Hi, I’m Michael, founder of Barnridge Accountancy
His experience spans creative, marketing, branding, digital, PR, communications and events agencies. That means you won’t ever have to spend time explaining how your agency works, why revenue fluctuates or the danger of scope creep.
Michael has deep knowledge of your world and has built a specialist team to serve your sector.
Clear financial advice for ambitious agency owners
Michael founded Barnridge to give agency leaders the kind of financial support that is often missing between basic bookkeeping and a full in-house finance team.
He is dedicated to providing agency owners with accurate, up-to-date numbers that help them make important decisions while there is still time to act.
That might mean deciding whether the agency can afford its next hire, understanding which clients and services are genuinely profitable or working out why cash flow feels tight despite a busy pipeline.
“The numbers are only useful if they help you make a better decision. I would rather spend an hour helping an agency owner understand what needs to change than produce a report nobody reads.”
Why Michael chose to specialise in agencies
Michael trained and qualified at a generalist chartered accountancy practice, where he worked with businesses across a wide range of industries.
In 2014, he moved into agency finance full-time and spent the next eight years working for several marketing and communications businesses. He founded Barnridge in 2022 and made the decision to work solely with agencies.
Michael and the team understand the commercial realities behind each agency’s numbers. Retainers, project work, utilisation, delayed sign-offs, freelancers, over-servicing and unpredictable pipelines – all of these are familiar territory.
The result is genuinely helpful advice based on how agencies actually operate, rather than generic accounting theory.
Michael’s approach to agency finance
Michael takes a tech-first approach, using well-designed systems centred around Xero to produce reliable financial information quickly and consistently.
Technology, however, is only the starting point. His main focus is helping agency owners interpret the numbers and decide what to do next.
He supports agencies in areas including:
- Management accounts and financial reporting
- Cash flow, budgeting, revenue forecasting
- Pricing, margins and profitability
- Hiring and capacity planning
- Revenue recognition
- Outsourced finance support
- Growth planning and financial strategy
Michael is known for being calm, direct and honest. Clients may not always hear exactly what they hoped to hear, but they will understand where the agency stands and what needs to happen next.
What Michael has learned from successful agencies
The best-performing agencies have a clear understanding of their numbers.
They track time reliably, review management information every month and use rolling forecasts to make decisions. They also reprice or rescope work when delivery no longer matches the original agreement.
Problems often arise when agencies operate without current financial data. Staff costs creep upwards, old pricing goes unchallenged, and charge-out rates are based on assumptions rather than actual delivery costs.
These issues may not cause an immediate crisis, but over time they can weaken margins, restrict cash flow and make growth harder than it needs to be.
Beyond Barnridge
Outside work, Michael is a long-suffering Tottenham Hotspur season-ticket holder and a self-confessed AFOL: an adult fan of Lego.
He is married to Katey, Barnridge’s Operations Manager, and most of his time away from work is spent with her and their two boys.
His favourite business book is Atomic Habits by James Clear. Its focus on strong systems, consistent routines and small improvements reflects how Michael approaches both Barnridge and the advice he gives to clients.
His most important business lesson is simple: choose a niche and commit to it. That decision has shaped Barnridge and allows Michael to give agency owners support grounded in genuine, specialist experience.
Talk to Michael
Running an agency can feel uncertain when the financial picture is not clear.
Michael can help you understand what your numbers are telling you, identify what needs attention and build the financial systems your agency needs for its next stage of growth.
Arrange a conversation with Michael and find out how Barnridge can support your agency.
Give us a call
020 3997 6165