remorse, create invisible client scorecards on trust, and generate internal gaps between what was promised, what is being delivered, and how profitable work actually is.13:35 – 17:29 – Ingredients of a Strong Handoff: Kristen shares practical tactics such as transferring rich context, sharing sales call recordings with the full delivery team, and having the future account lead sit in on the final sales call to align expectations before the handoff.17:29 – 20:20 – Separating Scope From Price and Avoiding Bad Math: Marcel goes on a rant about the dangerous habit of turning project price into hours by dividing it by an arbitrary rate and explains why scope, time, cost, and margin must be defined separately from the client facing price.20:20 – 24:40 – Structural Alignment Across CRM, PM, and Accounting: Marcel highlights the need for a consistent schema for how projects are represented across contracts, invoicing, project management, and time tracking so that reporting can tie expectations back to actual performance.24:40 – 27:16 – Kickoffs, Assets, and Tools That Improve Handoffs: Kristen covers how internal kickoffs, sales call recordings, and structured client intake tools can give creative and delivery teams the context they need while keeping meetings focused and efficient.27:16 – 31:18 – Using Reporting as a Forcing Function for Alignment: They introduce the idea of expectations versus actuals reporting and the agency profitability flywheel as a way to expose process gaps, bring sales and delivery into the same conversations, and drive better decision making.31:18 – 36:24 – Q4 Planning, Cross Team Empathy, and Next Steps: Kristen and Marcel close with advice to use annual planning cycles to realign services, pricing, and scope and encourage leaders to create empathy between sales and delivery by having teams observe each other’s work and “watch game tape” together.Show NotesConnect with Kristen via LinkedInFree Agency ToolkitParakeeto Foundations CourseFree access to our Model PlatformLove the PodcastLeave us a review here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest00:00 – 01:38 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes agency legal specialist Sharon Toerek, highlighting her long track record in the industry and setting the stage with a discussion about how quickly the agency world is changing.01:38 – 02:45 – Framing the AI Legal Conversation for Agencies: They position the core topic of the episode as the legal implications of AI adoption inside agencies, especially when serving enterprise clients with sensitive data and heightened risk concerns.02:45 – 05:03 – The Two Biggest AI Risk Buckets: IP and Data Privacy: Sharon identifies intellectual property and data privacy as the top two legal risk areas agencies must consider when using generative AI in strategy, creation, and data manipulation.05:03 – 08:11 – IP Infringement, Ownership, and Contract Clarity: She explains how generative AI can inadvertently infringe on others’ IP, complicate ownership of deliverables, and increase the need for explicit AI usage and ownership language in MSAs and SOWs.08:11 – 10:23 – Agency-Created IP and Contractor Use of AI: Sharon explores the risks of building agency-owned IP with AI when ownership is uncertain, and stresses the importance of knowing how contractors use AI so their work aligns with promises made to clients.10:23 – 15:11 – The State of Case Law and Fair Use Signals: They discuss how little case law exists around AI, what early decisions suggest about training data and fair use, and why we still do not know how much human contribution is needed to secure protectable IP.15:11 – 18:26 – Blurring Lines Between Human and Machine-Created Work: Marcel and Sharon reflect on how modern creative tools embed AI in everyday workflows, making it harder to distinguish human-made from machine-generated content for legal and practical purposes.18:26 – 22:40 – A Practical Playbook for Reducing AI Legal Risk: Sharon outlines concrete steps agencies can take now: have AI conversations with clients, update contracts, understand tool terms, set internal and external AI policies, and right-size risk based on audience scale.22:40 – 26:05 – Where Insurance Fits in the AI Risk Equation: They examine how general liability, E&O, and cyber policies currently treat AI-related issues, and why insurers are likely to carve out or slowly add AI-specific coverage as risks and profits emerge.26:05 – 30:31 – Market Volatility, AI Shock, and Rising Agency M&A: Sharon connects AI disruption, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical tension to a surge in small and mid-size agency deals, noting many founders are simply tired of reinventing their businesses again.30:31 – 35:40 – IP as a Lever in Exits and Next Career Moves: She makes the case that agencies who develop and package their own IP create more options in M&A, whether selling IP separately, splitting the business, or using it to launch the next chapter of their careers.Show NotesInnovative Agency