Building a Scalable Future: Base Power's Accounting Transformation Using FloQast

After joining Base Power—an energy company that combines affordable electricity with home battery backup— as the Controller, and first in-house accountant, Alex Estelle, CPA, was tasked with building the company's accounting function. Drawing from his prior experience as a heavy FloQast user at a previous organization, Alex knew exactly what was needed to bring clarity and efficiency to Base Power’s processes. Confident in FloQast's ability to scale with the company's growth and simplify its complex operations, he wasted no time implementing the familiar tool to tackle his new challenges.

A Proven Solution for a Critical Challenge

When Alex joined Base Power, he encountered a common but daunting challenge for rapidly growing startups with outsourced accounting functions: a lack of transparency and ownership over financial operations. "We didn’t have much visibility into our current accounting operations," Alex explained. "The close process wasn’t entirely understood, which was leading to inconsistent timelines and a struggle to plan deliverables effectively. I saw an immediate opportunity to improve the process through detailed documentation, coordination of tasks, and assignment to our team members."

Alex recognized the importance of implementing a tool that could bring structure and transparency to Base Power’s processes. His firsthand experience with FloQast, a tool he had used extensively in his previous role, made it an easy and confident choice for Base Power’s accounting needs.

"I already know it scales, I already know it works," Alex shared. With the goal of growing the team as the business expands, he continued.

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With new team members coming in, we’re going to get more detailed, define roles and responsibilities, and ensure consistency and compliance in the way we operate to keep up with the growth of the business. FloQast’s ability to have everything centralized in real-time enables us to have the data to drive meaningful actions, allowing us to be successful in our goals.

Alex Estelle, CPA, Base Power

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Keeping Implementation Simple

Startup timelines are tight, and Alex prioritized finding solutions that could be implemented quickly without compromising effectiveness. FloQast fit this need perfectly, offering quick deployment and intuitive functionality that Alex’s team could grasp rapidly. Where other solutions could take months to implement, FloQast had Alex’s team digging into the platform in just one day.

"The learning curve with FloQast is minimal," Alex said. "The team immediately got to working inside the tool, building out their checklist tasks, linking reconciliations, and setting their target timelines by the end of a 30-minute overview meeting."

This quick implementation allowed Alex to focus on other critical priorities for Base Power, such as building foundational tools, partnerships, and a team that could propel the business forward.

Confidence from Experience

Alex’s confidence in FloQast stemmed from how the tool had proven itself in his previous role. During that time, he had evaluated other tools in the market but often found them overly complex, expensive, or misaligned with his team's needs.

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We demoed other month-end close related tools from the bigger market players in reporting and analytics," he recalled. "But they were too complex and costly with seemingly dated interfaces, which led to an unfavorable user experience. Having already gone through that evaluation in my career, it was obvious to stick with FloQast. Being simple to use and easily adjustable to our evolving needs, I found it to be the right choice for us.

Alex Estelle, CPA ,Base Power

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As a previous user, Alex knew FloQast could scale effectively and work with the team’s needs. In his leadership role as a Controller, he believed FloQast was the solution to the team’s challenges. This confidence was a major factor in his decision to implement FloQast at Base Power. Without hesitation, he seized the opportunity to bring clarity and structure to the accounting team, knowing from experience that FloQast's flexibility and ease of use would suit the startup's dynamic environment perfectly.

Building a Scalable Accounting Function

Alex’s long-term plan for Base Power depends on creating not just a strong functional accounting operation but one that is scalable and adaptable to the business’s evolving needs. "By the end of this year, we’ll have grown the team further, be audit ready, and have our close process nailed down," he said optimistically.

FloQast plays a central role in these plans. "FloQast is the key to effectively measuring our progress towards close and reporting goals, among other ongoing departmental projects. It’s how I’m going to review performance, identify deficiencies, set targets, and grow our operations consistent with the business," Alex explained. The platform’s ability to provide actionable data allows Alex to track his team’s efficiency and identify opportunities for improvement as the company expands.

The tool’s scalability also matched Base Power’s ambitions. "Having everything in one place with real-time integrations with our systems is the capability I was looking for," he said. "FloQast has everything we’re looking for today and has the features we’ll need throughout growth journey. We’ll explore new features and continually build out our FloQast platform to fit the increasing requirements and needs of our organization over time."

Why Simplicity Can Be a Game-Changer

Complexity in accounting tools often works against their primary purpose by introducing steep learning curves and inefficiencies. This understanding heavily influenced Alex’s choice to use FloQast again at Base Power.

"Sometimes, you just want something simple that is easy to use and provides adaptability," he said. FloQast was an easy tool to learn—but a powerful one that helped bridge every gap. Simplicity goes well beyond ease of use; Alex believes a straightforward approach enhances quick onboarding and team adoption. This is necessary, to keep up with the growth pace experienced at Base Power. 

When training team members on FloQast, Alex shared, "We were implemented in less than a day, probably a few hours. I was able to train an entire group who had never used FloQast before on a 30-minute phone call, and they were fully utilizing the tool." This ease of implementation allowed Alex’s team to step confidently into their roles and contribute immediately. As Base Power continues to grow, Alex is confident that FloQast can support the whole team—and help them complete their tasks from start to finish.

FloQast’s simplicity, coupled with Alex’s confidence in its capabilities, has already set Base Power’s accounting operations on the path to success and demonstrated the company’s commitment to operational excellence. With plans for significant growth, Alex and his team are just beginning to discover the tool’s full potential. Their clear and confident system is set to grow, meeting challenges head-on while maintaining accountability and visibility at every stage.

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