Questions we get asked first

Your bookkeeper records what happened. Your CPA files the return and keeps you compliant. Neither is responsible for telling you whether you can afford a hire in March, which service lines are unprofitable, what your debt service coverage ratio does under a rate change, or whether the equipment purchase pencils. That forward-looking work is what we do — alongside them, not instead of them.

No. Bookkeeping and data entry stay with your existing bookkeeper or CPA, who keeps ownership of the books. We work from clean data and build the layer above it. If the books need cleanup before that layer will hold, we will say so and help you scope it.

We work best with companies between $1 million and $10 million in revenue. Below about $1 million a strong bookkeeper and a simple cash forecast will usually serve you better, and we will tell you that. Complexity matters more than revenue — a $2 million company with three entities and a bank covenant needs more than a $7 million company with one product and no debt.

It depends on scope, and we will not pretend otherwise. A one-time diagnostic is a fixed fee. Ongoing work is a quarterly retainer scoped to what the business actually needs. Project work — a raise, a sale, a capital program — is fixed scope and fixed fee. We quote after the first call, once we have seen enough to be accurate.

Two quarters on ongoing engagements. That is not a lock-in tactic: forecast accuracy and KPI trend visibility need a full quarter before they mean anything, and judging the work before then would be judging an incomplete picture. Project work has a defined scope and end date.

Core Financial Operations is the day-to-day backbone — monthly reporting, KPI dashboard, budget versus actual, 13-week cash forecast, DSCR tracking, and a standing cadence. Strategic Planning, Capital Raise and Sale Readiness, and Capital Project Evaluation layer on top when the business needs them. Most clients start with the core and add one.

A few hours of the owner's time across the first two weeks, plus access to your accounting system and bank statements. After that, a monthly strategy call, a Quarterly Business Review, and the occasional question before a decision. Our standard response window is two to three business days.

Yes — QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Xero, Sage, NetSuite and most industry-specific systems. We adapt to what you have rather than asking you to migrate.

Yes, most engagements run remotely with video working sessions. Where being on site genuinely helps — a capital project walkthrough, a diligence process — we do that too.

You see your scored result immediately, along with the specific gaps your answers surfaced and which engagement we would likely start with. If you look like a fit, you are offered a link to book a 30-minute call. If you are not a fit yet, we say so and suggest what to address first. Either way, we do not sell or share your information.