“It's not malicious. People aren't trying to not pay you. They're just busy people or busy business owners. And the easier that you can make it for them, the quicker you'll get the cash.”
Emily Vass started Nourished Accounting to help small business owners feel confident about their numbers. She saw how often finance was avoided - not because people didn’t care, but because it felt overwhelming or unclear. With a focus on education, Emily uses social content and client work to simplify complex topics.
Emily started using Adfin when she was still a sole trader, putting the right payment structure in place early. As her business grew and moved to a limited company, that setup stayed with her. Today, the firm’s overdue invoice rate is nearly always 0%. Emily is realistic: occasionally a client pays late - but when that happens, having a system that means you can resolve it quickly makes all the difference.
A lean tech stack
Emily’s approach to technology has always been measured: start lean, and only introduce tools when they genuinely reduce friction.
The firm now runs on:
- Xero for bookkeeping and recurring invoices
- Engager for engagement letters and practice management
- Adfin, connected to both, to handle payments and credit control
The key requirement is that everything integrates. Payment isn’t treated as a separate administrative task - it sits inside the wider workflow.
The key element: payments as part of onboarding
As Nourished began taking on more clients, Emily knew onboarding needed to be clear and consistent. Moving someone from discovery call to active client should feel straightforward - both for the team and for the client. When Adfin integrated with Engager, it solved a practical problem: instead of managing engagement letters in one place and payment setup somewhere else, the two could sit within the same flow.
Now, when a client agrees to work with Nourished, they sign their engagement letter and set up their direct debit as part of that process. For clients on monthly packages, Xero recurring invoices run automatically, and Adfin collects in the background. Emily rarely needs to step in unless a package or price changes.
Keeping overdue close to zero
Nourished’s overdue rate is nearly always at 0%. Emily is careful not to present that as perfection - sometimes clients do pay late, but the difference is that those invoices don’t linger.
Two factors make that possible:
Clear boundaries from the outset
For example, with tax returns, the process is consistent:
- The draft return is prepared
- The invoice is issued
- Submission follows once payment has been received
Because expectations are set early, it rarely results in difficult conversations. Clients know that once payment is made, their return is filed promptly. The firm holds up its side of the agreement just as clearly.
Tools that resolve issues quickly
On the rare occasion an invoice goes overdue, the aim is to resolve it efficiently rather than escalate it. Adfin gives Emily the tools to resolve it quickly:
- Visibility over invoice status
- WhatsApp reminders
- Quick payment links
In practice, a well-timed message with an easy way to pay is often enough.
Results
By connecting onboarding, recurring billing and credit control into one joined-up workflow with Adfin and Engager, Nourished Accounting has achieved:
- An overdue invoice rate that is nearly always 0%
- Fast resolution when something does slip
- Monthly billing that runs automatically in the background
Emily’s set up means she gets paid on time, (almost) every time. If overdue invoices are becoming a problem, speak to our team about how Adfin can help bring them down.
