Industries we serve
Every trade has its own traps in the books.
We work with owner-run companies between $1M and $10M, in Florida and anywhere in the US. These are six kinds of business the service is built around, and what we look for first in each.
Construction and trades
"I know a job lost money. I just find out three weeks after it is finished."
What we see in the books
- The numbers arrive weeks after month end, so the next job is bid the same way as the one that lost money.
- Retainage sits mixed in with regular receivables, so nobody chases it when the job closes.
- Trucks and equipment get booked as expenses, and the loan on the books never goes down.
- Customer deposits are counted as sales before the work is done, which moves profit and tax into the wrong year.
- Subcontractors are paid all year, and nobody checks for a W-9 until January.
What the monthly close keeps straight
- Retainage and customer deposits tracked in their own accounts
- Equipment, vehicles and loans on schedules, each payment split into interest and principal
- Job margin, so you see which jobs made money (Close + Controller)
- Receivables followed up by age, oldest first (Close + Controller)
Dental and medical practices
"My office manager does the books between patients, and we see the real numbers when the return is done."
What we see in the books
- Card deposits, patient refunds, payroll and the equipment loan land in whatever account was open at the time.
- The practice's real margin is a guess until March.
- Equipment and lease schedules fall out of date, so the balance sheet and the return disagree.
- Your office manager spends evenings on work that should take an hour.
What the monthly close keeps straight
- Every bank, card and merchant account reconciled each month
- Patient refunds tied out
- Equipment and lease schedules kept current
- Payroll tied to your provider's filings (Close + Controller)
Restaurants
"Sales are up, the dining room is full, and somehow there is no cash."
What we see in the books
- Food and labor cost is something you learn once a year, when it is too late to change the menu or the schedule.
- Sales tax collected sits in the checking account and looks like money you can spend.
- Gift cards and party deposits are counted as sales the day they are sold.
- Delivery platforms net their fees out of the deposit, so sales on the books look smaller than they were.
- Tips and payroll never quite tie to what the payroll company filed.
What the monthly close keeps straight
- Card processor and delivery platform deposits reconciled to sales
- Florida sales tax returns prepared each period for you to approve and file (Close + Controller)
- Payroll and tips tied to your provider's filings (Close + Controller)
- Inventory on the books from your counts (Close + Controller)
Professional services
"The profit and loss says we had a great month. The bank account disagrees."
What we see in the books
- Retainers, work in progress and unbilled time sit outside the books.
- The close lands on the 25th, so every decision is made on last quarter's numbers.
- Partner or owner draws get mixed into expenses.
- Payroll and benefits never quite match what the provider reports.
What the monthly close keeps straight
- Revenue tied out each month, with retainers kept apart from income
- Owner draws kept out of expenses
- Customer and project margin (Close + Controller)
- Payroll and benefits matched to your provider (Close + Controller)
Manufacturing and wholesale
"I know sales to the dollar. I know margin to the quarter, maybe."
What we see in the books
- Inventory is counted once a year, and cost of goods is adjusted to make the margin look right.
- Freight and duty get expensed in the wrong month, so margin jumps around for no reason.
- Cash is tied up in inventory and slow receivables, and nobody has put a number on it.
- The same vendor appears three times under three names, and a bill gets paid twice.
What the monthly close keeps straight
- Receivables and payables aged and reconciled every month
- Loans and equipment on schedules
- Inventory kept on the balance sheet from your counts (Close + Controller)
- Inventory costing, landed cost and e-commerce (Close + CFO)
Real estate and property management
"Tenant deposits, owner money and operating cash all sit in the same place."
What we see in the books
- Security deposits and money held for owners get mixed into operating cash.
- Mortgage payments are booked as one expense, so the loan balance never matches the lender.
- Short-term rentals collect sales tax and tourist tax that has to reach the right agency on time.
- Nobody can say which property actually makes money.
- The tangible personal property return for furnishings and equipment slips through the cracks.
What the monthly close keeps straight
- Deposits and owner funds tracked apart from operating cash
- Each mortgage payment split into interest and principal, the balance tied to the lender statement
- Florida sales tax returns prepared for you to approve and file (Close + Controller)
- Profit by property, using job and customer margin (Close + Controller)
Not on the list?
If you run a company between $1M and $10M, in Florida or anywhere in the United States, the free review will tell us both quickly whether we are a fit.
