We were spending around $8,000 a month on different software licences and still not getting what we needed.
Julia Barnard
Creative Director & Founder, This Space Creative
Too many tools, not enough clarity.
With multiple service lines, project-based work, and global clients, This Space Creative needed financial systems that could keep up. Instead, disconnected tools and manual processes were slowing the business down.
The impact was significant:
- 3–4 days every month were spent manually reconciling accounts.
- The team relied heavily on spreadsheets, emails, and disconnected tools.
- Errors were often caught late i.e. during quarterly audits.
- No clear view of profitability from event activity.
“We had no single source of truth… everything had to be manually tracked,” says Julia Barnard, Creative Director & Founder at This Space Creative.
Operationally, things were just as challenging. “Reconciling took days and days of work,” says Jordana Shawyer, CEO at This Space Creative
Limited access to corporate cards meant an absence of tracking and limits, which held a greater risk for unexpected costs and overspending. “With our bank at the time, you had to be there in person at the branch to even be able to get a corporate card,” explains Jordana.
Meanwhile, the business was investing heavily in tools that didn’t deliver. “We were using multiple softwares and none of them spoke to each other. The human error factor was a high risk,” says Julia.
“Between all the different software we were using, all cobbled together we were spending around $8,000 a month and still not getting what we needed,” she adds.
After years of failed implementations, trust in software solutions had started to fade.
With OFX, each of our team members now has financial power and it’s a really positive thing,” says Jordana.
Jordana Shawyer
CEO, This Space Creative
Finding a partner, not just another platform.
Everything changed when This Space Creative partnered with OFX. From the first conversation, the difference was clear.
“No one had ever taken the time to understand our challenges like OFX did,” says Julia.
Rather than forcing the business to adapt, OFX adapted to them, bringing everything into one place and creating a seamless, intuitive experience.
From disconnected tools to complete financial clarity.
Before OFX, financial data lived everywhere — and nowhere.
With OFX, that changed overnight.
With OFX corporate cards, every transaction is now captured and mapped directly to project budgets in real time, creating a true single source of truth across the business. “We can see the cost of a job in one look and we know it’s the true cost,” says Jordana.
“Our biggest shift has been true accountability of spend against each job. Before OFX, we had to manually track every cost tied to an event,” says Julia.
This level of visibility has fundamentally changed how the business operates:
- Real-time visibility into every project’s spend.
- Clear understanding of true job costs and profitability.
- Elimination of manual tracking and reconciliation gaps.
Reclaiming time, energy, and mental bandwidth.
Finance processes that once consumed days each month have been dramatically reduced by syncing Xero, their financial software, with OFX.
Manual reconciliation, tracking, and reporting are now largely automated.
“I estimate it’s saving me 95% of the time I used to spend on that process. That’s not only an incredible cost saving, it’s a mental bandwidth that means I no longer have to be across every single minutiae detail,” says Julia.
“Across the business, workflows are now 75% faster, with fewer manual touchpoints and significantly less risk of human error,” Julia adds.
Errors that were once only identified during quarterly audits are now visible in real time, allowing the team to act immediately rather than retrospectively.
But the impact goes beyond time savings. “The cost of mental bandwidth isn’t measured enough in small businesses,” Julia explains. By removing operational friction, leadership has been able to step out of the day-to-day and refocus on growth, innovation, and creative direction.
Empowering a team through financial confidence.
Perhaps the most unexpected outcome of implementing OFX was the cultural shift it created.
Finance, which was once complex, and intimidating, has become accessible and intuitive for the team at This Space Creative.
Every employee now has access to an OFX card, complete with controls, budgets, and real-time visibility into spend.
“We’ve empowered our entire team. Everyone knows how to use the platform. There’s still an approval process and I love that. With OFX, each of our team members now has financial power and it’s a really positive thing,” says Jordana.
This has transformed processes across the business:
- Team members track and manage their own budgets.
- Conversations about scope, spend, and profitability happen earlier.
- Employees feel trusted and accountable, not restricted.
- Financial literacy has improved across all levels.
“It’s created curiosity instead of fear around finances,” says Julia.
I was stuck working in the business. Now I can finally work on it.
Julia Barnard
Creative Director & Founder, This Space Creative
More time, more clarity, more creative impact.
For This Space Creative, OFX became more than a tool. It became a true partner.
“With OFX, we weren’t sold at. We were presented with a partnership and ever since then we’ve created something great together,” says Julia.
By consolidating systems and simplifying finance, the business has:
- Reclaimed time and mental bandwidth.
- Improved accuracy and visibility.
- Empowered its team on financial ownership.
- Eliminated costly, ineffective tools.
Most importantly, it’s unlocked space to focus on growth and creativity.
“I was stuck working in the business. Now I can finally work on it,” says Julia.
Ditch disconnected tools. Find a more connected platform.