Problems We Solve
Backlogs, messy books, payroll headaches, and cash flow confusion.
Plumber Running Everything From His Bank Balance
The Situation
A licensed plumber with a busy service van business had no idea if he was making money. He paid his bills when the bank balance looked healthy and panicked when it dropped. His wife handled invoicing but receipts piled up in a shoebox until tax time.
His CPA was billing him extra every year just to make sense of the mess before filing.
The Work
We set him up with QuickBooks Online and showed him how to photograph receipts from the truck using the mobile app. We connected his bank feeds and credit card so transactions flowed in automatically.
We categorized three months of backlog to establish a baseline, then took over monthly bookkeeping so the work stayed current.
The Outcome
His CPA's bill dropped by a third the following April because the books arrived organized and ready. More importantly, he discovered his emergency weekend calls were far more profitable than his regular service appointments once he could see the numbers broken out.
He adjusted his pricing for after-hours work and started pushing routine jobs to weekdays. The same number of hours now brings in more money. His wife no longer dreads January.
Owner-Operator Who Did Not Know His Cost Per Mile
The Situation
A truck driver running freight along I-75 had been an owner-operator for three years but still could not tell you whether he was making money on a given load. Fuel, maintenance, insurance, and his truck payment all came out of the same account with no tracking.
He was accepting loads based on the rate per mile without knowing what his actual cost per mile was.
The Work
We rebuilt his books for the prior year and set up expense categories that matched how trucking actually works. Fuel, maintenance, permits, insurance, and the loan payment were separated so we could calculate his true operating cost.
We created a simple report showing his cost per mile and his net profit per load.
The Outcome
His cost per mile was higher than he thought because he had not been accounting for deadhead miles. He was losing money on short-haul loads that looked good on paper but required too much unpaid driving to pick up.
He started being more selective about which loads he accepted. His annual net income went up even though his total miles driven actually went down. He now reviews his numbers monthly and adjusts his minimum rate when fuel prices spike.
Machine Shop With No Idea Which Jobs Made Money
The Situation
A small fabrication shop outside Findlay was busy all the time but the owner could never figure out why there was no cash at the end of the month. He quoted jobs based on experience but had no system to track whether those quotes were accurate.
He suspected some customers were costing him money but could not prove it.
The Work
We implemented job costing in QuickBooks so every material purchase, subcontractor invoice, and labor hour was assigned to a specific job number. We trained his shop manager to code expenses as they came in.
We built a monthly job profitability report that compared the original quote to actual costs.
The Outcome
Two of his longest-standing customers turned out to be money losers. Their jobs always involved extra revisions and rework that was never billed. He raised prices for one and let the other go.
His busiest month used to be his most stressful because volume did not equal profit. Now he can see which work is worth pursuing and which jobs to quote higher or decline. Margins improved and the end-of-month cash crunch disappeared.
Farm Family With Tangled Personal and Business Finances
The Situation
A third-generation family farm had equipment loans, crop insurance payouts, and operating expenses all running through accounts that also paid for groceries and the kids' sports fees. Nobody knew what the farm actually earned versus what the family spent.
Their lender wanted clean financials before approving an operating line increase, and they could not produce them.
The Work
We separated the farm finances completely from the household. We set up a proper farm chart of accounts and went back two years to categorize every transaction correctly.
We established a system where the family takes a set monthly draw rather than pulling money out whenever they need it.
The Outcome
The lender approved the operating line increase within a month of receiving the cleaned-up financials. The family also discovered their cash rent on one parcel was below market because they had not reviewed it in years.
For the first time, they can see the farm's actual profit separate from their household budget. The monthly draw system ended the constant guessing about whether there was money available. They now make equipment purchase decisions based on real numbers instead of hope.
Daycare Center Struggling With Payroll Complexity
The Situation
A childcare center with 15 employees was running payroll by hand using spreadsheets. The director spent hours every two weeks calculating hours, handling shift differentials, and figuring out PTO. Mistakes happened regularly and staff were losing trust.
Ohio's Publicly Funded Childcare subsidy payments added another layer of complexity that was not being tracked properly.
The Work
We moved them to a payroll system that handled the tax filings automatically. We set up the shift differentials and PTO accruals so the calculations were consistent every pay period.
We created a separate tracking system for subsidy payments so the director could reconcile what the state paid against what families owed.
The Outcome
Payroll that used to take half a day now takes thirty minutes. The director got that time back for actual operations. Employees stopped questioning their paychecks because the numbers were finally right every time.
The subsidy tracking caught several underpayments from the state that had been missed before. Recovering that money covered our fees for the first six months. The center is now fully compliant with Ohio withholding requirements and BWC reporting.
Restaurant Owner Two Years Behind on Books
The Situation
A family restaurant had not reconciled their books in two years. The owner was working seven days a week and bookkeeping kept getting pushed aside. Tax returns had been filed based on bank statements and best guesses, and he suspected he was overpaying.
He wanted to refinance his equipment loan but the bank required accurate financial statements.
The Work
We took the full two-year backlog off his plate. We reconciled every bank and credit card statement, categorized transactions, and sorted out the sales tax and tip reporting. We separated food costs from labor from overhead so he could see where the money actually went.
The Outcome
His food cost percentage was higher than industry average because he had not adjusted menu prices in three years while his suppliers had raised theirs twice. He updated the menu and his margins improved within a month.
The refinance went through because he finally had financials the bank could trust. The lower interest rate on the equipment loan saves him several hundred dollars monthly. We now close his books every month so he never falls behind again. He actually takes Mondays off now.
Northwest Ohio’s Trusted Bookkeeping Partner
The Next Step:
A 15-Minute Discovery Call
Let's talk about your current bookkeeping situation. We'll assess your needs, outline a plan of action, and give you a clear quote.
