Louie runs a design agency in the Netherlands. He has a small team — a mix of in-house designers and freelancers. The kind of studio that does branding, web design, and visual identity work for clients who care about quality.
For six years, his agency ran on twelve different tools.
This is the story of what happened when he replaced them with one.
The Stack Before
Louie wasn't careless about his tools. He'd tried to optimize. He connected Typeform to Slack with Zapier. He built folder structures in Google Drive. He used spreadsheets for cost tracking and freelancer payouts.
Here's what his actual stack looked like:
| Tool | Purpose | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Typeform | Client intake forms | €90/mo |
| Slack | Team communication | ~€50/mo |
| ClickUp | Project management | ~€30/seat/yr |
| Notion | Notes, docs, misc | ~€10/mo |
| ChatGPT Plus | Content, drafts, planning | ~€20/mo |
| Google Forms | Backup intake (free) | Free |
| Google Drive | File storage | Free |
| Zapier | Glue between tools | Varies |
| Moneybird | Invoicing | Separate |
| Client/team chat | Free | |
| Spreadsheets | Budgets, payouts | Free |
| Notes apps | Various | Free |
The paid tools alone cost over $2,200 per year.
But the real cost wasn't the subscriptions.
The Hidden Tax
Every new client followed the same cycle:
- Client reaches out via email, WhatsApp, or phone
- Send a price list (separate document)
- Send a quote (separate tool)
- Send a form link for project information (Typeform or Google Forms)
- Form data arrives → manually move it into ClickUp
- Create project, create tasks, delegate to team
- Team does the work
- Deliver designs → collect feedback via WhatsApp screenshots, email documents, or pasted images
- Revise → re-deliver → collect more feedback the same way
- Invoice (separate tool)
- Project ends → next client → repeat from step 1
"It creates a feedback loop that just isn't smooth," Louie says. "You're sending loose image files or zip folders back and forth to clients via email or WhatsApp, and it's really hard to maintain a clear overview."
The design review process was the worst of it. Clients would grab a document, paste screenshots into it, and try to describe what they wanted changed. Or they'd send a WhatsApp message with a photo and type underneath it what needed adjusting.
"It's genuinely hard to understand what people are actually trying to point to on the design itself."
And there was an invisible cost that most agencies never account for: content creation. Every blog post, newsletter, or LinkedIn update about completed work required Louie to first spend an hour and a half gathering context from across all his tools before he could even start writing.
The Switch
Louie and his cofounder Lam built Oase — a single platform that replaces the entire stack. Here's what the same client workflow looks like now:
- Client submits a branded intake form through the client portal
- Form submission converts to a project in one click
- Tasks are created and delegated — AI helps with descriptions and delegation
- Team works inside the project channel
- Designs are delivered inside the portal → client annotates directly on the deliverables
- Revisions are tracked, structured, and visible to everyone
- Quotes become invoices automatically
- Project ends → client stays in the portal for the next project (no re-onboarding)
The difference, step by step:
| Step | Before (12 tools) | After (Oase) |
|---|---|---|
| Client intake | Email/WhatsApp → send price list → send form link | Branded form in client portal |
| Information gathering | Typeform → Zapier → Slack/ClickUp | Form → project in one click |
| Project setup | Manual creation + task delegation | AI-assisted, few clicks |
| Team communication | Slack + WhatsApp + email | One project channel |
| Design feedback | Screenshots in documents, WhatsApp photos | Pin annotations on deliverables |
| File sharing | Email attachments, zip folders | Shared in project channel with password protection |
| Invoicing | Separate tool (Moneybird) | Built-in, connected to quotes |
| Content creation | 90 min gathering context across tools | AI generates from project data |
| Next project | Re-onboard client from scratch | Client already has portal access |
The Numbers
Tools cancelled: Typeform (€90/mo), Slack (~€600/yr), ClickUp, Notion, ChatGPT
Total annual savings: Over $2,200
But the time savings dwarf the money. No more Zapier automations to maintain. No more manual data transfers between tools. No more screenshot archaeology to understand client feedback.
"Before, I'd have to spend an hour and a half just gathering context before I could even generate a piece of marketing. Having that scheduled, having a pipeline for it — that's all built in now."
What the Team Said
Louie works with freelancers and interim designers. Their reaction was immediate and unanimous.
"After just the first few weeks it was: 'Wow, processing feedback has never been this easy!' Communicating about projects has never been this easy. Finding files has never been this easy. Finding my tasks has never been this easy."
Zero resistance. No one missed ClickUp.
Several freelancers asked if they could use Oase for their own clients too — which pushed the team to prioritize multi-organization support so freelancers can work across multiple studios from one dashboard.
The Morning Routine
This is what changed most.
Before: Open Slack. Check email. Open ClickUp. Check WhatsApp. Cross-reference Notion. Figure out what needs to happen today. Start working — eventually.
After: "I open one app, and I immediately ask Dune — our AI — what's on my list today and what needs to get done. And then I just get to work."
Dune is the AI assistant built into Oase. It has access to every project, every conversation, every deliverable. It can draft messages, delegate tasks, create projects from form submissions, and generate marketing content from completed work — including suggesting relevant images from your project files, which are automatically tagged by the system.
"I cancelled ChatGPT because I switched over to my own tool. I can now just generate my marketing content directly from running projects inside Oase."
What This Costs
Oase pricing (EUR):
- Free: 3 client portals, 5 projects — no credit card
- Starter: €29/mo annually (€35/mo monthly)
- Professional: €49/mo annually (€60/mo monthly)
- Agency: €99/mo annually (€120/mo monthly)
No per-seat pricing. The Agency plan at €99/month is less than what Louie was paying for Typeform alone.
"We believe per-seat pricing is outdated. The best tools shouldn't cost the most."
The Takeaway
Most agencies aren't drowning because of one bad tool. They're drowning because twelve decent tools don't talk to each other — and the space between them is where projects slow down, feedback gets lost, and professionalism suffers.
Louie spent six years living that problem. Then he built the solution.
"Every single pain point has been addressed. I wake up and I only need to open one app. Everything happens in that app. My entire business lives there."
If you're running a design agency with 1-25 people and your current setup requires explaining the same thing in three different tools, it might be worth trying Oase's free plan. Three client portals. Five projects. No commitment.
"Invite a client into their portal and watch their reaction. That moment, when they see it for the first time, is when you'll know."
Louie is a design agency owner in the Netherlands and cofounder of Oase. The numbers in this article reflect his actual tool costs and workflow before and after switching. Try Oase free at getoase.com.