Why your tools aren’t talking & what it’s costing you

Ryan Pearcy Guest

Your tech stack might be holding your agency back more than you think.

Ryan Pearcy, founder of Digital Transformers and chartered accountant, has helped countless agencies untangle their systems and make smarter, faster decisions. He’s spent nearly 15 years helping service-based businesses clean up their systems, bringing finance, tech, and process together so leaders can make decisions based on reality.

In this episode, he helps Harv troubleshoot three agency tech stack scenarios.

Here’s what we get into:

Why disconnected tools lead to risky, gut-feel decisions, and how to fix that
How spreadsheet chaos is a sign you’re due for a system rethink
What to do when your systems aren’t quite delivering, but you’re still paying for them

Whether you’re early-stage or at 100+ people, this one’s a must-listen if your agency is still duct-taping its way through operations.

Key Takeaways:

Picking tools without a clear end-goal leads to disconnected systems. Agencies often fix problems in isolation instead of designing for the bigger picture.
Disconnected tools create blind spots. If your data lives in separate places, you’re making risky decisions based on gut feel, not facts.
Custom spreadsheets can be useful but they often become a bottleneck. Manual processes slow teams down and introduce errors.
Better systems drive better culture. When tools support visibility and accountability, teams start self-managing and taking ownership.
Agencies should track the full workday, not just billable time. Non-billable time can reveal who’s helping the business grow, and who isn’t – and gives you confidence that time has been logged and not forgotten.
Multi-entity agencies need tools built for complexity. Sharing resources across borders and currencies demands smarter systems, not spreadsheets.
Involve your team in system decisions. The best way to improve adoption is to bring the people who’ll use the tools into the process early.
You can’t fix what you can’t see. Visibility into resourcing, budgets, and utilization is key to operational maturity.