How Wild Ranch Management Solutions provides insights 33% faster

Caroline Wild brings 11 years of agricultural industry expertise to her consultancy, Wild Ranch Management Solutions. Throughout her career — working across ranching operations, stockyards, and breeding organizations — Caroline witnessed how common it was for ranchers to make critical decisions without a clear understanding of their cost of production or holistic financial health. This insight led her to pursue a Master's in Ranch Management from the King Ranch Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Today, Caroline's approach centers on giving producers visibility into their profitability through enterprise analysis and managerial accounting—essential tools that enable operators to make informed decisions that help them stay resilient.

The Challenge

When launching her business, Caroline quickly hit roadblocks with traditional accounting software. "I did one morning in QuickBooks and got so fed up," she recalls. That frustration prompted a decisive change with a client: "What do you think about trashing this all and moving it to Ambrook? I've never used it. I don't know if it's any good, but I want to try it."

Her client took a chance on the new platform: "God bless my client. She was like, 'Yeah, sure. Let's leave it all behind. It sucks anyway.'" Together, they began learning Ambrook while simultaneously building their working relationship.

The Solution

For Caroline, Ambrook offered what ranchers needed most—a customizable system that wasn't overwhelming, in an industry that's notoriously difficult to template.

Caroline and her client built a complete financial structure in Ambrook that accurately represented their operation for the first time. "We started from scratch. We created enterprises and we created categories, and we had to build a balance sheet. We did it all," Caroline recalls.

A significant breakthrough came in the form of correctly accounting for loans in their balance sheet. Despite her clients consistently paying off their loans, their QuickBooks system showed loans from the past seven years with hundreds of thousands of dollars still on the books. The complexity of tracking principal and interest payments had created a financial picture that didn't reflect reality. When Caroline presented the balanced loan accounts on Ambrook, her client's husband was astonished: "I remember the day that I showed [him] the loans balancing to zero for the first time. And he said that it's literally never happened. Didn't know it was possible." This revelation was followed by another insight that the client hadn't been able to grasp from their previous practices: "Oh my God, I didn't know we were spending that much on interest."

The Results

Before Ambrook, Caroline's approach to financial analysis required a notable time investment to get to a stable foundation of data. "I often tell people three years is the amount of time that I need before we can get you an ironclad analysis of what's going on," she explains. "It’s hard to wait that long when you're trying something new."

The biggest breakthrough has been in how Ambrook transforms the data entry process that precedes any meaningful analysis. "Before, all of the input and the data-gathering felt like a mountain and it feels more like a hill now," Caroline explains. This fundamental shift means she can now provide value to clients much sooner.

With Ambrook's automations and mass transaction capabilities, Caroline can efficiently process historical information rather than only moving forward with new data. "It's easy enough to import data back and categorize it with automations."

Switching between cash and accrual accounting has also transformed Caroline's analysis work, providing what she calls an "absolutely life-changing" capability. This flexibility allows her to prepare tax documentation and simultaneously provide meaningful management insights to clients.

Looking Forward

Caroline's approach to ag finance centers on building genuine relationships based on trust. Though she didn't grow up in rural America, she's dedicated herself to strengthening its family businesses. "I've tried really hard to put forward a persona that people can trust, because handing your finances over to someone is the most vulnerable thing you can do," she explains.

This commitment to rural communities drives her work. When operations struggle financially, Caroline provides clarity without judgment: "We're in this to make good decisions for you, and it may be a little ugly at times,but we're going to get through it together." This supportive approach has earned her loyal clients who actively recommend her services to others.

For Caroline, financial analysis isn't just about numbers—it's about empowering producers to confidently understand their operations at a fundamental level. Her goal is to help them say with certainty: "Yes, I know how much my operation costs to run, and how much each head of cattle that lives here costs me."

For agricultural producers seeking financial clarity and improved decision-making, Caroline and Wild Ranch Management Solutions offer a path forward built on trust, technology, and agricultural expertise.