Meeting every new business in its first week

Lauren runs a one-woman bookkeeping practice in Houston. Her clients are independent shops, cafes and studios. New clients come only through referrals, and referrals have dried up. Every new business needs a bookkeeper in its first month. But by the time Lauren hears about one, its owner has signed with a big firm downtown. With xMap Flows, Lauren built Ledger. Every Monday at seven, across the Heights and Montrose, Ledger finds the shops, cafes and studios that opened this month, keeps the independents, scores which ones need a bookkeeper most, keeps the best eight, and emails Lauren the list, with a note drafted for each. On Monday, Ledger finds twenty-one new businesses, and the best eight are in her inbox with their phone numbers. Lauren calls them over coffee and visits three that afternoon. Two sign before their first month is out. Lauren stopped waiting for referrals. She meets new owners in their first week.

The story in words