PodcastWebsite: legalandcreative.comLinkedIn - Sharon ToerekM&A Webinar Replay with SharonLove the PodcastLeave us a review here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest00:02 – 01:49 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes Kristen back to the show and sets up another practical client case study focused on a real agency engagement.01:50 – 04:00 – The flex-labor, video production agency profile: Kristen outlines the agency’s model: a small FTE core, 10–20 contractors, just under $2M in revenue, and constant cash flow stress tied to contractor payments.04:01 – 06:21 – Why video production and events are so punishing for cash flow: Marcel explains how big production days and lumpy project work make earned revenue, contractor management, and cash flow especially tricky for this type of agency.05:05 – 07:16 – Growth, service-line complexity, and early unprofitability signals: Kristen describes how larger clients, new service lines with tight price ceilings, shifting deadlines, and creeping unprofitability pushed the founders to hit pause and seek help.06:22 – 07:25 – Becoming “exit curious” changes the stakes: Marcel notes that the owners had started thinking about selling, and viewing the business through an enterprise value lens made their efficiency and profitability issues feel more urgent.07:26 – 11:05 – Spreadsheets, PM tools, and the stalled silver-bullet implementation: Kristen walks through the spreadsheets they built, the expensive all-in-one PM platform they bought, and how personnel changes left the implementation half-done and overwhelming.09:06 – 13:58 – Why PM tools fail without a profitability framework: Marcel unpacks the gap between the tool’s promises and reality, highlighting how unclear definitions of cost rates, pass-through expenses, margins, and scope make it impossible to configure a PM system effectively.14:52 – 18:52 – The client’s original thesis vs. the real problem: Kristen shares that the client blamed headcount, tools, and “project management issues,” while Marcel points out their weak time-tracking culture and the failure to treat producers as true delivery costs.19:05 – 22:12 – Diagnosis: a business model and unit economics problem: Kristen explains how reviewing the cash-basis P&L, time data, spreadsheets, and contracts revealed that the core issue was delivery margin and pricing, not execution quality or PM discipline.24:52 – 27:42 – Fixing the data: contractor classification and cash-basis adjustments: Kristen describes using Parakeeto’s decision tree to classify contractors as delivery expenses, annualizing their cost and hours, and reverse-engineering hours from invoices, while Marcel adds tips for reducing noise in cash-based books.28:18 – 35:57 – Rebuilding the model: estimator tool, 70% margin, and hire-vs-contractor math: Kristen shows how the estimator tool exposed project-level unit economics and ABR targets, then explains how they improved time tracking, pricing strategy, contracts, and PM tool setup, plus modeled when it actually made sense to hire FTEs instead of using contractors.36:43 – 39:01 – Key lessons and reassurance for nuanced agency models: Kristen closes by emphasizing that every agency has quirks, but a clear framework can still make it profitable, while Marcel underscores the value of external support in untangling model vs. execution problems.Show NotesAgency Fee CalculatorLove the PodcastLeave us a review here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest00:00 – 01:30 – Introduction: Marcel welcomes M&A advisor Todd Taskey, who specializes in investment banking transactions for digital marketing agencies doing $1–5M in EBITDA.01:30 – 02:40 – What Investment Banking Actually Means for Agencies: Todd explains what “investment banking transactions” are in plain language, covering how his team guides owners from first conversations through closing and integration.02:40 – 06:30 – The “Second Bite” Thesis and Evolutionary Transactions: Todd introduces his “second bite” concept using real client stories, showing how selling part of an agency can be a strategic leap forward rather than the end of an owner’s journey.06:30 – 09:20 – Private Equity as Growth Partner, Not Villain: Marcel raises common fears about private equity, and Todd contrasts horror stories of big corporate deals with growth-focused PE in the $2M EBITDA range that needs more good people, not fewer.09:20 – 12:30 – How Earn-Outs Go Right (or Wrong): Todd shares how unrealistic projections in a pitch deck can make earn-out targets impossible, and explains his playbook for setting conservative growth assumptions that founders can actually beat.12:30 – 16:30 – Inside the Private Equity Business Model: Todd breaks down how PE funds are structured, how they earn management fees and returns, and why growing EBITDA and achieving multiple expansion is central to their strategy.16:30 – 19:30 – Case Studies of PE-Backed Agency Growth: Using examples like Power Digital and other PE-backed platforms, Todd illustrates how