Finally, we want to give you the best service we can.  We work hard to meet your timelines and return calls on a timely basis.  The best compliment we can receive from a client is to be considered part of their company or team.   

Our expertise is working with businesses.  We work primarily with start-up businesses and business with gross revenue under ten million.  Our job is to provide you with strategic insights, not just information that may already be several months old.  We work together to solve your problems and increase profitability. We can then assist you with implementation of your ideas or change management, which can be the most difficult part of making improvements.  We will also help you with any government filings, especially your income tax returns.  While we prepare returns for the business owners we work with, we refer any individuals who do not need business consulting to other practices.  In our practice, the tax return is the last thing we do each year that reflects the tax planning we have done.  It is the final product, not the only product. 

Our relationship will be the most productive if we let you know how best to work with us.  If you have a question, feel free to pick up the phone to call us.  If we don’t know the answer, we will either get it for you or refer you to someone who does know.  We have a strong referral network to help you with any problem.   

Ethics
It is our responsibility to make you aware of any tax positions we may take that may be overturned in an audit.  We cannot make any decisions for you; We can only make you aware of the risks.  At no time will we falsify or fabricate information on your financial statements or tax returns. 

Communication
We do our best to return phone calls the same day, but usually within 24 hours.   The best time of day to reach us is after 3:00 p.m.   

Periodically throughout the year, we send out a newsletter to keep you informed of tax and business developments.   The newsletter is sent electronically. 

Phone Calls
Please feel free to call us for a brief 5-minute phone call for any of your quick tax or business questions. We enjoy providing this extra level of service at no cost to you. We do bill for calls lasting more than 10 minutes at Lynne's $175 hourly rate.   

Time Line

First Year
The first year with a client is usually spent organizing their financial records.  We encourage all of our clients to move away from manual bookkeeping systems to a computerized system.  The value of having your financial information computerized is amazing, especially in the amount of time you will save on bookkeeping and the amount of information quickly available to you about your finances.  We are available to help with training issues or any questions you might have.  We have found both QuickBooks and Peachtree Accounting programs to be inexpensive, easy-to-use computer programs.  Our goal is to have you feeling in control of your finances. 

We like to meet face-to-face with each client at least one time per year in the summer or fall.  We can use this time to talk about your goals and concerns about your company.  We may be able to identify some ways to improve your business, especially your profitability.   We will also let you know of any planning opportunities or ideas to reduce your tax liability.  Our goal for any client is to pay only the amount of tax required by law. 

Each November, we will contact you about year-end planning.  This is our opportunity to make corrections before the end of the year to reduce your tax liability.  We are also able to project your income tax liability.  This will give you several months advance notice to save if you have a large tax liability.  If you would like to get together to go over your projections, we can set an appointment. 

Second Year
The second year, we will continue to identify tax planning ideas.  We will also look at opportunities to plan for the future, like 401(k) plans, cafeteria plans, etc.  Many of our clients like us to review their accounting records on a quarterly or semi-annual basis.  As we move your finances from something painful to something useful, this will also be a good time to start talking about budgeting and goal setting. 

Third Year and Beyond
Finally, in the third year, we may begin the preliminary steps toward building a strategic plan for your company.  Many business people are successful without strategic plans.  However, your chances of having a profitable, well-run business are magnified greatly when you know where you are going and how to get there.  The meeting to prepare your strategic plan is usually three to four hours.  We talk about your company’s strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities.  We will also discuss where you want the company to be in five years.  Finally, we will establish strategic initiatives to help you get there. 

Each business and business owner are unique, so we will work together to design a plan for your business that works for you. 

New Business Ventures 

Make sure to call us any time you are starting a new business venture.  There have been many times that we saved our clients considerable taxes or headaches because we were involved in structuring the transactions.  These areas are typically complex and we want to structure the event so it most benefits you, not the other party.  Remember, when you sit down with us we are bringing to the table hundreds of client’s experiences, both good and bad.