How Thrive Group cut reporting time by 75% and gained instant financial clarity with Fathom

Results at a glance:

• 75% reduction in consolidated reporting time
• 15-day turnaround for bank-ready reports
• 2+ hours saved every month-end
• Multi-entity consolidation completed instantly
• Directors now access never-before-seen KPIs & visuals
• Reporting brought in-house at lower cost with better detail

The challenge: manual reporting across multiple entities

Thrive Group is a national workforce recruitment specialist operating under three entities, each managing multiple branches across the UK. With this multi-location setup came a familiar month-end headache: hours spent consolidating data across entities in Excel.

James Moore, Financial Director at Thrive Group, knew the process needed to change.

To prepare consolidated accounts for directors, investors, and bank partners, James spent hours stitching reports together manually:

“Instead of me fluffing around in Excel for two hours to try and build consolidated accounts, at the click of a button I get consolidated accounts.”

Not only was the process slow, it was risky. Formulas could break. Reports didn’t always tie to Companies House numbers. And investors wanted fast, accurate data.

Meanwhile, moving from outsourced reporting to an in-house finance function meant the team needed a solution that could scale, simplify, and elevate their reporting, fast.

The solution: automated multi-entity reporting with Fathom

When James took on the role of Financial Director, he worked with a consultant, who introduced him to Fathom.

The result was immediate clarity and speed:

“When I was shown Fathom I thought, this is exactly what I need. It gives us absolutely everything. And new releases are added on all the time.”

Setting up Fathom took a matter of minutes:

• Connected to Xero
• Instantly connecting three entities
• Consolidated reporting available same day

No more spreadsheet stitching. No more double-checking every formula. No more waiting weeks for outsourced reporting. James now produces fully customised, on-brand monthly reports; complete with visuals, KPIs, and branch-by-branch detail.

“The time I’m being saved and the look is so professional. It can go to our bank partners, directors, and investors.”

Why Fathom works for Thrive Group

• Instant consolidated accounts across three entities
• Clear KPI dashboards for directors
• Professional, branded performance reports
• Budget vs actuals automatically tracked
• Accurate intercompany eliminations
• Far lower cost than outsourced solutions

James now brings Fathom into key meetings, using visuals to guide conversations and quickly pinpoint issues:

“Directors have never got reporting like this before. We’re able to make so many better decisions on the back of Fathom.”

The results: 75% faster reporting and better decision-making

1. Hitting bank deadlines that used to feel impossible
   
   One of the biggest turning points came when Thrive changed banking partner. The new lender required monthly reports to be submitted within 15 days.
   
   Before Fathom, this would have been unachievable.
   
   With Fathom, it became routine. “If I didn’t have Fathom, I wouldn’t be able to give them the reports they want in the time they need.”
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2. Increased time for strategy
   
   With reporting streamlined, James has reclaimed two weeks every month. Time he now invests in planning, forecasting, and strategic decision-making.
   
   Directors also get clearer visibility than ever before: “We have a year-on-year revenue graph and the trend is almost identical. We didn’t necessarily know that before. Now we can plan our budgeting around it.”
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3. More confidence across the business
   
   Fathom’s visuals and KPIs have unlocked conversations that simply weren’t possible with Excel or their previous outsourced system.
   
   From GP% and liquidity metrics to debtor days and trend analysis, directors now have the right insights at the right time. “The detail is far better than what we had before, and cheaper.”

What’s next: forecasting, scenario planning & branch expansion

Thrive Group is now preparing to expand its use of Fathom into forecasting:

• Scenario planning for hiring decisions
• Forecast snapshots to model new branch openings
• Cash flow forecasts to support bank reporting
• Quarterly reforecasting to reduce spreadsheet time

“From day one you’re getting better information, and there’s so much more to add. Six months from now we’ll be using even more of Fathom.”

James also plans to onboard team members to Fathom to deepen financial literacy across the department.

See how Fathom can transform your reporting. Start your free trial of Fathom today.