Notes on month-end reviews, reporting and focused tools.
Practical guides for the industries we build for: accounting firms, property managers, IT providers, 3PLs, builders and insurance brokers.
Retainer billing for consultants and agencies: set-up, scope and invoicing
How consultants and agencies can set up retainers clients renew: the three types, what to agree in writing, rollover and overage rules, and invoicing.
Read →How much cash should a small business keep? Setting a minimum cash balance
How to set a small business's minimum cash balance: four ways to size it, how to choose, and how to use it in a 13-week cash forecast, with an example.
Read →Owner statement mistakes that trigger owner emails
The owner statement mistakes that cause the most owner emails and calls, the question each one triggers, and how to fix it before the statement goes out.
Read →An MSP QBR checklist: turning monthly reports into a quarterly business review
A checklist for MSPs to prepare a quarterly business review from three monthly reports: trends, recurring issues, security, lifecycle, roadmap and budget.
Read →Writing month-end commentary clients actually read
How to write month-end commentary clients read and act on: a four-part structure, plain-language rules and before-and-after examples on a sample P&L.
Read →How to import invoices into QuickBooks Online or Xero from a CSV
A column-by-column guide to importing sales invoices into QuickBooks Online or Xero from a CSV: the layout, dates, tax codes, account codes and checks.
Read →What to put on a professional services invoice (and what clients actually check)
What every professional services invoice needs: the details that make it valid, line descriptions that get it approved, and what clients check first.
Read →What to include in a monthly owner statement: a property manager's checklist
What every monthly owner statement should show: balance, income, expenses, management fee, reserve, distribution, rent roll and receipts, with an example.
Read →Setting owner approval limits and late-rent rules: a guide for property managers
How property managers can set repair approval limits and late-rent rules for each owner, handle emergencies and vacancies, and decide what to flag.
Read →How to build a 13-week cash flow forecast for a client
How to build a client's rolling 13-week cash flow forecast: opening cash, collections from AR, payments from AP, recurring items and a minimum cash line.
Read →Forecast vs actual: running the weekly cash forecast update
How to run the weekly update of a client's 13-week cash forecast: roll it forward, explain forecast vs actual, measure accuracy and build scenarios.
Read →What to put in a monthly IT service report for clients
What a monthly MSP client report should show: tickets, response and resolution times against SLA, backups, patching and security, and how it feeds the QBR.
Read →What 3PL clients want to see every month: inventory and fulfilment reporting
What 3PL warehouses should report to clients each month: stock on hand, days of cover, receipts, orders shipped and itemised charges tied to activity.
Read →Keeping homeowners in the loop: a weekly project update template
A weekly update template for builders and remodelers: work done, what's next, schedule status, photos, selections due, change orders and draws.
Read →A renewal timeline for commercial insurance clients
A 120-to-0-day renewal timeline for commercial insurance brokers: what to do at 90, 60 and 30 days, what to request and how to track quotes by line.
Read →How to review a client's P&L every month: a practical framework
A step-by-step framework for reviewing a client's monthly P&L: month-over-month, year-over-year and TTM comparisons, variance flags and commentary.
Read →Materiality and variance thresholds: how to decide which P&L changes to flag
How to set dollar (materiality) and percentage (variance) thresholds for monthly P&L reviews, why you need both, and how to tune them per client.
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