Insights
Perspectives on Client Accounting Services (CAS) for growing businesses, from the team at Black Ink. Notes on the work we do with creative agencies, technology, hospitality, professional services, and every industry in between.
Finance Function · 5 min read
There's a point in a company's growth when finance starts to feel like a drag chute. For many leaders, the first instinct is to hire a CFO. For most small and mid-sized companies, that's not the right first move.
Read the pieceProfitability · 5 min read
Margins are the lifeblood of any project-based business. They determine whether the work you sell actually creates profit or just keeps the lights on. The challenge is that margin gaps often hide in places most leaders don't look until it's too late.
Read the piecePolicy & Business · 8 min read
This is a longer read, but one I believe is worth your time. Two policy shifts, the sharp increase in H1-B visa fees and the proposed HIRE Act, pose a real threat to businesses like mine and yours. This isn't theory. It isn't politics. It's business. It's personal.
Read the pieceLeadership · 4 min read
Running a business is both rewarding and isolating. Founders and CFOs often carry the weight of decision-making alone, and after years of growth, they can feel like they've hit a wall. They've built something that works, but they're aware of blind spots they can't fully name.
Read the pieceFinancial Reporting · 5 min read
You're getting reports. You've got dashboards and weekly updates. On paper, the business looks steady. But something feels off. This is the tension a lot of business owners feel once their company starts to grow.
Read the pieceFinance Function · 5 min read
Every business starts scrappy. That is not a flaw. It is usually a strength. But once complexity grows, the finger-to-the-wind approach starts to fail. This is usually the moment when scrappy quietly turns into sloppy.
Read the pieceNon-Profit Finance · 5 min read
You're doing meaningful work. The mission is clear. And yet, at the end of every quarter, you're still asking the same question: why does it feel like we're running out of runway? In most cases, it's a financial structure problem.
Read the pieceExit & Diligence · 8 min read
When acquirers or growth investors walk into due diligence, they discover in weeks what your agency has been quietly ignoring for years. Here's the practical checklist that separates deals that close cleanly from deals that stall, or die.
Read the pieceBlack Ink helped us start, grow and exit. They were there for us from day one to the due diligence process during the acquisition of our business. When we first started developing our product it was too soon to hire full-time employees to fill all of our operational and financial needs, but we also couldn't afford to let anything slip through the cracks. Whether it be a senior talent we were recruiting or an investor group we were courting, the details matter regardless of your company size or stage of growth. Black Ink represented us in our style, with our brand's personality. Their team crossed the T's and dotted the I's. They delivered when we needed it and when we were in the trenches they kept a lookout around the bend. Being able to have continuity in HR legal, operations, and financial services through all stages of growth has been invaluable.
— David Skokna · RAY