What We've Done for Our Clients
Documented outcomes from contractors, tradespeople, and small business owners we work with.
General Contractor Who Couldn't Tell Which Jobs Made Money
The Problem
A residential remodeling contractor in Utah County was staying busy year-round but couldn't figure out why there was never much left in the account. He bid jobs based on experience and gut feeling but had no system to track whether those bids were actually accurate.
When projects ran over, he absorbed the costs rather than billing change orders because he wasn't tracking labor and materials against the original estimate. He knew he was leaving money on the table but couldn't prove where.
What We Did
We implemented job costing in QuickBooks so every material purchase, subcontractor invoice, and labor hour was assigned to a specific job. We set up cost codes that matched how he actually runs projects rather than forcing him into a generic system.
We created a job profitability report that compared his original bid to actual costs, delivered after each project closed out.
The Result
His kitchen remodels were barely breaking even because scope creep and unbilled change orders ate the margin. Bathroom remodels, by contrast, were consistently profitable. He restructured his bidding process and started requiring signed change orders before additional work proceeded.
Within six months, his average job margin improved by 12%. More importantly, he can now walk away from jobs that don't pencil out instead of hoping they work out. His bids are based on real historical costs, not guesses.
Electrical Contractor Two Years Behind on Books
The Problem
A residential electrical contractor had been so busy with new construction work that bookkeeping kept getting pushed off. Two years had passed without proper reconciliation. Tax returns were filed based on bank statements and rough estimates, and he suspected he was missing deductions.
His wife had tried to keep up with it but the volume of transactions overwhelmed her, and QuickBooks sat untouched on the office computer.
What We Did
We took the full two-year backlog off their plate. We reconciled every bank and credit card statement, categorized transactions properly, and sorted out the business versus personal expenses that had gotten mixed together.
We cleaned up QuickBooks and set up a system that works with how they operate. Now we handle the books monthly so it never falls behind again.
The Result
The cleanup uncovered over $8,000 in legitimate business deductions that had been missed on previous returns. Their CPA was able to amend the filings and recover a portion of the overpayment.
Tax season is no longer a scramble. Books arrive clean and organized, and the CPA bill dropped because there's no more sorting through the mess. The contractor's wife got her evenings back, and they finally have a clear picture of what the business actually earns.
Fix and Flip Investor Flying Blind Across Four Properties
The Problem
A real estate investor running multiple flips at once had no system for tracking costs by property. Contractor payments, materials, and holding costs were all mixed together in one account. He didn't know the true profit on any flip until it sold, and even then it was a rough guess.
His lender wanted accurate project accounting before increasing his credit line, and he couldn't produce it.
What We Did
We set up property-by-property tracking in QuickBooks. Every contractor payment, material purchase, permit fee, insurance cost, and loan interest payment ties to a specific address.
We created a live dashboard showing his total investment per property so he can compare actual costs to his original renovation budget at any point during a project.
The Result
On his next flip, he caught a contractor billing error that would have cost him $4,200. The tracking system flagged the overage before he cut the check.
His renovation budgets are now based on actual historical costs from completed projects, not optimistic estimates. The lender approved the increased credit line because he could finally produce the documentation they needed. He reviews property performance with us monthly and has stopped losing money to projects that quietly run over budget.
Concrete Contractor Struggling with Payroll
The Problem
A concrete and foundation contractor with a crew of nine was calculating payroll by hand. During the busy season, overtime calculations were a nightmare. The owner spent hours every two weeks on it and still wasn't confident the withholdings were right.
He'd received a notice from the state about a quarterly filing issue and wasn't sure what went wrong or how to fix it.
What We Did
We moved them to a proper payroll system with direct deposit and automated tax filings. We set up overtime calculations correctly and configured the different pay rates for different work types.
We resolved the state filing issue and got them current with all quarterly requirements.
The Result
Payroll that used to take most of a Saturday now takes thirty minutes. The crew gets paid correctly and on time, and the owner stopped worrying about whether the math was right.
The state issue was resolved without penalties because we addressed it promptly. When he added two more workers for summer, getting them set up in the system took five minutes. Payroll scales with the business now instead of becoming more painful as the crew grows.
Plumbing Contractor with Constant Cash Flow Gaps
The Problem
A plumbing contractor along the Wasatch Front was working steadily but constantly running short on cash. He'd finish jobs and move on to the next one without tracking who still owed him money. Some invoices were months old before he noticed.
He was paying suppliers late and occasionally scrambling to make payroll despite having plenty of work lined up.
What We Did
We cleaned up his accounts receivable and found over $23,000 in unpaid invoices, some over 90 days old. We set up a system to send automatic payment reminders so he didn't have to make awkward phone calls.
We created a weekly aging report showing exactly who owes what and how old each invoice is.
The Result
He collected most of that outstanding money within 60 days. Average time to payment dropped from 45 days to 22 days because invoices weren't getting lost in the shuffle anymore.
Cash flow finally matches the work schedule. He stopped paying supplier late fees and hasn't had a payroll scare since. The system handles the follow-up automatically, and he can focus on the work instead of chasing payments.
Landscaping Company Owner Buried in Receipts
The Problem
A landscaping contractor was drowning in paper. Gas receipts, equipment parts, and supply runs all ended up in a pile on his dashboard or crammed in his glove box. Tax time meant days of sorting through crumpled receipts trying to find his deductions.
He was using his personal card for half the business expenses and losing track of what to deduct.
What We Did
We set him up with QuickBooks Online and showed him how to photograph receipts from his truck using the mobile app. We connected his bank and credit card feeds so transactions flow in automatically.
We separated personal and business spending and categorized three months of backlog to get him caught up.
The Result
Tax time no longer involves sorting through paper. The data is already organized and waiting for his CPA. No more lost deductions or weekends wasted hunting for receipts.
He discovered he'd been missing about $3,000 in annual deductions simply because he lost the paperwork. The mobile app takes ten seconds per receipt, and he hasn't stuffed anything in his glove box since. His CPA commented that his books were the cleanest they'd ever seen.
Utah's Construction Bookkeeping Specialists
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