What Our Work Delivers
We measure our success by what changes for the businesses we serve. These are real outcomes from real clients.
General Contractor Who Couldn't Tell Which Jobs Made Money
The Problem
A general contractor was pulling in strong revenue but had no way to tell which projects were actually profitable. His books were six months behind, and he was estimating job costs from memory when putting together new bids. He had recently finished a large remodel that he thought would be a home run, only to realize the final numbers didn't add up.
He was making decisions based on gut feeling and it was starting to cost him.
What We Did
We caught up the full six-month backlog and set up job costing in QuickBooks Online. Every expense, from labor and materials to subcontractor payments, was tied directly to a specific project. We built a monthly report that showed gross profit by job so the owner could see exactly where his money was going.
The Result
Within weeks, the picture became clear. His smaller residential jobs were consistent money-losers once change orders and unbilled labor were factored in. His best margins were on mid-size commercial projects, which he had been taking less often because he assumed they were more competitive.
He shifted his focus, stopped bidding on the small residential work that was dragging him down, and started pursuing more commercial jobs. His gross margins improved noticeably over the next quarter, and he stopped relying on a credit line to cover payroll between payments.
He now reviews job profitability with us before putting together any new bid. He has turned down three projects in the past year that the numbers told him would lose money.
Small Nonprofit on the Verge of Losing Its Tax-Exempt Status
The Problem
A small nonprofit hadn't filed its Form 990 in two consecutive years. The board was unaware that failing to file for three consecutive years would result in automatic revocation of tax-exempt status by the IRS. The organization's books were disorganized, grant funds were mixed with general operating dollars, and the board had not received a proper financial report in over a year.
A major donor had started asking questions. A pending grant application required reviewed financial statements, and there was nothing to provide.
What We Did
We rebuilt two full years of books from bank statements, donor records, and grant agreements. We properly allocated expenses to each grant and set up fund accounting so restricted and unrestricted funds were tracked separately. We then prepared and filed both overdue 990s.
We also created a monthly financial reporting package for the board, including a statement of financial position, a statement of activities, and a budget-to-actual comparison.
The Result
The 990s were filed before the three-year revocation deadline. Tax-exempt status was preserved, and the organization avoided what would have been a painful and expensive reinstatement process.
The board now receives clear, timely financial reports at every meeting. The grant application that had been stalled was completed with proper financials attached, and the funding was approved. The executive director told us it was the first time in years that she felt confident answering financial questions from donors and board members.
Pool Service Company Running Everything From a Bank App
The Problem
A pool service owner on the South Shore had over 150 monthly accounts but was managing the entire business from his phone's banking app. His wife was handling invoices on paper. He had no idea which routes or customers were actually profitable once chemicals, drive time, and equipment wear were factored in. Business and personal expenses ran through the same checking account, and tax time every year was a scramble.
What We Did
We set up QuickBooks Online and moved his invoicing to a digital system so payments could be tracked automatically. We connected his bank feeds, separated personal and business transactions, and categorized every expense properly. We set up a simple monthly report that broke down revenue and costs so he could start seeing the real numbers behind each service.
The Result
He discovered that a handful of his longest-standing customers were significantly underpriced. Fuel and chemical costs had gone up over the years, but his rates hadn't moved. He raised prices for those accounts and let go of a few that weren't worth the drive.
His wife got her evenings back. The paper invoicing system that used to take her hours every week was replaced with a process that runs in a fraction of the time. Tax prep became straightforward because the books were already clean and organized when his CPA needed them.
Dental Practice That Outgrew Its Back-Office Setup
The Problem
A dental practice had grown to ten employees, but the financial side hadn't kept up. The office manager was handling bookkeeping and payroll on top of her regular duties, and mistakes were becoming more frequent. Paychecks had been wrong twice in three months, and the dentist had no reliable financial picture to work from.
She was considering investing in new equipment but had no real data to help her decide whether the practice could handle the expense.
What We Did
We took over the bookkeeping and payroll completely. We cleaned up the existing records, corrected the payroll errors, and set up a system to run payroll accurately every pay period. We also stepped in as an external controller, reviewing the books monthly and providing the owner with financial statements she could actually use.
When the equipment question came up, we built a cash flow forecast showing exactly how the payments would affect the practice over the next twelve months.
The Result
Payroll errors stopped. The office manager got roughly 15 hours a month back, which she redirected to patient scheduling and insurance follow-ups. The dentist now receives a clean P&L and cash flow summary every month and reviews it with us before making any significant spending decisions.
She moved forward with the equipment purchase after seeing the forecast confirmed it was manageable. She later told us that having someone she trusted watching the numbers gave her the confidence to make that call without second-guessing it.
Real Estate Investor With Six Properties and Zero Visibility
The Problem
A Tampa Bay real estate investor with six rental properties was running everything through a single bank account. He had no way to tell which properties were making money and which were eating into his returns through repairs and vacancy. Tax time was expensive because his CPA had to spend hours untangling the transactions just to prepare the return.
He wanted to acquire a seventh property but couldn't make a confident decision because he didn't know how his current portfolio was really performing.
What We Did
We set up class tracking in QuickBooks so every dollar of income and every expense was tied to a specific property address. We went back through the current year's transactions and properly allocated everything. We also worked with his CPA to make sure depreciation schedules were accurate and consistent across all properties.
Going forward, we deliver a monthly P&L for each property along with a portfolio-level summary.
The Result
Two of his six properties were barely breaking even once maintenance and vacancy costs were properly allocated. One had a recurring plumbing issue that had cost far more than he realized because the expenses had been buried in a single account. He put that property on the market and reinvested in a better-performing area.
His CPA prep fees dropped noticeably because the books were already organized and separated when tax season came around. And when he was ready to move on the seventh property, he had the clean financials and cash flow data his lender needed without any last-minute scrambling.
Electrical Contractor Blindsided by an IRS Notice
The Problem
A small electrical contracting company received a notice from the IRS about discrepancies in a prior year's tax filing. The owner had been doing his own books in a spreadsheet and filing his returns based on rough estimates. He also hadn't been issuing 1099s to the subcontractors he used regularly, which created additional compliance exposure.
He didn't know how to respond to the notice and was worried about penalties piling up.
What We Did
We started by catching up his books for the prior two years using bank statements and whatever records he had. Once we had accurate numbers, we prepared an amended return and drafted a response to the IRS notice with full supporting documentation. We also gathered the necessary information from his subcontractors and filed the overdue 1099s.
Going forward, we handle his monthly bookkeeping, prepare his business tax return, and file 1099s at year-end so nothing falls through the cracks again.
The Result
The IRS accepted the amended return and reduced the originally proposed penalty significantly. The response we prepared demonstrated that the errors were unintentional and that proper systems were now in place.
He also realized he had been overpaying on estimated taxes because his rough numbers overstated his income. Once the books were accurate, his quarterly estimates dropped, freeing up cash he was able to put toward a new service van.
He told us the notice was the worst letter he had ever opened, but it ended up being the push he needed to get the financial side of his business handled properly. He hasn't thought about the IRS since.
Tampa Bay's Small Business CPA Firm
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