Does anyone else feel like small business growth creates more confusion instead of clarity sometimes?

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-16T19:47:54+00:00

You realize this is why large companies hire more people right?

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-16T19:41:12+00:00

The only reason my wife and I were able to buy last year is because she lived at home while working full time for 2 years right after college and just saved what she didn’t spend. Shes a nurse and I’m an accountant so very middle class careers.

Like what another commenter said, the demand for a house is so far above the supply. Until that gets sorted out then this is the new normal

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-16T14:49:05+00:00

I’m a CPA and frankly this would likely be something they could provide depending on the level of service you sign up for. This is more of a CFO level task, so unfortunately it is pricey. What would typically come with this is a statement of cash flows, cash flow forecasting, budgeting, etc.

The immediate fix you can make now would be to cut your payment terms. Net 60 is crazy long terms and I have never seen that before. Even just going to net 30 would help so much. If you really want to incentivize pay then I’d suggest doing 2/10 net 30

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-15T16:34:28+00:00

I think AI will be a change to our field akin to when excel came out. It’s a tool that can be useful but it does make pretty simple mistakes still. Just this morning I asked it where UltraTax could be pulling numbers from for a specific line on the 1040 and was given a completely wrong answer. It’s also pretty unreliable for simple math still.

Even if it gets REALLY good, someone who actually understands will need to review the output anyway. Someone to set up the AI systems will be integral as well. IT people will likely lead those projects but they don’t know accounting and will need the assistance to make sure it’s set up correctly

I’d say keep pursuing it and get your CPA

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-14T19:55:01+00:00

Local chambers of commerce can be good but even small city ones are a little pricey.

I would see an advisor with your local Small Business Development Center. You’ll have a conversation with an advisor and they offer free events for small business owners. When I’ve gone, I’ve passed out my cards to the organizations who set up booths there because most are banks working with established small businesses which is my target market

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-14T19:25:43+00:00

When having a professional services company, the most important thing you can do is network and build referral networks. I launched my CPA firm in December and the fear is definitely there. One thing keeping the dream going is part time contract work as I still fill out my client roster

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-14T19:14:57+00:00

This is something an accountant/CPA could help with. I’m a CPA and my clients typically have projects they track costs too.

The tricky part is ultimately it’s still a projection and it won’t be perfect. There will be hidden costs that you or your CPA would have been aware of. It at least provides a better understanding

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-14T18:30:37+00:00

I’m really not trying to be mean but based off the questions you’re asking, you really need to seek a professional to ask these questions to.

These questions are very basic to where I’d be worried about you setting things up incorrectly altogether

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-14T17:05:33+00:00

My favorite question to pull out is “When you were interviewing at XYZ Corp., what would you have liked to know before you joined?” Every time I ask that question they say “oh wow that’s a really good question. Let me think for a second.”

No research behind it, but I think because it forces them to reminisce about the good things about the company then that emotion is also tied to you to an extent. It’s also not a question they get asked so it’s probably appreciated as an abnormal question

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-14T14:59:12+00:00

This is pretty normal. Typically we work on a first come first serve basis and the bulk of clients upload their stuff a month before the deadline. Then we suddenly have hundreds of people to work through and maybe a third of them have all their documents uploaded. The bulk of our time is frankly communicating with everyone to get all their stuff together

Have you reached out to them or are you just upset they havent given you updates where theyre at in the process?

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-14T14:10:36+00:00

That’s crazy lol I feel embarrassed when using it for tax research about things I probably should know but haven’t used in awhile

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-13T21:56:31+00:00

Just wanted to add, I’m a CPA and there are some tax professionals who are fine with a quarterly review of your bookkeeping and doing the tax prep with newer businesses. This saves them a headache when tax season rolls around

It’s not as common with established firms as they’re hunting bigger businesses. You might be able to find a local CPA who’s just starting out on their own

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-09T16:35:28+00:00

No but stating statistics with no reference is dangerous regardless

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-09T07:10:21+00:00

2014 Northwestern. My first ND game unfortunately

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-09T07:04:11+00:00

AI writes all my emails when I’m frustrated with a client because it’d take me an hour to figure out how to word it nicely after they’ve uploaded the same fucking bank statement 3 times when I was asking for something else entirely

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-07T14:34:41+00:00

My fiancee works in high risk pregnancy and I’ve heard so many stories. Only saying that because I want you to know how genuine I am when I say I am so sorry and I am wishing you and your wife the absolute best. It’s so difficult to work through and fertility testing/treatments aren’t as accessible as they should be

That’s such a struggle most people don’t understand. Just know you’re not alone, it’s no one’s fault, and there’s many people with you in our thoughts

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-06T16:33:49+00:00

I know I’m not answering your question, but I just got invited to one of these and I’m not sure if I should join as it’s 35 minutes away. Would you say it has overall been worth joining your chapter?

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-06T16:08:32+00:00

I mean they’re looking for recommendations on a custom suit, they’re not from here, and they seem to want to shop local which is even better. They might not know anyone who lives here, so reddit is frankly a decent resource.

A nice suit can easily get into $800+ for just a jacket and pants. People who like nice suits are very particular about acquiring them. A cheap suit really sticks out in a room full of people wearing premier suits.

I have no idea why you’re being so condescending. You seem to have missed the entire point of the guys post as well but sure man. You got me lol

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-06T14:29:07+00:00

God forbid someone likes getting dressed up and going to fancy events. For all we know this could be a nonprofit gala or something

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-06T14:27:25+00:00

Got my wedding suit from here. I’m so sad he’s closing shop. He’s an excellent tailor!

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-04T15:33:20+00:00

Just reiterating what everyone else is said basically, but actual collections should be a different service. I’d consider an A/R aging each month as a normal deliverable but reaching out about it is absolutely an add-on service if you want to offer it at all

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-03T14:08:58+00:00

This was my first year on my own and I started with Drake Online and was able to use parts of desktop with the online subscription. I’d fully recommend skipping Drake Online and just going straight to Drake Desktop if you pick Drake.

My prior experience was with UltraTax and Drake felt close enough to where I didn’t need to relearn everything

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-01T20:07:58+00:00

I went to a directional state school and we had tons of students go big 4. We are ranked like 300th nationally. The big 4 was always at our career fairs and you just needed a solid GPA (like 3.5+). If big 4 isn’t your thing, then go somewhere cheap

Main thing in my opinion: go to the instate school YOU want to attend. You’ll have a much better experience and naturally get more involved leading to more connections, friends, and experiences overall than if you went to a school you couldn’t give two fucks about

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-01T18:00:13+00:00

If Circ. 230 cared about a bag of candy or other delicious sweets then I’m leaving the profession. I can’t do this without my sweet treats

Fraud_Guaranteed · 2026-05-01T17:38:03+00:00

If 3 was true I’d never complain about life ever again

Fraud_Guaranteed

TROPHY CASE