You have reports.You don’t have answers.
Bookkeeping records what happened. A controller makes sure it’s right, puts it on an accrual basis, and tells you what it means in plain English. Because a 40-page report you never open isn’t reporting. It’s paperwork.
From $5,000/month · Published pricing · No onboarding fee
What does an outsourced controller do?
An outsourced controller owns the accuracy of your financial statements. They review the bookkeeping, record the accruals and adjustments that put revenue and expenses in the right month, review the balance sheet every month, and turn the result into financial statements and a short KPI dashboard leadership can use. At Core, controller work is part of the outsourced finance department, done by the same team that keeps your books, plans and files your taxes, and runs your cash forecast.
Where cash-basis books stop telling you the truth
Under $3M you can usually get by on cash-basis books. Above it, they start to mislead you. Usually in ways that look like good news, which is the worst kind.
The big month that wasn’t
A client prepays six months and that month looks like your best ever. Then the next five look thin. On an accrual basis the revenue lands in the months you earn it, so each month looks like what it actually was.
The bills that haven’t hit yet
Bonuses you owe, invoices you’ve received but haven’t paid, payroll that spans two months. Cash-basis books show them late, so your margin looks better than it is. Right up until it doesn’t.
The balance sheet nobody reads
Liabilities that were never recorded. Receivables that are never getting collected. Loan balances that don’t match the lender. A monthly balance sheet review catches these while they’re small and cheap.
Reports nobody opens
You get a short dashboard built around the handful of numbers that actually drive your business, with what changed and why, in plain English. If you need a finance degree to read it, we did it wrong.
If you’ve ever had a great year on paper and a tight bank account in December, you’ve felt the gap a controller closes.
What’s included
- Accrual-basis P&L, balance sheet and cash flow statement every month
- A monthly balance sheet review
- Month-over-month and year-over-year comparisons, with the changes explained
- A KPI dashboard, set up in the first 60 days
- A documented month-end close and chart of accounts
- Year-end adjustments already in the books before the tax return starts
What we don’t do
We don’t run your A/P and A/R, and we don’t do inventory, WIP or job costing. Controller work here is built for service businesses with recurring revenue. If your business needs job costing, we’ll tell you on the first call.
Why it matters that the same team does your taxes
Your controller and your tax team work from the same statements. Year-end adjustments are already in the books, so your return and your financials tell the same story. And a lender or a buyer never sees two different versions of your year.
Common questions about controller services
Bookkeeper vs. controller vs. CFO: which one do I need?
A bookkeeper records and reconciles transactions. A controller checks that work, owns the accuracy of the financial statements and turns them into reporting. A CFO uses those numbers to plan cash, taxes and growth. At $3M and up, most companies need all three. The finance department gives you all three on one team.
Do I need a controller at $3M?
Usually, yes. That’s the stage where cash-basis books stop telling you the truth about your margin.
What KPIs will I get?
The ones that drive your business: typically gross margin by service or client, cash runway, revenue per employee and collections. We set them in the first 60 days.
Will my statements be cash or accrual?
Accrual, every month. That’s what shows your real margin. Your tax return uses whichever method your business is required or elects to use, and we reconcile the two for you.
Know whether last month was actually a good month.
Tell us your revenue, your role and what you’re trying to figure out. In a 30-minute call you’ll know whether we fit.
Apply for a fit call →Two-minute application · 30-minute call · If we’re not a fit, we’ll say so