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Winger Marketing is a dynamic B2B marketing agency founded by Karolyn Raphael that empowers businesses to achieve sustainable growth through strategic digital marketing solutions. Specializing in content creation, SEO, targeted advertising, and email campaigns, the agency combines creative expertise with data-driven strategies to help clients build stronger brand presence.
The Challenge: Limited Visibility and Manual Processes Hindering Growth
Winger Marketing was struggling with operational inefficiencies that were preventing them from scaling effectively. Despite using Wrike for project management, the agency faced significant challenges in gaining visibility into their business operations and maintaining profitability.
The Wrike Limitations
After years of using Wrike, the agency discovered that while the platform offered flexibility, it lacked the specialized features needed for agency operations.
I didn't have any real visibility on, like, people's work capacity. There was no real easy way for me to look at a client without running manual reporting.
— Karolyn Raphael, founder of Winger Marketing
Critical Operational Gaps
No Budget Tracking Capabilities
One of the most significant limitations was Wrike's inability to track project budgets effectively. This lack of budget visibility made it nearly impossible to understand project profitability in real-time or make informed decisions about resource allocation.
Poor Integration Capabilities
While Wrike offered a QuickBooks integration, it came with a prohibitive cost. "There is an integration with QuickBooks, but it's like an extra $10,000 to do that," Karolyn explains, making the integration financially unfeasible for their agency size.
Inconsistent Task Management
The platform's flexibility became a liability when it came to maintaining consistent workflows. "They have these subtasks that if you don't have your settings set correctly, you might miss items or they don't show up, or if you don't have a certain person assigned, they won't get their assignment," Karolyn describes.
Lack of Communication Visibility
The agency struggled with communication transparency across the team. "I don't know that Emily sent an email to the client about this because I can't see it in this system," Karolyn explains, highlighting how critical client communication was happening in silos.
No Centralized Client Information
Storing and accessing client information was challenging. "
Resource Management Struggles
No Capacity Planning
The agency had no way to understand team capacity or workload distribution. This was particularly problematic for Karolyn as the agency owner trying to make strategic decisions about taking on new work or hiring additional team members.
Inconsistent Project Setup
Different team members were setting up projects in different ways, leading to confusion and inconsistency.
The Solution: Why Winger Marketing Chose Bonsai
After evaluating multiple platforms including Asana, Monday, and HubSpot, Winger Marketing selected Bonsai as their comprehensive agency management solution.
Key Decision Factors
Agency-Specific Focus
Unlike horizontal platforms like Wrike that serve multiple industries, Bonsai was built specifically for agencies. This specialization means every feature was relevant to their needs, eliminating the confusion that came with overly flexible platforms.
Real-Time Visibility
The platform promised to solve their visibility issues by providing real-time insights into project profitability, team capacity, and budget utilization—all in one centralized location.
Comprehensive Reporting
Bonsai offered native reporting capabilities specifically designed for agencies, including utilization rates and billable utilization rates that were impossible to calculate in Wrike.
Streamlined Workflows
The platform's opinionated structure would eliminate the inconsistency issues they faced with Wrike, ensuring all team members followed the same processes.
The Results: Enhanced Operations and Strategic Insights
Since implementing Bonsai, Winger Marketing has experienced significant improvements across all areas of their agency operations.
Real-Time Project and Budget Tracking
Comprehensive Budget Visibility
The agency now has complete visibility into project budgets and profitability in real-time. Project managers can see exactly where each project stands financially without running complex reports or manual calculations.
Integrated Time and Budget Tracking
Team members track time directly within tasks, and this data automatically flows into budget calculations and profitability reports. "Great project tracking, including budget tracking and alignment," Karolyn notes about their improved capabilities.
Automated Financial Insights
The platform provides instant insights into project margins, helping the agency make informed decisions about pricing and resource allocation.
Real-time insights into our profitability: No manual data crunching needed.
Enhanced Resource Management
Clear Capacity Planning
The agency now has complete visibility into team capacity and workload distribution.
We now know who is maxed out and who can do more for the team.
Strategic Hiring Decisions
With clear utilization data, Karolyn can make informed decisions about when to hire additional team members or take on new clients.
Improved Project Allocation
The resource planning features help ensure that work is distributed effectively across the team, preventing burnout and ensuring optimal productivity.
Operational Consistency
Standardized Project Structure
Bonsai's opinionated approach to project management has eliminated the inconsistency issues they faced with Wrike. All team members now follow the same project setup and management processes.
Centralized Client Information
All client information, communication, and project data is now stored in a centralized location, making it easy for any team member to access the information they need.
Streamlined Communication
The platform provides visibility into all client communication, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks and all team members stay informed.
Enhanced Workflow Efficiency
Template-Based Project Setup
The agency uses Bonsai's task templates to quickly set up recurring work, ensuring consistency while saving time on project initiation.
Automated Processes
Many previously manual processes are now automated, from invoice generation to project budget tracking, freeing up time for strategic work.
Improved Team Collaboration
The integrated platform has improved collaboration by providing a single source of truth for all project and client information.
The Bottom Line
Bonsai didn't just replace our tools; it also enhanced our workflow. It has begun to transform our approach to running Winger Marketing.
The move to Bonsai has delivered measurable improvements:
• Enhanced project tracking with real-time budget and profitability insights
• Improved resource allocation with clear visibility into team capacity
• Streamlined operations through standardized processes and workflows
• Better financial control with integrated time tracking and budget management
For Winger Marketing, Bonsai solved the fundamental challenge of operational visibility while providing the specialized tools needed to run a successful agency. The platform's agency-specific focus eliminated the confusion and inefficiencies that came with using a horizontal solution like Wrike.
"For those scaling an agency, it's a game-changer worth considering," Karolyn concludes, highlighting how the platform has positioned them for continued growth and success.
The transformation from fragmented, manual processes to an integrated, automated system has not only improved their current operations but also provided the foundation for sustainable growth as they continue to scale their B2B marketing agency.
Ready to transform your agency operations like Winger Marketing? Discover how Bonsai can provide the real-time visibility and streamlined workflows your agency needs to thrive.
