Built for founders running retainer-based services businesses — marketing, creative, dev, consulting. Multi-account banking, Stripe-approved for services, client-level profitability reporting, and contractor payouts handled cleanly.
Relay's multi-sub-account structure gives you a separate account per client retainer. Mercury doesn't. The Banking Agent recommends Relay for agency founders.
The Bookkeeping Agent tags transactions by client so your monthly P&L breaks down margin per engagement. Data you need before your next rate review.
US contractors need 1099-NEC forms above the threshold. Foreign contractors need W-8BEN. The Compliance Agent calendars both.
"Digital marketing" is a rejection trigger. "Monthly retainer SEO for Shopify stores, $2,500/mo" is not. Payments Agent writes the specific version.
Agency founders frequently commingle early on. The Bookkeeping Agent catches these and flags the transactions that need reclassification.
Past a certain size, your bookkeeping breaks — and hiring a bookkeeper is expensive. The Bookkeeping Agent scales with transaction volume, not with headcount.
Formation Agent recommends the state. Privacy matters for some agency founders; Wyoming wins here.
Banking Agent preps Relay application. Each retainer gets its own sub-account from day one.
Payments Agent rewrites your business description to pass Stripe KYC. Rates, retainer structure, customer geography all stated clearly.
Every transaction tagged to a client engagement. Monthly P&L shows which clients are paying their freight.
A filed legal entity in your chosen jurisdiction, with Articles and Operating Agreement in your vault.
A bank application drafted with every KYC document requirement resolved and submitted to the bank with the best approval odds for your profile.
A payments-processor application that passes KYC the first time.
Monthly P&L, balance sheet, and anomaly report delivered by the 5th of the month.
Zero missed filings across every jurisdiction your company touches.
Tax returns drafted for your jurisdiction and entity (1120, 5472, 1120-S, 1040-NR, UK CT600), reviewed and signed by a partner CPA, e-filed on time.
Add Banking + Payments agents.
Agency founders typically start in Growth — formation + banking + payments prep covers the setup work. Once you're past a few retainers, add the Bookkeeping + Tax + Compliance bundle to close the back-office loop.
Yes and no. One LLC can handle many client engagements, but if you're running multiple outward-facing brands (e.g., a creative agency + a dev shop), you may want separate entities or DBAs. The Formation Agent flags the cases where a second entity makes sense. For banking, Relay's multi-sub-account structure is designed exactly for agency founders.
The Bookkeeping Agent supports class/project tracking — every transaction can be tagged to a client, and the monthly P&L breaks down revenue + direct costs + margin by engagement. Useful when deciding which retainers to keep, price up, or fire.
Stripe typically approves agency-services applications without issue as long as the business description is specific ("monthly retainer SEO services for Shopify home-decor stores, $2,500/month" — not "digital marketing"). The Payments Agent helps draft descriptions that pass.
Wise Business or Relay handle international contractor payouts cleanly. The Compliance Agent flags 1099-NEC filing obligations for US contractor payments above the threshold. Foreign-contractor reporting (W-8BEN collection, 1042-S where applicable) is on the roadmap.
Yes. Migration from doola or a self-managed LLC is straightforward. Your entity, EIN, and bank account stay. We onboard your historical bookkeeping (or start fresh from a clean date) and take over ongoing work.