The journey behind our brand's punk-inspired transformation — fusing innovation, rebellion, and authenticity.
Rebranding is more than a facelift; it's a fundamental transformation of a brand’s soul and identity. For Journey, the leap from a quick solution logo to a symbol of exponential growth mirrors our own radical evolution. It's here where our rebranding story unfolds.
What began as a modest image refresh swiftly transformed into a profound self-examination of our identity, echoing the essence of Journey itself.
It started as a simple notion of 'let's tweak our image,' but quickly evolved into a profound introspection of who we truly serve and why.
This transformative journey was driven not just by our creative specialists but also by our founder, Trent, who questioned why a team of 20 innovative minds working for clients worldwide wouldn't leverage their own strengths. He emphasised the opportunity for deeper collaboration on a project close to our hearts.
I’ve always found it harder to design things for yourself. It’s hard to be objective, and the possibilities are endless.
Our new logo was more than a visual exercise; it was an embodiment of our mission and a symbol of the clients we proudly champion. Our logo's design is an exploration of the profound journey we undertake with our partners, and it carries a narrative that unfolds in layers of symbolism.
Embedded within our logo is the sequence of '1, 2, to 4,' a visual representation of exponential growth—a fundamental principle that drives our collaborative efforts with clients.
It’s a transition from the linear, step-by-step progression to a dynamic surge forward, readying our clients for a new chapter of expansion. This is where Journey steps in, ready to fuel the fire of growth with strategic marketing and creative innovation.
Our logo zooms out from the concept of a fixed destination.
The three dots serve as dynamic waypoints on an ever-evolving path that we go on with our clients.
In contrast to our previous 'X' marks the spot logo, the trio of dots symbolises an endless journey. It underscores our commitment to guiding our clients through transformative growth, not just to singular achievements but through the countless stages of their business evolution.
Our logo is more than just an image; it is a covenant — a promise that Journey is unwavering in catalysing and accelerating growth.
It is a pledge to assist our clients in not merely advancing but soaring to new heights.
A brand is more than just a logo, and our journey to a punk-inspired brand began with a simple idea: to create an identity that would resonate with both our team and our clients. We sought to capture the rebellious and innovative spirit that drives our founder-based audience, uniting us under a common philosophy.
As we embarked on the creative application of our new brand, we drew inspiration from the raw, DIY energy of 1970s punk posters.
These iconic visuals were more than just images; they were manifestos, declarations of independence, and fervent calls to action. Their boldness and urgency spoke to us, compelling us to infuse our brand with a similar sense of rebellion.
Inspired by punk poster art, we meticulously developed a visual language that honours the punk ethos while adapting it to the modern digital age.
One of the key elements we've embraced is Vintage Cut-outs, featuring carefully selected words and phrases from 1940s and 50s publications, adding a touch of curiosity and innovation to our brand while aligning with our founder-based audience.
These are all hand-cut phrases from magazine clippings I’ve discovered in antique stores and markets and kept aside over the years, waiting for the perfect opportunity to use for a project.
Similarly, we use Black Tape as a visual guide, signalling new sections in digital content, akin to labelling a guitar case or a toolbox, we use these elements for easy navigation on websites and within documents.
Our use of Black and White Halftone Cutouts pays tribute to halftone printing and the creative remixing of limited materials used by punk artists of the 70s. It also serves a practical purpose to unify visuals from varying sources (remote team!) and adding depth and intrigue.
Our Hand-drawn Marker and Pen elements inject a human touch into our digital designs, highlighting essential elements like CTA buttons and headline keywords.
These are just some of the elements that come together and infuse our brand with a sense of history, innovation, and a tactile dimension, bridging the past with the present.
In parallel, we cultivated our anti-agency approach, forged from our determination to challenge the conventional norms of the marketing industry.
Traditional agencies, often bound by rigid structures and slow response times, couldn't keep up with the dynamic landscape. Having witnessed these shortcomings firsthand, we set out to offer something different.
Our commitment to clients is unwavering. We integrate seamlessly into their teams, functioning as their outsourced growth marketing department.
This integration allows us to provide the expertise of strategists, specialists, and executors—all at the cost of a single full-time hire. We prioritise communication, participation in stand-ups, and rapid responsiveness. We're not just a service provider; we're partners, invested in our clients' success.
"I love our new brand and identity. I’ve always been the guy scrapping his way through his career, a rebel with a cause, building the car while we’re driving it.
Our new brand encapsulates our attitude and approach to guerrilla marketing and problem-solving.
While it's visually polished, it intentionally showcases a punk aesthetic.
I was the guy wearing ripped jeans at a keynote in Latvia in front of 800 accountants—ripped jeans was the brand.
For me, it was a way to project a bit of a bad-boy persona, someone confident, unafraid to break the rules, and think outside the box to execute some of the most unorthodox campaigns in the accounting SaaS industry.
We were always finding ways to growth hack our way through problems and we created a space where it was okay to break stuff if it meant we were learning and pushing for a bigger goal—break it, learn from it, go again, adapt, adapt, adapt.
