The system that runs our business
We replaced Sage and a handful of separate tools with one platform we built ourselves. It sends the invoices, takes the payments, keeps the books tidy and gives every client their own login.
- Invoices & payments
- Client portal
- Bank feed
Where it started
Too many tools that didn't talk to each other
Dragon Core ran on Sage Business Cloud Accounting, with the bank, receipts, renewals and client requests each handled somewhere else.
So we built one system around how the business actually works, moved every past invoice across from Sage, and switched it on for real clients in August 2026.
It has its own API and command line, so routine jobs can be scripted instead of clicked through.
Before: 6 places to check
After
Dragon Core accounts
All of it in one system, with one login.
What it does
Everything the business needs, in one place
Invoices and credit notes
Numbered in order with no gaps, locked once they are sent, and corrected with a credit note rather than edited. Recurring invoices go out on their own.
Card and bank payments
Clients pay by card from the invoice, and it is marked paid when the payment clears. Bank transfers are matched to the right invoice, even when one transfer covers several.
A client portal
Clients log in to see and download their invoices, check the hours left on their care plan, follow project progress and raise support tickets.
A bank feed that sorts itself
Transactions arrive from the bank every hour. Payments are matched to their invoices, and spending is sorted by rules we've taught it, with AI handling anything new.
Receipts from the inbox
Receipts that arrive by email are read by AI and attached to the matching spend in the bank feed, ready for the accountant.
Care plans and projects
Monthly packages track the hours used, and projects move through phases and tasks the client can follow along with.
Domains and renewals
Client domains are tracked with their renewal dates and billed at the right time, so nothing lapses by accident.
Company deadlines
Companies House and tax deadlines are tracked with reminders, and changes at client companies are flagged when they happen.
Plugin store and licences
The same system sells our WordPress plugins: checkout, licence keys, renewals, documentation and release notes.
Smart where it counts
AI does the reading. Rules handle the money.
We use AI for the fiddly jobs a person would otherwise do by hand, and keep strict rules wherever money changes hands.
Sorting the spending
New transactions are read and put in the right category, with a short note saying why. Anything it isn't sure about is flagged for a person instead of guessed.
Reading receipts
Receipts that arrive by email are read for the supplier, amount and date, then attached to the matching bank transaction. Clear matches attach themselves; doubtful ones wait for a check.
An assistant on the same system
An AI assistant works through the platform's own API. It can tell us who owes what, draft invoices from logged work and chase overdue payments when we ask.
Payments are never matched by a guess. Linking money to an invoice uses exact references and amounts, and anything unclear waits for a person.
The bank feed
The books mostly keep themselves
Money coming in is matched to the invoice it pays. Money going out is sorted into categories. What’s left is a short list to check, not an afternoon of reconciling.
Built for money
Held to the standard a finance system should be
A system that sends invoices and takes payments has to be trustworthy before it is clever. These rules are built in, not left to good habits.
1Numbers that can't be reused
Every invoice number is issued once, in order, and never skipped or recycled.
2Nothing gets quietly changed
Sent invoices are locked. Mistakes are corrected with a credit note, so the history always adds up.
3Nothing financial is deleted
Records are archived, never removed, and kept for as long as the law requires.
4Locked-down logins
Two-factor sign-in for staff, and clients can sign in with a passkey instead of a password.
5Backups that are checked
Encrypted backups every night, stored off-site, and checked before every update goes live.
Why it matters for you
Running your business across five different tools?
A system built around how you actually work can take hours off every week and stop things slipping through the gaps. We know, because we built our own and use it every day.
Signs it's time for your own system
- You type the same details into more than one place
- Checking who has paid means opening the banking app
- Clients email to ask for copies of their invoices
- Month end means hunting through your inbox for receipts
- Renewals and deadlines live in your head or your calendar
Want a system like this?
Tell us how your business runs today. You'll get a straight answer on what it takes to build something better and what it costs.