How Logistis Became Eye for Pretty’s Sounding Board, Helping Them Take Bold Leaps to Grow Their Business

Introduction

When long-time friends Nicole Salceda and Carisa Ferraioli joined efforts to form their interior design business, Eye for Pretty, they quickly experienced success and growth. One month into business, the team realized they needed a lot of help to ensure their books were being managed properly. “We had a [positive] cash flow, our first taste of money in the bank. At that point, we knew we needed help”, recalls Carisa.

Lacking confidence that they were managing their books correctly, Carisa and Nicole knew they had to outsource this service to an expert.

“We took a leap and signed on with Logistis“, recalls Carisa, “understanding that it was a smart business decision that would allow us to grow.“

• Carisa and Nicole were enjoying their first taste of growth as a newly formed company, but they struggled to get a handle on their bookkeeping and taxes.
• After asking around their network of design professionals, Carisa and Nicole decided to reach out to Logistis and inquire about their bookkeeping services.
• From the initial phone call through all phases of setup, integration, and accountability, Carisa and Nicole knew they had made the right decision to sign on with Logistis. A huge weight was lifted off their shoulders, and they gained confidence knowing that their books were being competently maintained.

The Story of Eye for Pretty

As an elementary school teacher and hobbyist designer, Nicole Salceda dreamt of one day turning her passion into a full-time pursuit. Once she was ready to take that leap of faith, she asked long-time friend Carisa Ferraioli to partner with her as her Business Manager. Carisa’s experience as a project manager allowed Nicole to focus on the design aspect of Eye for Pretty. It was the perfect partnership, and Eye for Pretty began to take off.

They quickly began to scale as word-of-mouth spread about their amazing design work. Just one month into their collective efforts, Carisa and Nicole noticed a glaring problem: their books did not accurately reflect their cash versus accrual, and they were unsure of how to manage that unique aspect of the interior design industry.

The team decided to enlist the help of Logistis for Designers, who helped them quickly organize their data, stay ahead of forecasted expenses, and balance cash in versus cash out.

With the bookkeeping and accounting aspect of their business now being well managed, Carisa and Nicole found a trusted resource they could rely on for advice in growth-related business decisions.

“I really do think it was the help of Logistis maintaining our books and keeping everything clean that allowed us to grow and keep growing,” says Carisa.

That stability and reassurance allowed Eye for Pretty to scale to a team of six designers. The team has since opened a studio and has plans for expanding with a retail store. Nicole is considered a local celebrity and a top influencer on social media and in the community.

The Challenge of Managing their Books Competently

Neither Carisa nor Nicole knew much about bookkeeping and accounting operations, and they were presented with a challenge: learn Quickbooks and manage their numbers themselves or seek professional help.

Early on in their business, Carisa recalls asking other designers for their advice in growing their business. The main takeaway that stuck with her was to outsource as much as they could instead of trying to learn it for themselves.

Since Carisa wanted to focus on her role as business manager while Nicole handled the project design, they were ready to find a trusted partner to handle the bookkeeping and accounting for them.

Why Eye for Pretty Chose Logistis for Designers

Early on in their business, Carisa recalls asking other designers for their advice in growing their business. The main takeaway that stuck with her was to outsource as much as they could instead of trying to learn it for themselves.

Although their business wasn’t quite yet scaled enough to justify the bookkeeping services, Nicole and Carisa made a bold decision to sign on with Logistis, understanding that it was a smart business decision that would allow them to grow.

“After the call, we were so sure that this was an essential part of our business that we took a leap and signed on with Logistis,” Carisa recalls.

How Logistis for Designers Responded

The team had their initial phone call with Logistis, and it was a great experience, offering them reassurance that this was the solution they needed.

“The initial phone call was great, and we signed on immediately,” says Carisa enthusiastically. “Logistis knew the business of interior design so well. They understood how the money comes in and how it goes out—the accrual versus cash, and how to forecast future expenses.“

“Our books were scary, to say the least,” Carisa laughs. But once signed on, Logistis quickly acted.

There was a lot of work to do that first month, Nicole remembers, such as matching up Ivy payments into Quickbooks^®. But from day one, Logistis was so responsive and thorough, Nicole and Carisa felt confident that they were headed in the right direction.

The Eye for Pretty team was matched with Emilie, who met with them 1-2 times weekly for the first month to make sure mistakes were resolved, setup and integrations were established, and a strong plan was in place for the future.

“We learned so much in that first month about what we’d been doing wrong and how to correct it. That really took a huge weight off our shoulders,” adds Carisa.

Once the initial clean-up and setup were complete, Logistis stepped back and moved into a management role. The team now has once-monthly meetings and receives regular email updates on sales and use tax and monthly reports, which Logistis files for them. Logistis keeps a watchful eye on the design team’s data, alerting them of anything that caught their eye as being out of sync or not matching up.

Carisa enjoys that Emilie is always showing her ways to streamline processes, offering her quicker and more efficient ways of doing things, and saving them money.

“Neither Nicole nor I were ever accountants or knew how to use Quickbooks,” Carisa notes, “so it was nice to have that stress removed from our shoulders.“

The Results

Nicole and Carisa see the Logistis team as a great sounding board and an invaluable resource. Carisa is always asking Emilie for her expert advice on business decisions involving growth.

Carisa and Nicole now enjoy having Logistis as an expert consultant when they find themselves in need of business advice. They also benefit from the vast network of industry experts that Logistis offers for referral services, such as tax accountants and employment attorneys.

Most importantly, Eye for Pretty has gained the confidence they sought to know that their bookkeeping and sales tax efforts were being managed appropriately, allowing them to focus their efforts on the growth of their business.

“It’s comforting to know that they’re looking at this and they are professionals,” says Carisa.

“We completely and 100% trust them,” she adds.