corecubed
A 25-year-old specialist agency rebuilds its operational playbook for its next chapter of growth.
The story in 30 seconds
After decades of steady growth in the homecare marketing niche, corecubed's profitability had plateaued. Their traditional accounting partners couldn't connect financial data to client or project outcomes. An audit and systems rebuild equipped the team — most without a finance background — to navigate agency KPIs like utilization and billable rate with confidence.
- Industry
- Homecare Marketing
- Founded
- 1998
- Revenue
- $1-3M
- Team Size
- ~20 FTE
We learned the importance of the Utilization rate, the Average Billable Rate, and those were terms that we hadn’t used, hadn’t looked at, didn’t understand. Now, my team fully understands the relationship between how we bid the work, how we work the work, and the end result of profitability.
Merrily Orsini
Founder @ corecubed
01 — Situation
Situation
In 1998, Merrily Orsini founded corecubed, a digital marketing agency specializing in the care industry, including non-medical in-home care, home health, and hospice services.
Operating remotely before it became mainstream, corecubed established itself as an innovative player in a niche market. After decades of steady growth and reasonable profits, the agency found its performance plateauing, prompting a need for refined operational strategies.
02 — Struggle
Struggle
The leadership at corecubed, including Merrily, started to notice discrepancies in the financial data provided by their traditional accounting partners, which became an obstacle in making informed decisions about profitability, and understanding impacts at the client and account levels. The existing processes for billing and invoicing were not only outdated but also inefficient, leading to potential profit losses and operational bottlenecks.
These challenges underscored the necessity for a system overhaul to gain clear insights into client profitability and team utilization.
The introduction to Parakeeto came at a crucial time, recommended by a business coach who recognized the agency’s need for specialized operational insights that standard accounting practices could not provide.
03 — Solution
Solution
Parakeeto’s intervention began with a detailed Audit of corecubed’s existing systems, revealing critical inefficiencies and misalignments in data management. This initial diagnosis was eye-opening for Merrily and her team, setting the stage for a comprehensive operational revamp.
Implementing Parakeeto’s tailored “Predict and Optimize” strategies, corecubed refined their project scoping, pricing models, and performance forecasting.
The new systems allowed for a granular analysis of profitability by service line and client, enabling the agency to make informed decisions about where to cut losses and where to focus growth efforts. Through Parakeeto’s detailed and transparent reporting, corecubed’s management, many of whom did not have a background in finance, were now equipped to navigate complex data and apply insights to their operational strategies effectively.
04 — Results
Results
The collaboration with Parakeeto led to significant improvements in corecubed’s profitability, operational efficiency and financial clarity:
- A robust framework for financial and operational data that provided clear visibility into profitability and efficiency.
- Enhanced decision-making processes with refined billing and invoicing systems.
- Empowered team members who developed a deeper understanding of key metrics like utilization rates and average billing rates, fostering a proactive approach to management.
These changes not only streamlined operations but also positioned corecubed for higher profitability and strategic agility. The management team’s newfound understanding and application of operational data have become a cornerstone of their strategic decision-making process.
05 — Summary
Summary
Parakeeto’s work with corecubed transformed their approach to business management, moving from uncertainty and inefficiency to clarity and strategic precision. This case study exemplifies how tailored operational insights can revitalize an established agency’s trajectory, turning potential stagnation into a pathway for growth and profitability.
Merrily Orsini reflects on the experience with Parakeeto as transformative, recommending that any agency on the fence about initiating such changes should unequivocally consider it. “It’s all worth it,” she affirms, “for the clarity and control it brings to your business operations.”
Your turn
Even long-established agencies hit ceilings.
If growth has plateaued and the numbers don't tell the full story anymore, we can help you see what's really driving — or draining — profit.
Free Consultation