CPAs do a lot for small businesses. From choosing the right business structure to tax planning, compliance, and preparing documents for an SBA loan, we bring a lot to the table.
But what separates a good CPA from the best?
Communication.
The best CPAs cut through the jargon, delivering a clear picture of where you are and how to get where you want to go.
In this article, we’ll share the basic ways CPAs help small businesses, and outline the crucial value of a monthly review meeting.
The Basics: What Most CPAs Can Do for Small Businesses
Small business owners are busy. And most didn’t go to school for finance or accounting, so it’s nice to have someone in their corner to take care of the numbers.
Here are a handful of ways a CPA might be able to help:
- Tax Support: We give you the confidence that, yes, you’re on top of deadlines and aren’t risking IRS penalties (not to mention saving you some money along the way).
- Choosing Business Structures: Where should you incorporate? It’s a complex question, and one we get pretty frequently. Every situation is a little different, but rest assured, we can help make the right choice.
- Cash Flow Management: Whether you’re weighing an important hiring decision, investment, or tricky accounts receivable puzzle, your CPA can implement strategies that make sure you never unexpectedly run out of money.
- Bookkeeping Oversight: Accountants and bookkeepers have slightly different roles, but regardless, a CPA can certainly help oversee the books.
- Financial Planning & Budgeting: CPAs truly shine when it comes to budgeting and establishing financial goals. We’ve got you covered here as well.
- GAAP Compliance: Banks and investors will expect you to use Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to report your finances. If you’re interested in fundraising, our support could be invaluable.
The Difference Maker: Monthly Review Meetings
At the end of the first month, you’ll notice something subtle but important: instead of a quiet email with a few attachments, you’ll get a calendar invitation, too.
When clients come to us for help, they usually want to learn about our services, our qualifications, and if the price makes sense — and those things matter, of course — but when they hear about the monthly financial review meeting, they say things like: “Oh my goodness, yeah, that’s exactly what I’ve been needing.”
During the meeting you’ll talk with an actual human who knows the ins and outs of your business, and is prepared to walk you through what happened, why it happened, and what to do next.
No jargon. Just clarity.
Director of business development rep, John Rickard, calls it “the good, the bad, and the ugly meeting.”
Why We Don’t Just Send Reports
A lot of firms end the month by dropping a packet in your inbox and disappearing. But we’ve learned that business owners need more than information; they need a guide as well.
Tyson Yoon, John’s counterpart, put it another way: “When potential clients hear we actually sit down and do a deep dive with them, people are visibly relieved.”
And it makes sense, right?
Most people aren’t finance people by trade. The value of a CPA goes beyond just providing a service — it’s in providing an opportunity to ask “so what? Why does this matter? What can I do about it?”
Monthly review meanings carry another virtue, too.
Plans, policies, revenue recognition rules, and financial controls can quietly veer off course when your focus is inevitably pulled somewhere else. But a standing meeting is a checkpoint where we can tie the numbers back to your goals, review, and renew your plan.
And since we charge a fixed monthly fee, you don’t have to worry about racking up billable hours by asking questions. More context allows us to give better advice, and we welcome anything that may be on your mind.
“The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”
Before he joined indinero (and nicknamed our monthly meetings), John was the CFO of a small business himself. So, he learned a thing or two while he was on the other side of the table.
- A lot of firms are afraid of clients leaving, so they try not to upset them. But business owners don’t need flattery — they need to know the truth before it’s too late to make a change.
- Oftentimes, business owners don’t have many people they can discuss business details with. You can only disclose so much to employees, you don’t want to worry family, and you definitely don’t want word to get out to your competitors.
- Owning a business is isolating, so having someone to talk to who understands what it’s like is surprisingly valuable.
We’re there to support you — handling the finances so you can focus on growth — but don’t underrate the value of having a space where you’re completely free to share what’s worrying you, what you’re excited about, and aspiring to achieve.
Teaching Financial Discipline (Not Just Closing Books)
We work with people who are simultaneously brilliant at their craft, and new to the rhythms of business finance.
Founders often arrive wanting a forecast. But after a little conversation, we discover they often need reliable inputs (and a shared vocabulary to discuss what’s going on).
So, our monthly meetings sometimes turn into a classroom. We don’t just tell you what happened, we explain why something happened, and leave our owners with actionable advice.
From here, we connect the dots from the messy details to clear next steps for achieving your goals.
Where the ROI Shows Up
It’s tempting to think of monthly reviews as the cost of compliance, but the value emerges in subtle ways:
- Better Decision Making: When you close your books on time, with accurate information, and understand what’s going on in real-time, you can make the right hiring, pricing, and investment decisions.
- Proactivity: When you talk with your accounting team regularly, you don’t discover missed credits or other opportunities on April 10th. You plan for them in November.
- Ready for Sale By Default: There may come a day when it’s time to sell your business. And as M&A advisor Dan Irish shares: “No one can sell a company without solid financial reporting.” Staying on top of your finances early means avoiding the last-minute scramble many business owners experience (and lose money) over.
We’ve seen the return on a single conversation reach well into six figures.
Maybe it was a little-known tax credit you hadn’t claimed, a subtle pricing tweak, or catching a multi-state compliance risk before penalties hit. Those wins don’t come from one-off clean-ups. They come from a standing practice of meeting and talking through what’s going on.
What Does the Meeting Actually Look Like?
Before the call, your books are closed for the month: bank and card accounts reconciled, revenue and COGS tallied and reviewed, accruals posted, and any edge-cases flagged.
During the call, your controller (CPA) walks you through the deck: KPI trends, budgets vs actual, variance drivers, cash runway, and anything else on the horizon.
Questions are encouraged, and there’s plenty of room to pause to work through a quick “what if” or “what does that mean” together.
After the call, you’ll get a crisp summary including any follow-up action items.
Over time, the format will evolve.
Early on, we emphasize closing quality as well as cash and revenue visibility. But as we grow together, and complexity increases, the agenda expands. Maybe we’ll look into multi-state sales tax rules, tax credit preparation, or equity compensation implications. It all depends on your needs.
Why Business Owners Say It Feels Different
Tyson hears a shockingly similar story during many of his discovery calls.
We’re not the first CPA firm someone hired, right? And time and time again, people are frustrated by late reports, inaccurate filings, unreturned phone calls, and the sense they’re playing middleman between a bookkeeping shop and a once-a-year tax preparer.
But when clients join indinero and experience how communicative we are, and see how well we coordinate across disciplines, it’s like a breath of fresh air.
People finally have the confidence someone has their back.
Need Help?
When it’s time, book a free consultation.
We’d be delighted to help you navigate your finances with confidence. You focus on growth, we’ll take care of the numbers.
