Custom dashboards & reporting
One view of the numbers that actually drive your decisions, pulled from the systems you already run and kept current without anyone updating a spreadsheet.
The difference
A dashboard is only as honest as the data under it. We fix where the numbers disagree before we draw anything, which is why our reports don't need a caveat every time you open them.
Separate systems, one view
Before you hand anything over
How we handle your data
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Your systems stay yours.
The work happens in your own accounts, on your own subscriptions, under your ownership. Nothing leaves the systems you have given us access to.
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Access is requested, never assumed.
Read only wherever the work allows it, asked for per system rather than granted in bulk, and named per person. Credentials are never shared, and your records never sit on personal devices.
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Preparing stays separate from approving.
A second person reviews before anything is filed or closed. On payables we prepare the run and you're the one who releases it.
Who it’s for
Owners making calls from three spreadsheets and a gut feeling. Also anyone whose sales figure comes out different depending on which system they ask.
How we help
- 01 We start with the decisions you make each month, then work back to the handful of numbers those decisions need.
- 02 We find where each number really lives, and reconcile the places it disagrees with itself.
- 03 We build one view that refreshes on its own, so nobody rebuilds it by hand on the first of the month.
- 04 We set who sees what, so payroll figures aren't sitting in a link the whole team can open.
- 05 We keep it accurate as the business changes, because a report nobody trusts is worse than no report.
What you get
- One place to look instead of four.
- Numbers that agree with each other across systems.
- Reporting that updates without manual work.
- Access controlled to the people who should see each figure.
- A clear note on where every number comes from.
What owners ask about custom dashboards & reporting
Why do my numbers never match across systems?
Usually because each system is answering a slightly different question. Your accounting platform counts revenue when the invoice is raised, your payment processor counts it when the money lands, and your CRM counts it when the deal is marked won. None of them is wrong. Before we build anything we write down which definition you want to run the business on, and everything reports against that one. If the books underneath are the real problem rather than the reporting on top, that's bookkeeping work first.
What should a small business dashboard actually show?
Fewer numbers than most people expect. In practice that's cash position, what is owed to you and what you owe, revenue against the same period last year, and one or two figures specific to how you make money. If a number wouldn't change a decision you make, it hasn't earned a place on the screen.
Do I need a reporting tool, or is a spreadsheet still fine?
A spreadsheet is fine right up to the point where someone updates it by hand every month, or two people are working from different copies. That's when the cost stops being the software and starts being the hour of rework plus the risk of deciding from the older version.
How current is the data?
It depends on the source. Bank feeds and accounting platforms typically refresh daily, so most dashboards are current to yesterday. Where a system can push changes as they happen, we take them as they happen. The refresh time sits on the dashboard itself, so you're never guessing how old a figure is.
Is this the same as financial reporting?
No, and the split is subject matter rather than technology. Financial reporting and live dashboards covers your financial picture and sits with the team keeping your books. This covers the whole business, including numbers that never reach the ledger, like pipeline, delivery times, or support volume. Plenty of clients have both.
Does everyone on the team need a paid license to see it?
That depends on the tool, and it's worth knowing before you pick one. Some reporting platforms charge for every person who opens a report, which adds up fast on a small team. Others don't. Where per viewer pricing doesn't make sense for you, we deliver the same figures as a scheduled report instead, and we say so up front rather than after you have bought seats.
Further reading
More under Technology
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