FAQs
Questions Business Owners Ask
Where is Stirn & Associates located and what areas do you serve?
1
Stirn & Associates is based in the Ormond Beach area and works with businesses throughout Volusia County and surrounding communities. Remote support is also available nationwide.
I work with owner-led businesses that need help with QuickBooks, bookkeeping, accounting cleanup, reporting, workflow, project accounting, system changes, and other financial or accounting issues that have become difficult to manage internally.
Do you provide bookkeeping as well as accounting systems and business consulting?
2
Yes. I provide bookkeeping and ongoing accounting support when it fits the needs of the business.
Some clients need straightforward bookkeeping or month-end support. Others come to me because something is not working correctly in the books, reporting, QuickBooks setup, workflow, or financial process. In those cases, bookkeeping may be part of the solution, but not the only part.
How do I know whether my books need cleanup or the accounting setup itself needs to change?
3
Sometimes the problem is a group of transactions that need to be corrected. Other times, the same problems keep happening because the accounting setup or process behind them is not working well.
Recurring reconciliation problems, inconsistent classifications, unreliable reports, too much manual work, or balances that nobody can clearly explain are signs that it may be worth looking beyond a simple cleanup.
I review what is happening first, then determine whether the issue is in the books, the setup, the process, or a combination of them.
Can you work with my existing bookkeeper, office manager, accountant, or CPA?
4
Yes.
A business does not need to replace its existing accounting staff or CPA in order to work with me. I can step in for a specific project, help solve a system or reporting problem, support an internal bookkeeper, provide training, assist with a migration, or help straighten out an area that has become difficult to manage.
Why don't my financial reports match what I think is happening in the business?
5
There can be several reasons.
Transactions may be classified incorrectly, accounts may not be reconciled, information may be entered too late, or the reporting structure may not match the way the business actually operates. Sometimes the numbers themselves are fine, but the reports are not designed to answer the questions management is asking.
The first step is figuring out where the disconnect begins.
Why can construction job-cost and project-profitability reports be misleading?
6
A job-cost report is only as reliable as the information feeding it.
Labor, materials, subcontractors, change orders, billing, customer deposits, WIP, budgets, cost-to-complete information, and project setup can all affect the result.
If those pieces are incomplete or inconsistent, the report may look finished while still giving management the wrong picture of the job.
I work with construction and trades businesses on the accounting structure, processes, reporting, and controls behind job costing and project profitability.
What financial information should a small architecture or engineering firm be monitoring?
7
At a basic level, an A&E firm should be able to see whether projects are profitable, how much staff time is billable, what overhead is costing the firm, what has been billed, and what is still outstanding.
Useful reporting should help management understand project performance, billability and utilization, overhead, billing, and cash flow without having to rebuild the information manually every month.
When should a business consider moving from QuickBooks Desktop to QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Online Advanced, or Intuit Enterprise Suite?
8
There is no single answer that fits every business.
The right system depends on the size and complexity of the company, the number of users and entities, reporting requirements, projects, permissions, integrations, workflows, transaction volume, and how management uses the financial information.
Sometimes a move makes sense. Sometimes the current QuickBooks file needs to be cleaned up or reorganized first. Sometimes the existing system is still the right one.
I work with QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Online Advanced, and Intuit Enterprise Suite and can help evaluate the accounting needs before a migration begins.
What should I review before applying for financing, buying or selling a business, or going through an ownership change?
9
Start with the financial information someone outside the business is going to rely on.
That usually means reviewing the balance sheet, profit and loss, receivables, payables, debt, payroll accounts, fixed assets, inventory when applicable, project information, unusual transactions, and any related companies or accounts that affect the financial picture.
It is much easier to address problems before a lender, buyer, broker, CPA, or other advisor starts asking for explanations.
What is a Business Review?
10
A Business Review is a structured look at the financial side of the business before deciding what work actually needs to be done.
I review the accounting, reporting, systems, workflow, and the specific concerns that brought the owner to me. From there, I can identify what appears to be working, what needs attention, and what the next step should be.
That next step might be cleanup, reporting changes, training, workflow improvements, system changes, or a larger accounting project.
What if I know something is wrong but I don't know what kind of accounting help I need?
11
That is common.
You may notice that the reports do not make sense, cash does not seem to match profitability, QuickBooks feels harder to manage than it should, or staff are spending too much time working around the system.
You do not need to diagnose the problem before contacting me. We can start with what you are seeing and work backward to determine where the issue begins.
Not sure where to start?
If something in the accounting, reporting, QuickBooks setup, workflow, or financial process is not working the way it should, we can start there.