Northern Michigan
Own the business. Don't be owned by it.
A lot of owners don't run their business, it runs them. It sets the schedule, keeps the records in their head, and never gives a day back. I come in, find where the money and the time are going, build the systems that take the load off you, and stay on to support them.
Start the operations review →Who I work with
There are three kinds of people with their name on a business, and they need very different things.
Owns it for the title and the benefits. Someone else runs the day to day, and that's the way they want it.
Invested, skilled, and good at the thing itself. You can bake the cake. What you need is help with marketing, organization, cost control, efficiency, and the money going in and out.
Just as invested, but the business sets the schedule. It needs you there every day, and a day off costs you something. This is who I built this for.
What I do
The goal is not a report. It's a business that runs on systems instead of on you.
I learn how your business actually runs: how work comes in, who touches it, where the money goes, and what you're carrying that you shouldn't be.
Spending that buys nothing, work billed late or never, jobs that cost more than they bring in, and duplicate effort that eats your week.
A clear, honest view of the business: what's working, what's bleeding, and where improvement is worth the effort. In plain numbers, not jargon.
I recommend software that fits how you work, and when nothing fits, I build it for you. I've built a field app for daily tickets, work orders and hours that feed payroll.
I don't hand you a login and leave. I implement it, move your data in, and onboard your crew until they're actually using it.
Ongoing support once things are running, so a question on a Tuesday doesn't turn into three months of reverting to the old way.
Fit
The fractional CFO firms around here start at a million dollars in revenue. Bookkeepers record what already happened. Plenty of good businesses sit in between, too small for one and not helped much by the other. That's who I work with.
One to thirty people. A trade, shop, restaurant or service business. The owner is still in the work every day and the back office happens at night and on weekends.
I'm not a CPA. I don't do taxes, audits or signed financial statements. I work alongside your accountant and bookkeeper, and I'll tell you when a question belongs with them.
Fourteen years accountable for millions in daily cash and federal reporting. My work was audited up to ten times a year by internal audit, the tribal gaming commission and independent outside firms, with zero findings.
How to start
A fixed-fee first look. You fill out the intake form below, I go through your numbers and your workflow, and we sit down for about 90 minutes. You get a short written findings list: what's costing you money, what I'd fix first, and what I'd leave alone.
Intake, document review, a working session, and a written findings list with priorities.
Setting up the systems the review calls for: invoicing, job tracking, payroll time capture, receipts, reporting.
A standing monthly block for the back office: reconciliation, follow-up on what's past due, and fixing what slips.
One page at the start of every month: money in, money out, what's past due, how each job did, payroll hours, three things to watch and one thing to fix.
Who you'd be working with
I spent 14 years as Cage, Count and Credit Manager at Gun Lake Casino, running a 24/7 operation with 75+ team members, millions in daily cash, a guest credit program and federal AML reporting. Every dollar had to be accounted for every single day, and my work was audited up to ten times a year.
Since then I've managed technology projects for casino clients at Everi and supported business software clients at DataSpade, where I build reporting and automation that replaces manual work. I live in Kalkaska and work with businesses around the Grand Traverse region.
What that looks like in practice: a check-cashing fee program I designed saved one property $300,000 a year. Reviewing a small contractor's general ledger, I found roughly $26,000 sitting unexplained in Opening Balance Equity, an account that should be near zero once the books are set up. For a local service company, I built the field app their crews use for daily tickets, work orders and the hours that feed payroll.
Intake
This is what I'd ask you in person, and your answers tell me whether the business is working for you or the other way around. It takes about ten minutes. Skip anything you don't know or would rather talk through: "not sure" is a useful answer, and it's often where the money is.
Your answers are on their way. Heather will be in touch within two business days to set up the review. If it's urgent, call or text 269-953-2115.