tucking in specialized agencies (CRO, Amazon, etc.) can generate outsized returns for both founders and investors.19:30 – 24:30 – Why Private Equity Wins: Data, Rigor, and Talent: Todd describes the level of analysis PE brings to the table—cohort analysis, retention metrics, financial rigor—and how this “art and science” combination helps them repeatedly grow and sell agencies.24:30 – 28:40 – The Experience Imbalance and Need for a Real Process: Marcel highlights the experience gap between founders and professional acquirers, and Todd explains why running a structured process with multiple buyers is essential for true price discovery.28:40 – 33:10 – Free Consulting: What the Market Really Values in Your Agency: Todd outlines how conversations with 20–30 serious buyers surface recurring themes—“this, that, and the other thing”—that tell you exactly what to fix to increase valuation, even if you do not sell.33:10 – 38:30 – AI, Efficiency, and the Future of Agency Valuations: Todd shares his view that AI will most directly impact valuations through efficiency gains and margin expansion, allowing agencies to stack more clients on the same headcount and drive higher EBITDA.Show NotesConnect with Todd:LinkedInTower PartnersEmail: [email protected] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Points of Interest00:01 – 01:28 – Introduction: Marcel and Carson set up the focus of the episode on why cash flow deserves as much attention as profitability in agency businesses.01:28 – 03:31 – Two Extreme Cash Flow Scenarios: Carson shares real client examples of agencies with tight cash despite solid operations and others with healthy bank balances masking eroding profitability, highlighting why cash and profit are easy to confuse.03:31 – 07:35 – Cash Flow vs Profitability and the Accrual Lens: Marcel explains that cash flow and profitability are correlated but distinct, outlining how agencies can be profitable with poor cash flow or unprofitable with strong cash, and introduces the importance of having both cash and accrual views.07:35 – 11:01 – Debt, Leverage, and the Cost of Poor Cash Flow: The conversation turns to agency debt, debt service ratios, and how borrowing is often used to cover weak unit economics, with Marcel warning how costly debt and “poor person pricing” can wipe out thin margins.11:17 – 18:03 – Lever One: Speeding Up Cash Collection: Marcel walks through practical ways to accelerate cash in the door, including stronger payment terms, bigger deposits, earlier invoicing, incentives for early payment, AR processes, auto-pay, and invoice factoring, while stressing how faster cash can create a dangerous illusion of higher profitability.18:03 – 21:28 – Lever Two: Delaying or Spreading Expenditures: The discussion shifts to reducing or smoothing cash outflows via flexible labor, aligning contractor terms with client terms, shortening the “cash down payment” needed to serve large projects, and avoiding unprofitable work chosen only for easier cash flow.21:28 – 26:34 – Variable Cost Models, Leasing, and Refinancing: Marcel outlines options like moving from upfront to usage-based models, leasing instead of buying, using tax planning, and refinancing expensive lines of credit into longer-term, lower-interest loans to ease monthly cash burden.26:34 – 29:04 – The Trap of Short-Term Cash Fixes: They highlight how tactics that conserve cash now—high-interest credit, invoice factoring, short-term debt—often make the business more expensive to run later, and stress the importance of applying for credit while the business is still healthy.29:04 – 33:12 – Lever Three: Building Cash Reserves and Planning for Seasonality: Marcel explains how to build three to six months of operating expenses plus two to four payrolls in cash, manage owner distributions, plan for slow periods like holidays, and use shareholder loans and credit strategically.33:12 – 36:21 – When Big Cash Reserves Hide Problems: The hosts discuss how large cash balances can mask emerging profitability or cash flow issues, arguing for a disciplined cadence of reviewing both cash and accrual metrics so owners see problems before they become crises.36:21 – 40:25 – Key Profitability Benchmarks Agencies Should Track: Marcel summarizes the core accrual benchmarks—delivery margin, direct delivery margin, overhead as a percentage of AGI, operating margin, average billable rate, utilization, and average cost per hour—as the foundation of sound unit economics.40:25 – 43:11 – Cash Flow Metrics and Parakeeto’s Evolving Role: The episode closes with a rundown of cash-specific metrics—cash reserves, operating cash flow vs EBITDA, AR/AP days, CAC payback, debt service coverage, and line-of-credit usage—and a look at how Parakeeto is expanding its services to help agencies manage profitability and cash flow holistically.Show NotesPodcast Episode on Revenue Recognition with Marcel & CarsonLink to Notes File For Cash Flow ImprovementLove the PodcastLeave us a review here. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.