Pujun Bhatnagar · September 13, 2024 · 7 min read
Flywheel, a leading marketing analytics tool founded in 2019, specializes in helping B2B software companies engage, understand, and convert accounts.
Known for its strong Product-Led Growth (PLG) strategy, Flywheel has found itself rapidly expanding into the US market. But as they grew, so did the complexities of managing sales tax compliance across multiple states. Here's how Kintsugi became the essential partner Flywheel needed to navigate their tax challenges and continue scaling effortlessly.
As a SaaS provider, Flywheel was required to register and file taxes in 15 states — a daunting task for their small finance team already stretched thin by the company’s rapid growth. Initially, Flywheel relied on Stripe for payment processing but soon realized that compliance involved much more than simply collecting tax.
"We thought we were covered by just using Stripe, but then we learned we were far from compliant," recalls Chase Wilson, Flywheel's CEO. "We needed a solution fast — something that would take the complexity out of the equation so we could just focus on growing our business."
It was a tough pill to swallow for Flywheel. They realized that properly managing sales tax was not just a compliance issue; it was a significant distraction from Flywheel’s core mission.
"We thought we were covered by just using Stripe, but then we learned we were far from compliant." – Chase Wilson, Flywheel’s CEO
Their internal finance team found themselves overwhelmed by the need to manually manage registrations, filings, and keeping themselves up-to-date on the constantly-shifting landscape of state, county, city, and home-rule sales tax regulations.
“One of the first steps was setting up business registrations in the 15 states where we had to file,” Chase explains. “Kintsugi walked us through the entire process, making sure we were set up correctly from day one.”
“The automation was a game-changer — it handled everything from tax calculations at the point of sale to monthly filings, all without any manual input from our team.”
For Flywheel, Kintsugi didn’t just offer a tool; they provided a partner.
With their hands-on and customer-centric approach, Kintsugi’s team of certified, in-house sales tax experts guided Flywheel through the particular complexities of their compliance environment, ensuring that every registration was complete and that every filing was “rooftop-level” accurate.
This hands-on, personalized service was exactly what Flywheel needed to satisfy their unique concerns and re-energize their focus on growing their customer base.
Kintsugi’s automated system meant that the finance team no longer had to worry about missed filings or compliance missteps. Everything was automated, accurate, and easy to manage.
"I can't even imagine how we would have managed compliance manually," Chase reflects. "Kintsugi made it simple. We were able to expand our PLG efforts in the US without constantly looking over our shoulders about sales tax."
Since partnering with Kintsugi, Flywheel has enjoyed seamless tax compliance, freeing up valuable time and resources to focus on scaling their business.
Kintsugi’s one-click integration with Stripe allowed for automatic tax calculations at the point of sale, while Kintsugi’s “Returns” feature ensured timely filings across all of the states they were required to file in. For Flywheel, Kintsugi’s ease of use and reliable automations were not just a convenience — they became a necessity on their way to unlocking sustainable growth.
For Flywheel, Kintsugi’s ease of use and reliable automations were not just a convenience — they became a necessity on their way to unlocking sustainable growth.
Kintsugi’s prebuilt integration with Stripe made tax calculations and filings a seamless part of Flywheel’s daily operations. Previously, this was not a fully-automated process for them. As Chase looks toward the future, he sees Kintsugi as a key partner for any further expansions, knowing that whatever challenges lie ahead, they’ve got the right support to keep them compliant and focused on the most important thing – growth.
By automating tax compliance, Kintsugi enabled Flywheel to continue expanding their product-led growth in the U.S. market without the added stress of sales tax management. With Kintsugi an evergreen partner by their side, Flywheel is set to continue its impressive growth trajectory, confident that their sales tax compliance is handled by Kintsugi’s trusted experts.
Kintsugi’s dedicated in-house sales tax experts provided ongoing support for all sorts of thorny questions, ensuring Flywheel’s sales tax compliance was always on track. If they ever had notices to take care of, Kintsugi was not only there to answer any questions, but also to assuage any anxieties and take care of it quickly and expertly – and in just a few clicks.
For more information on Flywheel, visit their website here.
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