Learn how this fast-growing property inspection platform established efficient, future-proof accounting workflows with Puzzle.
Riley Holt built PropertyLenz with one primary goal: to replace clunky property inspection apps with user-friendly software made specifically for landlords and tenants. Through his firsthand experience executing against this goal, he saw how specialized tools were able to drive meaningful progress towards business outcomes. Applying this principle to his own company, Riley spotted an opportunity to upgrade his finance stack with modern accounting software.
Before meeting the team at Puzzle, Riley prepared PropertyLenz's books using spreadsheets, making essential processes like expense categorization and financial reporting cumbersome and error-prone. Executing these tasks manually took valuable time away from scaling his customer base and limited his visibility into PropertyLenz's real-time financial position.
As a result, Riley not only found it more challenging to make informed decisions about his spending and growth strategy, but also faced higher accounting fees as his CPA spent more billable hours organizing his books for tax preparation.
Riley knew unlocking a more seamless and scalable accounting workflow would require the right software. However, even the most established solutions (like QuickBooks) required time-consuming manual work to provide insights into critical metrics like runway, revenue, and burn. He needed a solution that was purpose-built for early-stage founders like himself.
Fortunately, a post from SaaS Academy’s Facebook page soon pointed Riley to Puzzle. Following a quick 15-minute demo, he realized Puzzle’s AI-powered platform could dramatically streamline his bookkeeping workflows while delivering unparalleled financial clarity.
“I’m used to performing manual work when it comes to my own budget, and I’ve managed finances at a previous company. However, in both cases, it was extremely time-consuming to get accurate financial insights.”
Riley seamlessly integrated PropertyLenz’s existing finance stack with Puzzle, unifying data from bank statements, payroll systems, and payment collection tools into one place.
He immediately benefited from Puzzle’s auto-categorization function, which automatically classifies each expense once it lands on PropertyLenz's books. This automated workflow not only reduces manual effort (buying Riley back time for growth-focused initiatives), but also ensures each expense report is both accurate and up-to-date.
In addition to automated workflows, Riley also gets critical financial insights at his fingertips with Puzzle. The Puzzle Dashboard reveals crucial startup metrics (such as runway, cash, and burn) in clean, intuitive charts, enabling him to gauge PropertyLenz's financial position at a glance. This clarity helps Riley determine his next business move with confidence, whether that’s optimizing expenses based on runway or adjusting his customer acquisition strategy based on revenue.
When tax season rolled around, the benefits of using Puzzle multiplied. Instead of having his CPA spend hours combing through PropertyLenz’s financial reports, Riley simply used Puzzle’s Tax Package to deliver all the information necessary to file the company’s tax returns. As a result, he reduced accounting fees while freeing up more resources to reinvest in growing his business.
“Puzzle presents all the metrics startup founders care about — runway, revenue, burn — front and center. I can see where my money's going right off the bat without getting overwhelmed by a bloated UI.”
With Puzzle, Riley streamlined PropertyLenz’s bookkeeping, unlocked enhanced financial clarity, and reduced CPA costs by nearly $5,000 on an annual basis. This transformation translates directly to his company’s bottom line and internal efficiency, delivering tangible ROI:
As PropertyLenz grows, Riley will continue to leverage Puzzle’s automation and insights to maximize runway and allocate resources efficiently — all without added financial complexity.
“What impressed me most about Puzzle is how it scales with us. As our customer base increases, I'm still spending minutes on bookkeeping tasks instead of hours.”
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