This month we are delighted to continue with our team spotlight series. This is where we interview members of our team and ask them to share a little more about themselves and their role at Rocksteady Finance.

Next up is an interview with Dan Eaton, our Client Financial Controller, who has also quite recently joined the team. Here is what Dan had to say:

1. How long have you worked at Rocksteady Finance?

I started working with Aggie and the Rocksteady Finance team in July 2025, so just under a year.

2. What do you do day-to-day for Rocksteady’s clients (Tell us about your role)?

My role is consultancy based. I review the accounts at month end and help the team prepare the monthly data. Once the numbers are ready, I attend our clients’ leadership meetings to discuss how things are going and help them to forecast future activity. I want clients to feel like I’m a part of their team and work closely with their internal teams to ensure their accounts are all in order.

3. What does good look like and how do you know when you have done a good job in your role?

I think good is when things are running smoothly, we don’t need to redo any work, and there are no surprises. Good communication and dialogue with the client is essential to achieving balance. The clients who are responsive to what you are doing and react in a positive way are the ones that I see succeed. When a client is not responding to information requests, pushing back on meeting invites and treating finance as the least important task, they will often struggle.

We have had clients work with us at both ends of the spectrum, and the common trait among those who do well and those who don’t is consistent communication.

4. What’s the most common financial mistake you see agency founders making and what’s the fix?

The most common mistake I see agency founders make is ignoring their finances. They think that if they avoid the problems they will go away but they will likely just compound. Agency founders are always busy but they need to carve out the time to give the finances the time they require. Just looking at the topline revenue number isn’t good enough.

If finances are not your strong suit, this is where Rocksteady can help.

5. What’s a financial problem that agency founders often don’t realise they have until someone points it out?

Revenue recognition. This is an accounting principle that determines the specific time at which revenue is recorded and reported. Essentially, you review P&Ls for clients, and the revenue will jump up and down dramatically based on invoice dates rather than work delivered. When due diligence is being carried out for a potential sale, they are looking for consistent and predictable revenues.

6. What do agency founders most misunderstand about what you do?

Many agency owners think that finance is just about the numbers, but in my role, I look beyond that. Yes, there are some key figures you need to know, but you also need to understand how your agency is working. Finance is not just about filing your annual accounts. For example, you need to look at credit control (how many invoices are outstanding or still to be sent), the work you deliver, how long it takes to deliver the work, utilisation rates and profitability. All of these things become more important as your agency gets bigger.

Some of the bigger, more successful agencies are running their numbers every month so they can focus on being more efficient. This can help them to identify if someone in their team is not performing, so they can act quickly.

7. What’s the one financial challenge you think agency founders aren’t taking seriously enough right now?

The rising use of AI is presenting challenges and opportunities to the way we work, but a common theme I see at most agencies is that they win a piece of work, agree a rate card, set a retainer and then they won’t revisit that number for years.

Client contracts will expire and the team will continue to work on an old rate rather than have a conversation about increased terms. Your rent increases, supplier costs go up and staff get inflationary pay rises so it just eats away at your margin. It happens all the time, and it’s important that agencies review their rate cards annually, have continued comms with procurement to show the excellent work you are doing and remind them that it is a partnership delivering value.

8. What drew you to working in finance?

I stumbled into finance really. I did a degree in business management and luckily I got a role at a food factory in the head office as an Assistant Management Accountant. Sadly the place shut down but that got me into general finance assistant roles and worked my way up from there. It’s definitely harder to find those roles now as automated systems and AI are removing lots of those traditionally more laborious tasks.

I worked in various industries but luckily got a role at a Tech PR agency in London and that was the industry that I found suited me best. Culturally, marketing agencies are less formal, more creative and the people tend to be really lovely.

9. What’s the one thing you’d tell your younger self or anyone wanting to work in this field?

Get stuck into things, show willing and be curious about all aspects of the role and business. People will remember you if you volunteer your time to support projects. A simple follow-up with a team member to offer some help is always noticed.

10. Best piece of financial advice you ever received (from anyone, formal or not)?

When things go wrong, it’s just numbers, don’t worry about it. Things can be fixed and it’s important to confront the problem and find a solution rather than burying your head in the sand.

11. What do your friends and family think you do for a living?

They know what I do, because I talk about it. I enjoy working with clients and the various characters I get to work with.

12. Tell us something about you that we may not know.

I live on the Kent coast and enjoy swimming in the sea when the temperature gets a little warmer. I will also meticulously plan a holiday weeks in advance so that we get to go to all the restaurants and cultural sites that we cannot miss. There is nothing worse than arriving on holiday and wandering aimlessly. You’ve got to plan out that fun!

Thank you for your time Dan it was great to learn more about what you do and the role you play at Rocksteady Finance.  If you are a marketing, creative or PR agency that is ready to take the next step and looking to gain some financial clarity and direction, get in touch to book a no-obligation discovery call!