Then COVID happened, and guess what? We had one of our biggest sales years ever. We challenged ourselves, picked up our tools, and got to work with what we had in front of us.
I love the new brand; I think it’s a great representation of who we are and what clients can expect when working with us."
"My approach to branding is all about exploring the abstract, turning over stones that others may not, and communicating those ideas in a simple way.
The intersection of different branches of thinking is where genius happens. This is where brands create new categories for themselves, cutting their own path. Iconic brands are born by appealing to those who resonate with bold decisions and leadership.
The punk idea refused to go away, persisting under many stones despite my attempts to set it aside. It evolved and moulded into what it is now—a handsome brand with many paths leading back to the original nucleus of the idea. At its core, it embodies an authentic, rebellious spirit of innovation.
There’s always risk in doing something new, but there’s also risk in doing the same old thing. I could talk about this endlessly, but suffice it to say that we chose to bet the house on authenticity and swinging big.
The best SaaS products have control points—features that make switching impossible. Learn how to build and market them to drive retent...
At Journey, we worked with 44 accounting SaaS companies last year, helping them sharpen their positioning, build strategic marketing campaigns, and create stronger connections with their audience. One of the biggest differentiators between SaaS companies that thrive and those that struggle is control points - the unique aspects of a product that make it indispensable to users.
While many SaaS companies focus on new feature releases or competitive pricing, the real power lies in control points - the things that keep customers locked in, drive retention, and ultimately increase lifetime value.
A control point is a feature, integration, or functionality that makes your product a core part of a user’s workflow - something they can’t easily remove without significant disruption. These create stickiness, ensuring that once a customer starts using your software, it becomes incredibly difficult for them to switch to something else.
In the accounting SaaS space, common control points include:
At Journey, we’ve seen the best accounting SaaS companies leverage control points to drive growth, reduce churn, and protect their market position. Some real-world examples include:
ApprovalMax integrates deeply with Xero and QuickBooks, ensuring businesses stay compliant with financial approval processes. Because compliance is not optional, ApprovalMax becomes a key control point for businesses that need structured approval workflows. Once an accountant or bookkeeper builds their approval hierarchy in ApprovalMax, switching away would require recreating an entire compliance framework from scratch - making it unlikely they’ll ever leave.
Pinch payments doesn’t just process payments—it integrates directly into accounting workflows, ensuring recurring payments, direct debits, and reconciliation happen automatically. Because payments are tied to cash flow and client relationships, moving away from Pinch would mean retraining staff, adjusting workflows, and dealing with potential disruptions to billing.
Dext (formerly Receipt Bank) processes invoices, receipts, and bank statements, pushing clean data into accounting systems. Their AI-driven automation, historical transaction data, and workflow dependencies mean that once a firm starts using Dext, switching to a competitor would be a major disruption, requiring staff retraining and risking potential errors.
It’s not enough to simply have control points - you need to market them effectively. Here’s how leading SaaS companies ensure their control points are front and centre in their sales and marketing efforts.
Many SaaS companies focus too much on features rather than the unique value they provide. Your messaging should highlight why your product is essential rather than just "nice to have."
Reinforce that your control points aren’t just a convenience—they’re the expected way of doing business in the industry.
If you’re not already using control points to your advantage, now is the time to start. Here’s a simple framework to assess and leverage them:
At Journey, we’ve seen firsthand how control points can be the deciding factor in whether a SaaS company scales efficiently or struggles with churn. Accounting SaaS companies that build strong control points—through integrations, automation, compliance, and workflow dependencies—will own their space, reduce competition, and create lasting customer relationships.
If you’re an accounting SaaS company, ask yourself: Are you making the most of your control points?
In 2024, Journey helped clients generate $17M in revenue, supported 180% growth for key accounts, and brought 20,000 attendees togethe...
Year 2 as a business is in the books for Journey. It’s been a huge year of ups and downs and today I’m giving you the Journey WRAP!?
Like everyone else, I’m always motivated for a good wrap-up following my Spotify wrap, which we can all admit is the real OG for end of year reviews.
This year, the Journey team helped accounting SaaS orgs break records, navigate challenges, and achieve incredible milestones. From driving $17 million in client sales to bringing 20,000 people together across all the events and webinars, this has been our most impactful year yet.
When we started Journey, I’ll be honest, we didn’t really know what this was going to be.
I had 15 years of experience at my disposal, a long list of connections who I thought could use my help and an appetite to run something of my own, build it fast and build it big.
It’s a testament to our entire team. Collectively we’ve got 22 real-life humans (and 100s of AI bots) that are absolutely crushing it for our clients and new projects. I’m incredibly proud of everyone's contribution and importantly how much they all give a damn about the work they do.
A huge shout to both our APAC and EMEA teams. Liss, Jordan and I are in awe of the work you do and the fact that you love bringing your all to the business - it’s incredible to see.
We are open to welcoming new clients in 2025 and remain steadfast in our mission to help enable and scale accounting SaaS all over the world to grow revenue, brand and trust with accountants and bookkeepers.
