Controllership FAQs

What are some of the indicators that my company might be a good candidate for these services?

Controllership services are best suited to growing, successful companies with 10-50 employees, whose

owners are involved in the day-to-day management of the operations. The company management

is struggling with inadequate, untimely, or inaccurate financial information information- information

that is critical to growing the business.

What are the main benefits my company will receive from Controllership Services?

The primary benefit you receive is getting the right information you need to run your business on

a timely basis. We hear from business owners over and over again who are struggling with the

financial side of their business that they are "sick and tired of not knowing how their business is

doing from month to month." Business owners that try to "run their business from the checkbook

balance" inevitably reach a point where future growth is very difficult because they do not have all

the information needed to make wise business decisions.

What level of sales should my company have to consider Controllership Services?

There is no specific level of sales needed for Controllership Services. In our experience, most small

businesses struggle with similar problems, regardless of the industry they operate in. The more

important factor is whether the company is struggling with growth because of a lack of solid,

sophisticated financial information and guidance.

What will be the first thing done for my company?

Listen to you and your specific concerns about your business. Controllership Services are individually

tailored to each business we service. While many of the issues faced by growing businesses are

similar, each business has unique requirements and needs that are addressed and a custom game

plan is developed with specific goals and dates to reach them. The business owner is always in

control of both the priority of the projects and the costs to be incurred.

What will it cost for Controllership Services?

Controllership Services are charged on an hourly basis, at a very reasonable rate. The total monthly

fee depends on the number of hours a business requires each month. The number of hours can be

as low as 8 to 12 hours per month or as many as 32 to 40 hours per month.

Will my company be required to change anything that we are currently doing?

No. Your company is always under your control. The goal of Controllership Services is to free yourself

from some of the mundane tasks that dominate so much of a business owners time and develop a

strong system of consistent, timely, and valuable financial information you need to grow your business.

Change may be required, but it will always be changes you agree need to be made, and are in the best

interest of your company.

Can't my current independent CPA do what you do?

No. There are several reasons your independent CPA cannot perform Controllership Services. The first is

professional standards have independence rules that prevent a CPA who performs certain financial

statement work from performing services that provide "management functions." In essence, they are no

longer independent from the client, and, in theory, they would be evaluating their own work. When

we perform Controllership Services, we are anything but independent from your business. This, of

course, prevents us from performing certain services for your business such as reviewed or audited

financial statements.

Aren't you competing with my current CPA? 

As noted above, we cannot perform audits or reviews of financial statements and your current CPA

cannot perform Controllership Services  if they are performing any "attest" work on your financial

statements. We are not in the business of performing tax return preparation services, however we

may prepare your returns for your company if you specifically request us to. The majority of the time

we just provide your current CPA with substantially improved financial information for them to prepare

your returns.

Is there a monthly report I get from your program?

Yes. We work hard with you and your company personnel to develop a reporting system that provides

for the needs of running your business and making it grow. In conjunction with you, we develop key

performance indicators that you need to watch to make sure your business stays on the track you want

it to be on. You are provided with Flash Reports, a report card for your business each month, which is,

in turn, used to set priorities for future projects.

How will I introduce you to my bank?

Simply introduce us as your controller. It is not important to the bank that we are only at your business

on a part-time basis. They will be pleased that you have hired a controller with a solid history of experience

and background of qualifications. The bank wants to know that they can rely on the financial information

coming from your company.

What's the cost for the initial visit to my company?

The initial visit is free. Meeting business owners and finding out about their operations is part of determining

if Controllership Services are a good solution for their company.