Executive Summary

SEC.01

The Directive

Founder was deciding between Mercury and Xero with nobody he trusted to advise him. He didn't need a CFO. He needed someone who'd actually run the workflow to tell him which choice survived first contact with reality.

Time Saved · Weekly
6 hrs
Tools Replaced
4

Stack Decision

SEC.02
Mercury
Xero
Stripe
QuickBooks

We mapped the founder's actual money flow — incoming customer payments, outgoing payroll and SaaS subs, two co-founders splitting expenses, a part-time bookkeeper checking in monthly. Mercury won on the cash side. QuickBooks won on the GL side. Stripe stayed for billing. Xero got cut — would have meant a second migration in twelve months.

Outcomes

SEC.03
01

Stack Locked

Mercury + Stripe + QuickBooks, configured and integrated.

02

Client Invoicing Live

Templates, terms, and dunning all running automatically.

03

Bookkeeper Onboarded

Handed off to a vetted bookkeeper with a clean workflow doc.

04

Founder Out

Founder no longer touches finance ops between board meetings.

Action_Req

Stack you can trust?

Two hours of your time. Two weeks to a real plan.