Anchor is an autonomous billing and proposal platform designed for service-based businesses, agencies, and consultants who want to eliminate the administrative burden of getting paid. It streamlines the entire client lifecycle by combining professional proposals, legal agreements, and automated payments into a single, cohesive workflow.
The best part? This service is a flat fee to you for bank transfers at $5 or you allow clients to pay with a credit card, providing they pay for the credit card fee.
What Is Anchor?
Anchor is a financial automation hub that replaces the traditional “chase” associated with professional services. Instead of manually drafting a proposal, waiting for a signature, and then sending separate monthly invoices, Anchor links these steps together. Once a client signs an agreement, the system handles the billing and collections automatically based on the terms you’ve set.
The core problem it solves is the fragmented and often delayed accounts receivable process. It replaces the “manual labor” of tracking hours, sending invoices, and following up on late payments with an autonomous system that ensures you are paid on time, every time. For a practical business, this means your cash flow becomes predictable and your administrative to-do list shrinks significantly.
Why Anchor?
We value systems that allow us to focus on delivering value rather than managing spreadsheets. Before adopting Anchor, we dealt with the friction of multiple platforms—one for proposals, another for e-signatures, and a third for payments. This created gaps where human error or late client payments could disrupt our operations.
We chose this tool because it moves away from static PDFs toward interactive, dynamic agreements. It fits into our day-to-day workflow by acting as a “set it and forget it” financial officer that works in the background from the moment a lead is ready to close.
What works well:
- It replaces multiple billing and proposal tools with one centralized system.
- It saves time by automating the entire billing cycle from invoice to collection.
- It makes revenue trends easier to spot with real-time financial dashboards.
- It supports consistent branding through professional, web-based proposals.
- It allows delegation by letting team members draft agreements within a pre-approved framework.
- It scales well from solo consultants to growing agencies with complex billing needs.
Best Practices for Using Anchor Effectively
Anchor is most effective when used as the foundational “gatekeeper” for your client relationships. By setting up your service catalog correctly from the start, you ensure that every new project is profitable and automated.
- Create a “Service Library” with standardized descriptions and pricing to speed up proposal creation.
- Set up “Dynamic Agreements” that can automatically adjust billing if the scope or hours change.
- Use the “Auto-Charge” feature to eliminate the need for clients to manually pay invoices each month.
- Review your “Revenue Leakage” reports monthly to identify any unbilled time or missed opportunities.
- Integrate Anchor with your general ledger (like QuickBooks or Xero) to keep your accounting perfectly synced.
Treating the platform as an automated financial partner ensures that your focus remains on growth and strategy rather than chasing accounts receivable.
Our Favorite Features
Interactive Proposals
Unlike a standard PDF, Anchor’s proposals are web-based and interactive. Clients can choose between different service tiers or add-on options, and the total agreement updates in real-time, helping you close deals faster.
Autonomous Billing
The standout feature of Anchor is its ability to “read” your agreement and execute the billing. If you agreed to a recurring monthly fee or an hourly rate, the system calculates the amount, sends the notification, and charges the client’s payment method automatically.
Waterfall Collections
If a payment fails, Anchor doesn’t just stop. It has a built-in “waterfall” collection process that retries the payment and handles follow-up communications, ensuring you don’t have to have awkward “where is the money” conversations with clients.
Service Catalog
You can store all your standard offerings, legal verbiage, and scope details in a centralized library. This allows you to generate a complex, multi-page proposal in just a few clicks rather than starting from scratch every time.
Real-Time GL Sync
Anchor connects directly with your accounting software. Every time a payment is processed, it automatically reconciles the entry in your books, saving your team (and your accountant) hours of manual data entry.
How Anchor Optimizes Virtual Assistant Partnerships
Anchor is a game-changer for working with a Virtual Assistant because it provides a rigid, error-proof framework for the sales and billing process.
Shared Benefits
- Clear separation between the owner (approving the deal) and the VA (drafting the proposal).
- Fewer errors due to standardized service blocks and automated tax/fee calculations.
- Faster onboarding because the VA follows a guided workflow to set up new clients.
- Better communication through a shared dashboard showing the status of every agreement.
Benefits for Your Business
Business owners can stay informed about their firm’s financial health without micromanaging the invoicing. You maintain full visibility over your cash flow and can review proposals before they go out, while leaving the administrative setup to your assistant.
Benefits for Your Virtual Assistants
For a VA, Anchor removes the stress of manual billing and the fear of making a math error on an invoice. The centralized system and ease of use improve their accuracy and allow them to manage the entire “proposal-to-payment” cycle independently.
If you want more information about building this type of support into your business, you can book a time to discuss hiring a Virtual Assistant or contact us to explore the right setup for your team.
Final Thoughts
Anchor is best for service providers and agencies who are tired of the “billing dance” and want a more professional, automated way to manage client agreements. It aligns with our values of simplicity and clarity by turning a complex financial process into a streamlined digital experience. By automating the most tedious part of the business—getting paid—it supports sustainable, stress-free growth.
Get started with Anchor here:
FAQs
Is Anchor beginner friendly?
Yes. The interface is designed for business owners, not just accountants, making it very easy to navigate and set up your first proposal.
Does it support different billing models?
Yes. Anchor supports recurring, fixed-fee, hourly, and one-time billing models, often all within the same agreement.
Can agencies or teams use it?
Absolutely. It is built for collaboration, allowing you to assign different roles and permissions to team members and virtual assistants.
Does it replace my accounting software?
No. It sits in front of your accounting software (like QuickBooks) to handle the “active” work of billing and payments, then syncs the data for your records.
Is there a mobile app?
Anchor is a web-based platform optimized for mobile browsers, allowing you and your clients to review and sign agreements from any device.
