MountMonitor
January 8, 2026
5 min read
Most taxidermy shops do not run on a single system. They run on a mix of apps, whiteboards, binders, spreadsheets, and memory to manage payments, job tracking, client communication, and accounting.
Individually, none of these tools seem like a big problem. Together, they create friction. More logins. More manual work. More chances for things to fall through the cracks.
Over time, this patchwork setup quietly costs more than most shop owners realize, not just in subscription fees, but in lost hours, absorbed processing fees, and constant system juggling.
image here
MountMonitor starts at $49.99 per month. That’s $599.88 per year for a single system that handles payments, job tracking, client communication, and reporting in one place.
Now let’s walk through what a typical cobbled-together setup actually looks like and keep a running total.
Most shops use one or more retail payment processors for card payments, online invoices, or deposits. The problem is not the processor itself. The problem is that in most setups, processing fees cannot be passed on cleanly to the client.
If your shop processes $300,000 per year and absorbs an average of 3% in processing fees, that’s $9,000 per year coming straight off your revenue.
This cost rarely shows up as a line item. It just quietly reduces what you take home.
image here
Job tracking is usually handled with spreadsheets, generic project tools, whiteboards, or paper folders. These tools were never built for taxidermy workflows, long timelines, or jobs that involve multiple stages and payments.
Even if the software itself only costs $20 to $30 per month, the real cost shows up in manual updates, duplicate entry, and time spent hunting for information.
Just 30 extra minutes per day dealing with fragmented tracking adds up to more than 120 hours per year.
image here
Client updates are often sent manually from personal phones or separate messaging tools. Some shops pay for SMS platforms. Others rely on memory and reminders.
This leads to missed updates, repeated questions from clients, and more time spent responding to messages that could have been automated.
Between subscription costs and manual effort, client communication becomes another quiet drain on time and focus.
image here
Many shops use separate accounting software on top of everything else. Payments need to be reconciled. Jobs need to be matched to invoices. Numbers need to be checked.
This often means duplicate entry and more time spent making sure systems agree with each other.
Some MountMonitor users eventually drop separate accounting software entirely, saving hundreds or even thousands per year while simplifying their workflow.
image here
Multiple systems mean constant context switching. Where was that payment? Which system has the latest job status? Did the client get notified?
This mental load turns the shop owner into the glue holding everything together. As volume grows, that role becomes harder to sustain.
This is where burnout creeps in, not because the work is too hard, but because the systems are fighting you.
image here
A conservative annual estimate for a cobbled-together system often looks like this:
Processing fees absorbed: ~$9,000 Job tracking tools: ~$300 Messaging tools: ~$360 Accounting software: ~$600
That’s over $10,000 per year, before factoring in lost time, stress, and mistakes.
MountMonitor: $599.88 per year.
MountMonitor replaces the patchwork with one unified system built specifically for taxidermy. Payments, jobs, communication, and reporting all live together.
That means fewer tools, fewer mistakes, less admin work, and more time spent actually running your shop.
image here
This isn’t about adding another tool. It’s about removing the ones that are quietly costing you time and money.
Run your shop on a system designed for taxidermy from the ground up.