"Parabola takes away the boring, low-value work so we can focus on what actually matters.”
The problem
Use case 1
Too much manual work, not enough time for analysis
ShipBob is a fast-growing logistics and fulfillment company with a lean finance team supporting operations across the US, UK, Canada, Spain, and Australia. For Brian Johnston, Senior Accountant, month-end close meant juggling thousands of rows of data across multiple spreadsheets while under pressure to hit tight deadlines and answer stakeholder questions quickly.
“Every month we’d roll forward Excel files, copy-paste data, rebuild mappings. It was repetitive and error-prone,” Brian said. “Even small changes like a few new employees meant updating formulas, adding lines, and manually changing journal entry dates and memos.”
Temporary labor accruals were especially painful. Invoices came as 20+ page PDFs—often inconsistent formatted or overlapping across periods. Extracting line items by hand, reconciling them against timecard data, and validating numbers against their GL wasn’t just tedious. It made it hard to ask the right questions or be confident in the numbers.
The solution
Use case 2
Creating consistent, auditable processes at scale
ShipBob initially explored Parabola to support shipping cost workflows, one of their most complex and closely monitored areas. During that process, the finance team saw an opportunity to automate accruals and reconciliation with Parabola and quickly got started.
They began with a proof of concept focused on temporary labor accruals. Brian built flows that pulled in timecard data, contractor invoices, employee rosters, and mapping files.
“Now I just drop in four files, and it maps everything automatically. I used to spend hours redoing the same vlookups every month. Now it just works.”
That success expanded to other workflows, including stock-based compensation and bonus accruals across multiple entities. Brian even uses Parabola to generate journal entries he can upload straight into their accounting software.
Instead of redoing manual work each month, the logic now lives in repeatable, auditable flows. “It’s faster, more accurate, and honestly—less soul-crushing.”
The results
Use case 3
Time saved, fewer errors, and better conversations
Parabola has helped ShipBob’s finance team move faster, answer questions with confidence, and free up time for higher-impact work.
- 50%+ reduction in prep time: Automating repeatable workflows means no more rebuilding spreadsheets from scratch.
- Time shifted from manual prep to real analysis: Instead of scrambling before close, the team now walks into meetings with insights and a clear explanation of what changed and why.
- More strategic conversations with stakeholders: With less time spent on manual prep, the team can now dig into the data and ask sharper, more informed questions.
- More consistent, error-free reporting: Standardized flows eliminate small formula mistakes that used to slip through.
- Fewer dependencies and less headcount pressure: Parabola helps the lean team stay efficient without needing to add more people.
The result is a smoother, faster, and more confident close process.
“It’s not just about saving time, it’s about using that time to do better work. Parabola takes away the boring, low-value work so we can focus on what actually matters.”
