The Precision Bookkeeping Formula™

Moving Your Business from Complexity to Competitive Advantage.

Every construction industry entrepreneur we work with is different….but they all have one goal in common. They are looking to eliminate the “ceiling of complexity” that becomes a barrier to the growth of their business.

What most construction business owners don’t realize is that the secret to growth is simplification.

You can’t grow if everything gets more complicated as your business gets bigger. Instead, a healthy growing business goes through a period of growth, then the business owner takes steps to simplify and eliminate complexity, and then the business enters another period of growth.

Businesses that grow rapidly and succeed get very good at this simplification process. Businesses who don’t develop the skill of simplification stall and stop growing. Or worse, they go into decline.

Every Apparatus Client Has This Worry

If you are like all our other clients, you have a worry that sounds something like “How do I turn over my existing bookkeeping processes to Apparatus without the wheels falling off my business?”. Another variation of this worry is “My bookkeeping may be total chaos, but I least it is a chaos I can understand”.

Do these fears sound familiar?

At some level, these fears are completely rational. But, if you let these fears take control of your decision-making, you’ll never break free of the complexity that is holding your company back. The only solution is to embark on a proven program of simplification and redesign of your bookkeeping processes.

What you need is a guide who has a very clear map to take you from the complexity you have now to the capability that you need.

Apparatus is that guide.

Here Is How Apparatus Solves This Problem

The moment you become a client of Apparatus we enroll you and your key team members is a process we call The Precision Bookkeeping Formula™ which serves as a bookkeeping transition checklist.

Through a series of structured Zoom™ meetings your Apparatus Principal Bookkeeper and other members of the Apparatus team will work with you and your key team members to complete nine stages, each with specific milestones and predefined outcomes. For each stage, there will be prework on your part, work we do during the meetings, and work that is completed after each meeting. We go at a pace that you can handle, but we move smoothly through each step that applies to your business operations.

Here are the nine stages of The Precision Bookkeeping Formula™…

The Collaboration Kickoff™:
In this first stage we review the plan and schedule of the onboarding process and we ensure that the onboarding team members and their roles and responsibilities are well defined. We do an in-depth review of your current bookkeeping operations, we confirm that ACS has access to the tools we will be using to build a precision accounting system for your business, and we set the plan for a handoff of bookkeeping responsibility from your current provider to ACS.
The Comprehensive Review™:
In this second stage, we discuss the results of our review of your current books to ensure that ACS has a firm grasp on what is working and what is not working about your current bookkeeping operations. We then define and prioritize the urgent repairs to your existing workflows and books that must be addressed before proceeding to Stages 4 through 9 of the onboarding process.
The Urgent Repairs Gameplan™:
In this third stage, we summarize and confirm the completion of the urgent repairs defined in the Stage 2 – The Comprehensive Review™ meeting. We discuss the obstacles or changes to the solution plan for urgent repairs that need more attention, and we discuss and set a plan for any new urgent repairs that have emerged. We will continue this process until all urgent repair items are fully addressed.
The Professional Transformation™:
In the fourth stage, we review and finalize the plan to transition your existing chart of accounts to reflect the NAHB model chart of accounts and, where appropriate, the NAHB or CSI Code MasterFormat® Products and Services list.
The Revenue Recognition Model™:
In this fifth stage, we define and build the policies and workflows needed to correctly recognize revenue and account for the accumulation of costs in your projects consistent with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
The Financial Reporting Navigator™:
In this stage, we work with you to define and configure the specific reports you will employ to understand the operations of your construction company on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
The Construction Management Integrator™:
In this stage (which only applies to our Gold-level clients), we work with you to develop shared operating guidelines for using your construction management system, such as BuilderTrend® or CoConstruct®. (Your “CMS”). We ensure that your construction management system is tightly integrated with your QBO® file and that data flows seamlessly between both programs.
The CFO Services Rollout™:
In this stage (which only applies to our Gold-level clients), we systematically review and roll out the reports and analysis tools that make up the CFO services we provide to clients who are in the Gold level of our Construction Advantage Program™.
The Stabilized Client Milestone™:
In this stage (which applies to all clients), we review the work we’ve accomplished with you in Stages 1 through 8, we finalize the new workflows we’ve developed with you, and we lock down the daily information flows, weekly check-in meetings, and weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports needed to create a smooth ongoing collaboration between Apparatus and your team.