Case Study

Consumer Choice Award cuts cost of bookkeeping by 75 percent 

Consumer Choice Award helps recognize the best small- and medium-sized businesses across Canada through independent research and marketing support. Based in Toronto, the company has annual revenues in the millions and a team of around 20 people.

After the firm switched from an in-house accountant to Scalability, it reduced accounting and finance costs by a stunning 75 percent.

“We hired Scalability in 2015 and a day doesn’t go by without me celebrating that decision,” says President Jack McFadden.

The Challenge

Consumer Choice Award had relied on an in-house accountant for several years—but turnover was high. The company went through three people in the role over three years. Despite paying a full salary and benefits, much of the work being done was basic bookkeeping.

McFadden is a marketing expert, not an accountant, and felt uncomfortable managing and questioning the person in the role.

The Solution

In 2015, Consumer Choice Award hired Scalability to take over its full back-office finance function. The team now manages:

✅ Full-cycle bookkeeping and monthly financial reporting.

✅ Invoicing, accounts receivable, and accounts payable.

✅ Payroll processing and remitting sales and income taxes.

✅ Strategic financial support and accounting oversight.

The Result

“Consumer Choice Award’s internal accounting resource was not providing nearly the value that Scalability does,” Jack says. “We would never, ever go back to accounting using internal staff.”

Some of the gains include:

✔ Reduced finance and accounting costs by 75%.

✔ Removed the need for in-house headcount entirely.

✔ Repurposed the accountant’s office and file storage area into space for the sales team.

✔ Dramatically lowered receivables and reduced days outstanding.

✔ Transitioned accounting to 100 percent cloud-based, allowing managers to access data 24/7

✔ Eliminated paper costs by moving to a fully digital finance system.

✔ Built-in flexibility—can easily scale support up as needed.

Final Thoughts

“It is somewhat counterintuitive, but outsourcing our accounting gave us greater control of all aspects of our business,” Jack says. “I highly recommend Scalability for your accounting needs.”

Looking to streamline your financial operations? Let’s chat.