Every business keeps books. Not every business keeps the same ones.
A landscaper, a bar and a landlord have different months, different taxes and different numbers that matter. These are the kinds of businesses I keep books for.
Each one lists the tier it usually lands on. If yours is not here, it almost certainly still fits.
Golf courses
Departments that run like separate businesses, and a season that ends. I know what your January looks like.
The FoundationThe Partner
Contractors and trades
Trucks, tools and jobs that need invoicing and reconciling every month, not every April.
The BasicsThe Foundation
Landscaping and lawn care
Seasonal revenue, year-round payments, and a snow contract that has to be recognized in the right month.
The FoundationThe Partner
Restaurants and bars
Daily sales, food cost, tips and sales tax. A business where three points of margin is the difference.
The FoundationThe Partner
Salons and studios
Booth rent, commissions, retail and memberships. Four kinds of money in one small room.
The BasicsThe Foundation
Auto repair
Parts margin, labor margin and the sales tax that only applies to one of them.
The FoundationThe Partner
Rental properties
One property or twenty. Each on its own books, with repairs and improvements sorted before tax time.
The BasicsThe Foundation
Consultants and agencies
Retainers, projects, contractors and owner pay. A business with no inventory and every other complication.
The BasicsThe Foundation
Law firms
A trust account that has to reconcile to the penny, retainers that are not income yet, and partners who want to see the numbers by matter.
The FoundationThe Partner
Nonprofits
Restricted funds, grant reporting, a board that wants to see the numbers, and a Form 990 at year end.
The FoundationThe Partner
Dental practices
Production versus collections, supply and lab overhead, an associate to pay, and equipment that costs as much as a house.
The FoundationThe Partner
Ecommerce
Payouts that hide fees and refunds, inventory that has to be counted, and sales tax in more states than you meant to sell in.
The FoundationThe Partner
Not on the list? Most owner-run businesses with one to five employees fit the same three tiers. The 15-minute call is where I tell you which.
Not sure your business is on the list?
It probably fits anyway. Tell me what it does and how it bills, and I will tell you which tier and what it costs.