I’ll now take a minute to share the wins, the lessons and the opportunities. If you’re not currently working with us - hopefully you’ll pick up a few things you can take back to your team.
Our team grew significantly in 2024, with 22 talented individuals now spread across the globe. Each new addition brought fresh ideas and skills, enabling us to push boundaries and deliver even more for our clients.
This year, we worked with 44 outstanding brands and companies across the accounting and SaaS industries.
These included global giants like Intuit, FloQast, Constant Contact, Sage, Change GPS, The Access Group, and Experian as well as industry bodies and media partners such as the ACCA, ABN, CAANZ, XU Magazine and AccountantsDaily.
Together, we’ve raised the bar for what’s possible in the accounting tech space and made a huge leap of clients we serve and were able to execute for in market.
Journey played a pivotal role in some of the biggest accounting industry events in 2024. From virtual summits to in-person conferences, our efforts brought together 20,000 attendees across the EMEA, AMER and APAC. These events were well-attended; they were highly engaging, impactful, and full of value for everyone involved.
One of our biggest achievements this year has been helping our clients reach new heights:
We’re incredibly proud of the results we’re getting for clients in market and look forward to bigger challenges to solve in 2025.
Too many brands are expecting sales/growth without putting in the hard yards of earning trust with the accounting community. I mean who do you think you are? These folks are inundated with countless late nights due to government changes, client queries and software updates (not to mention the price rises).
It’s important more then ever that you invest the time to build trust with this audience, add value to the community and showcase how you’re solving key challenges in their business operations.
Trust building comes down to:
This year proved that the right GTM partnerships can make a world of difference. Collaborating with other SaaS brands and accounting thought leaders helped amplify our clients’ reach and credibility.
Creating brand advocates and getting them in front of your customers is still one of my biggest and best recommendations for all accounting tech folks.
Letting customers tell your story is one of the most effective marketing strategies. Their testimonials and success stories drive trust and engagement like nothing else.
Another nod to my comment on brand advocates above.
Video remains one of the most powerful tools in marketing, and we saw this again and again in 2024. From social clips to customer interviews, video content drove strong results across campaigns.
We went hard at tools like Riverside to help bring this content to life and the results and impact as been staggering. With recent changes to Linkedin focusing on more video content, expect to see more of it in 2025.
This year reinforced the importance of clear messaging. Being clever is great, but clarity ensures your message lands effectively. Don’t over complicate, don’t try to be to smart.
Just tell me what the damn thing does and how it will help me, is the short answer.
You can’t rely on just one channel. Success comes from a balanced approach that includes email, word-of-mouth, sales enablement, and even product marketing.
Not enough companies are leveraging in product displays, messages and pop-ups to help communicate with your clients.
We rely so heavily on email marketing that you’re struggling to fit it all in your schedule.
You can’t be emailing clients and prospects 3-4 days per week, you’ll burn them all out.
While 2024 was a strong year, the industry as a whole missed out on a few key opportunities:
Excited to take the lessons from 2024 and build on them for an even bigger year ahead.
To our clients: thank you for trusting us with your goals and allowing us to play a role in your success. To our team: your hard work, creativity, and dedication have been the foundation of everything we’ve accomplished this year.
Here’s to making 2025 even bigger and better—together.
Signing off,
Trent, Liss & Jordan
Founders & Directors @ Journey
Journey announces a strategic partnership with Adfin, an accounts receivable & payments platform designed to help businesses get paid:...
Journey, the leading go-to-market (GTM) agency for accounting technology, announces a strategic partnership with Adfin, an accounts receivable & payments platform designed to help businesses get paid: faster, cheaper, easier. This partnership will help to launch Adfin’s platform to the market, available for use both by accounting & bookkeeping firms, and their clients.
Getting paid isn’t easy. Late payments, high payment fees, and fragmented systems mean that managing & chasing payments is a time-consuming and expensive exercise for many professional service businesses. Adfin plans to tackle this challenge by providing a single platform containing automated invoice sending, chasing, and reconciling, along with a world-class payment experience consisting of direct debits, card, and open banking payments, providing a complete solution for businesses to manage payments efficiently.
All of this is supported with a simple, no-nonsense, transparent pricing model. No tiers, no monthly fees, just a flat rate that will only ever come down. Read about Adfin’s ‘Transparency Manifesto’ here.
“We’ve been working with Adfin on some early product feedback and all of the signals suggest there is a strong need for this, both with accounting & bookkeeping firms directly and their clients’ businesses,” said Jordan Vickery, Global Director and Head of EMEA at Journey. “It’s an exciting product combining fragmented payment methods together into a single platform with some intelligent workflows for chasing and failed payment options. We’re excited to partner with them on their journey”
Tom Pope, Co-Founder at Adfin, added, “Partnering with Journey is a significant step in expanding our reach and impact within the industry. Their extensive experience and deep understanding of the accounting-tech market will be invaluable.”
Key features of Adfin include:
You can learn more about Adfin and get started here.
