Why Symmetric Design agency switched from Float to Bonsai to streamline their operations

venturethree is a branding agency based in London. As a creative studio, they work with major clients across various industries, delivering comprehensive branding solutions from concept development through production. We spoke with their Project Director, Garry, about why they chose Bonsai to streamline their operations.

The challenge: Fragmented tools and manual reporting

Before implementing Bonsai, venturethree faced operational challenges that were hindering their growth and efficiency.

Resource planning limitations

The agency relied on Float for resource management, which worked well for scheduling but had critical reporting gaps.

"Float’s reporting didn’t provide enough insights on our financials. Our end of month finances were spread across many spreadsheets per client.”

— Garry Lloyd, Project Director at venturethree

This manual process was time-consuming and prone to errors.

Time tracking gaps

The team wasn't consistently tracking time across all projects. Making it difficult to understand project profitability and resource utilization.

Why venturethree chose Bonsai

Intuitive design

After evaluating multiple platforms including Scoro, venturethree found that most solutions were either too complex or not designed for their worklow. Bonsai’s intuitive design solved for their specific needs, without requiring a huge learning curve.

Comprehensive solution

The platform offered everything venturethree needed in one place:

"Our goal was to find a platform where everyone can see everything from project start to project finish."

— Garry Lloyd, Project Director at venturethree

Implementation and results

Streamlined resource planning

Bonsai's flexible resource planning views accommodate venturethree's collaborative approach. The schedule view, built specifically for agencies transitioning from Float, provides the familiar interface they needed while adding powerful reporting capabilities.

Unified project management

The agency now manages everything from initial estimates through project completion in one platform. The upcoming estimate builder feature will further streamline their workflow by allowing direct conversion from estimates to projects, eliminating duplicate data entry.

Enhanced financial visibility

With Bonsai's integrated reporting, venturethree gains real-time insights into project profitability and budget utilization.

Improved time tracking adoption

The platform's multiple time entry methods and user-friendly interface have made time tracking adoption seamless across the team.

"We love how the timesheets look and how simple and intuitive it is for our team to log their time."

— Garry Lloyd, Project Director at venturethree

Key benefits achieved

Operational efficiency

• Reduced manual spreadsheet processes for project planning and financial reporting

• Centralized all project information in one accessible platform

• Reduced time spent on administrative tasks

Better financial control

• Real-time budget tracking prevents project overruns

• Integrated profitability reporting provides immediate insights

Enhanced resource management

• Flexible scheduling that matches their collaborative workflow

• Improved visibility into team utilization and capacity

• Better project forecasting through integrated planning tools

Looking forward

venturethree has found their ideal platform in Bonsai, achieving the operational efficiency they sought while maintaining their collaborative culture. The agency continues to work closely with Bonsai's product team, providing feedback that helps shape new features - a partnership approach that ensures the platform evolves with their needs.