Controller services: know what your numbers mean.
A monthly close, a clear view of your margins, and forecasts you can act on. That's the difference between having numbers and understanding them.
From recorded to understood.
We take ownership of your close, make sure the numbers are right, and turn them into the analysis behind your decisions: where your margins are, which KPIs matter, and a forecast you can rely on.
- Ownership of the monthly close
- Margin analysis by product, service, or location
- KPI reporting and dashboards
- Driver-based forecasting and scenario planning
- Cash flow visibility and runway
- Which lines actually make money?
- Is this hire adding or absorbing margin?
- How much cash is really mine to spend?
- What happens if I raise prices 5%?
Every month, we own:
We own these. It's our job to get them right and on time.
- Bank and credit-card reconciliations
- The monthly close
- Financial statements
- Balance-sheet integrity
- Management reporting
- KPI reporting
- Cash-flow visibility
- Margin analysis
- Budget versus actual
- Driver-based forecasting
- Accruals, prepaids, and deferrals
- Year-end schedules and support
Most owners read that list and realize nobody owns half of it today. That's the gap a controller fills.
How it goes
Week one, understand
We go through your business, your systems, your chart of accounts, and how the close currently works. By the end of it you have a written scope: what we take on, what it costs, and what changes first.
Month one, stabilize
We correct what has to be corrected, rebuild the chart of accounts where it is working against you, and establish a close process with a date attached. Historical cleanup, if it is needed, is quoted separately as one-time work.
Month two onward, own it
The close runs on schedule. Statements, margin analysis, and KPIs arrive when they are supposed to. You stop asking where the numbers are and start asking what they mean.
From there, improve it
Trends get flagged. Forecasts get tested against actuals. The reporting changes as the questions change, because the questions always change.
This works most smoothly when the books are already accurate.
Every report is only as accurate as the books underneath it. We do both, and plenty of clients take them together from the start.
See BookkeepingWhere to next
Questions this answers
The difference, in one table
| A bookkeeper | A controller |
|---|---|
| Records transactions | Owns the financial close |
| Reconciles accounts | Makes sure the numbers are right |
| Produces financial statements | Explains what changed |
| Reports what happened | Identifies why it happened |
| Maintains the books | Helps you make the decision |
Want the books off your plate?
Book a short call, and we'll give you an expert view of your situation.
Free Consult →Where we work
Remote across every state, with pages for the markets we see most: Washington, DC · Charleston · Atlanta · Dallas–Fort Worth · Chicago · New York · Denver · Seattle. Raleigh · Boston · See all locations.
Not sure which one you need?
The decision guide starts from the symptom and ends at the role, with the revenue band each one usually sits behind. Work through it.
The detail behind this
- Accounting system adequacythe standard a contract holds you to