Growth and evolution has been the name of the game for digital entrepreneur Kahl Orr.
Orr started his company, Rise, before the pandemic and has managed to not only stay operational, but grow and evolve, in the uncertain years since. Bench’s bookkeeping and accounting teams have been with Rise every step of the way.
In a recent interview with Bench, Orr shared insights into how Rise has tackled operational challenges and scaled its service offerings at a time when so many small businesses across America are scaling back, or worse, shuttering.
Rise first hired Bench as its accounting solution in 2019, when the company was focused primarily on building web and mobile applications. Orr, a laser-focused business owner with a knack for data and analytics, saw a need for more from his clients, and soon got ready to expand. He added marketing services to Rise’s list of offerings, which proved to be a smart move. “That department is actually growing beyond the size of our web and app work,” he says.
“The big value for me is that it gives me a lot of confidence going into discussions with our financial advisor and our CPA, whether we’re dealing with tax season or making a determination on what our financial situation is like, and what we can invest in.”
And that’s not all. This year, Orr and his team are introducing another new feature: they’re building a client portal to streamline the delivery of their marketing campaigns, while also centralizing client communication, which was previously scattered across different platforms.
This project is a testament to Orr’s commitment to operational efficiency.
“Our goals right now are really related to our operations. We’re revamping many of our procedures, and this new portal will replace many of our other platforms for tracking our time and communicating and organizing our work,” he says.
Bench, as Rise's financial management partner, has played a crucial role in their success. By consolidating all their accounts and handling upfront bookkeeping, Bench saved Rise a significant amount of time. Since Orr and Bench first connected in 2019, Rise’s number of entries has more than doubled, making Bench's services even more valuable.
But it’s not just the time savings that have made a difference for Orr.
“The big value for me is that it gives me a lot of confidence going into discussions with our financial advisor and our CPA, whether we’re dealing with tax season or making a determination on what our financial situation is like, and what we can invest in.”
One of those investments has been a sister company, Review Harvest. This software-as-a-service application helps businesses collect customer reviews, integrating with popular platforms like Mailchimp and Salesforce—and building it required a significant upfront investment, both in terms of time and funding.
“Bench’s platform helped us decide when was the right quarter to invest in various components of building it out, and monitor where we were with that.”
Staying on top of cash flow is critical for Rise, given the variable nature of their projects and campaigns. With Bench's assistance, the team can accurately forecast expenses, calculate project profitability, and continue to make informed decisions about the company's future investments.
Being able to take those calculated, informed risks is one aspect of successfully growing a business like Rise—but Orr has additional advice to offer young entrepreneurs.
“I’d say to try and let go, not try to control everything. I used to kind of micromanage—I used to want to know every single little thing going on in the business,” he says. “To protect my own sanity and health, I’ve had to let go of that quite a bit, and trust that I’ve hired the right people. They’re the experts, and my job is to empower them, not control them.”
