How Breakaway Advising Reclaimed 40 Hours a Year and $14,695 in Fees

01 · The ChallengeTime-Consuming Tasks

Before Anchor, Breakaway used another billing platform. Day-to-day, it functioned, but it was less intuitive, and when problems arose, they were disruptive. For a network of advisors who each send roughly 10 proposals a year, this equates to hundreds altogether, and ease of use matters considerably.

“Anchor really hits the mark for most firms, small or big, of being clean, clear, and easy to use and safe to use, but also robust enough that we are getting everything we want out of it.”
Shea Keats, Co-Founder, Breakaway Advising

The most time-consuming friction sat with Michelle. Every day, as payments arrived in the firm's account, she was personally matching each deposit to the correct contract and client. She kept this task in her own hands to protect against the risk of misallocation. By her conservative estimate, it was taking about 10 minutes a day. When payments bounced or references were missing, it took more.

The second problem was annual price increases. Left to individual franchisee advisors, the process created real anxiety and hesitation. These were difficult conversations, easy to keep postponing, and often they never happened at all. Some long-standing clients had never seen a rate increase.

“We had clients we'd had since the beginning who had never had a price increase. Advisors would just not do it.”
Shea Keats, Co-Founder, Breakaway Advising

02 · The SolutionWhy Anchor

Breakaway first encountered Anchor at industry conferences, where it had become a recognizable presence. The team applies an internal standard before investigating any new platform: if it is not at least 30% better, it is not worth the disruption.

Michelle brought specific questions to a conversation with Anchor's leadership at XeroCon in Nashville and walked away with direct answers. Incoming franchisee advisors who were already using Anchor spoke enthusiastically about it, and their experience helped accelerate the decision. After watching Anchor grow and establish staying power over time, the team committed. Breakaway went fully live on Anchor on January 1, 2025.

“We have an internal structure where we say if something isn't 30% better, we're not interested in investigating.”
Michelle Röse, Co-Founder/COO, Breakaway Advising

Implementation

Because Breakaway operates with multiple layers, the rollout took roughly two quarters rather than the one quarter it typically takes a single-firm practice. The team spent three months in due diligence before going live, working through how the platform would integrate with their franchise structure. Once they committed, advisors were given a three-month runway to migrate from the prior platform, with support from Breakaway's internal team and Anchor's customer success team.

More than a year later, the quality of that support has not wavered. Any advisor or team member who reaches out to Anchor gets a direct answer, quickly, without being bounced between contacts.

“We wanted to make sure that everybody felt a part of it, felt comfortable, and felt equipped to take the next step.”
Michelle Röse, Co-Founder/COO, Breakaway Advising

03 · The ResultsDirect Savings

The most immediate change was Michelle's daily routine. Manual deposit reconciliation, which she had kept as a personal responsibility to protect franchise revenue integrity, is now handled automatically through Anchor's sync with QuickBooks. By her own estimate, eliminating that daily task saved approximately 40 hours a year. The firm also saved $14,695 in transaction fees since switching to Anchor. Both figures are based on the firm's own assessment.

For the advisor network, the shift in how price increases work may be the most durable change. Annual price increases are now built into the contract template at 7%, with each franchisee retaining the ability to edit or remove the increase as they choose. Advisors who had spent months agonizing over whether to raise their rates no longer need to initiate that conversation. When a handful of clients were surprised by an increase, the answer was simple: it was in the contract they signed.

Breakaway also noted a compliance benefit. Anchor's infrastructure handles determining which states allow credit card fee pass-throughs, removing that layer of risk management entirely from the franchisor's plate.

“What impresses me as a leader is the quality of service we get working alongside the Anchor team. When we need support, the who becomes invaluable.”
Michelle Röse, Co-Founder/COO, Breakaway Advising