Joseph Studios (JOS) is a service-based marketing agency. For many agencies, revenue can appear healthy while cash flow tells a more complicated story—especially when payroll is high, expenses are spread across tools, and debt quietly builds in the background.
Daniel Klein, CEO and founder, believed he was doing everything right: using a major bank, maintaining standard accounting systems, and following professional advice. Still, the balance declined month after month.
Relay has been a great help toward our long-term commitment to being a financially healthy company. — Daniel Klein, JOS
Business outcomes
Paid off a $63,000 line of credit in four months
Paid down nearly $50,000 in credit card debt in four months
Set aside $10,000 in reserve in four months
Before Relay: Growth without financial structure
JOS wasn't in a visible crisis. Clients were steady and revenue was coming in. But as the business grew, expenses increased faster than visibility.
Daniel describes that period plainly: "It was 2022, and I had a giant cash-eating monster. We were starting to ramp up operations and beginning to get into six and seven figures. But I did not have control over my expenses."
Behind the scenes, the company was carrying:
A federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan from the pandemic
A bank line of credit
Credit card balances
An Amex line of credit tied personally to Daniel
Money was moving through the agency, but there was no clear separation between what was available to spend, what was reserved for payroll, and what needed to go toward debt. As revenue increased, financial pressure increased with it.
The solution: A banking structure that supports Profit First
Profit First is a cash management method that allocates income into separate accounts for specific purposes, such as payroll, operating expenses, taxes, and profit. Daniel understood the framework. The challenge was running it consistently inside a traditional banking setup.
Relay provided the structure to make those allocations practical for JOS.
Separate accounts that reflect how the business runs
Instead of one operating account handling everything, Daniel created dedicated accounts for payroll, operating expenses, and reserves. That separation made cash flow visible in real time and reduced the need to constantly interpret a single fluctuating balance.
When money has a defined place, decisions become simpler because the boundaries are already set.
Purpose-driven cards for cleaner spending
Marketing agencies manage recurring expenses across ad platforms, software subscriptions, and contractors.
JOS uses Relay debit cards2, including virtual cards, tied to specific categories such as Facebook spend or SEO tools. Assigning cards to designated accounts keeps spending organized and prevents one category from quietly draining another.
2The Relay Visa® Debit Card is issued by Thread Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used anywhere Visa debit cards are accepted.
Building reserves intentionally
With allocations enforced through separate accounts, the company began operating with clearer targets each month.
As Daniel explains, "We're going to be hitting our target allocation percentages every single month. And that's really what got us down the journey of using Relay to manage cash flow and to manage our expectations from a revenue versus expense perspective."
Profit became part of the company's monthly allocation plan.
The impact: Debt reduction and measurable financial progress
Once Relay and Profit First were implemented consistently, Daniel had a system in place that gave him clarity as he worked towards his goals.
In approximately four months, JOS:
Paid off a $63,000 line of credit
Paid down nearly $50,000 in credit card debt
Set aside $10,000 in reserve
Reducing debt lowered monthly obligations and created immediate breathing room.
Over time, Daniel continued strengthening the company's financial position, eventually building a cash buffer approaching six figures. That money is intentionally held as protection rather than spent reactively.
JOS also eliminated an estimated $500 to $1,000 per month in banking and software costs, reducing ongoing overhead.
As the system became consistent, the company's financial pattern shifted. Month by month, balances began moving in the right direction as the agency operated with clearer structure and intention.
Relay: Turning discipline into a repeatable system
For JOS, Relay provides the clarity needed to run the business with discipline and intention.
By combining Profit First principles with a banking setup designed for separation and visibility, Daniel can:
Protect payroll
Control spending
Build reserves
Make decisions based on clear numbers
Financial discipline came from putting the right structure in place. With that foundation established, JOS shifted from managing pressure to building stability.
