Dublin Accounting Services

The first meeting with a client is to introduce myself and to allow the client to share their story with me.  This helps me get to know the client and ask follow up questions that may help me consider possible opportunities or threats to discuss.  I try to have a more personalized approach so they get to know me and I get to know them.   Accounting and taxes don't stop after taxes get filed and if something comes up during the year that may help my client, I like to think of it as a mid-year tune up that may help provide a better service to my clients.

I graduated with honors while receiving my Masters in Accounting from the University of Texas in Dallas.  After that, I set my next goal as acquiring my CPA license.  The process was very involved and I am proud to say I successfully have been licensed by the State of Texas as a Certified Professional Accountant.  I am also a certified professional for QuickBooks Online and can help get discounted services such as access and use of QuickBooks and payroll services if you are not already a client.

Typically, I charge $35 an hour for accounting and bookkeeping services. I consider accounting and bookkeeping services to include bank reconciliations, accounting reviews of current books, credit card reconciliations, payroll and sales tax reporting and filing, and other activities that contribute to having accurate and reliable records for you and your business activities.

My CPA fees for tax returns vary depending on an individual's certain situation.  I've seen tax preparation services say they will offer a fee up front, but that is only after they have asked you enough questions to figure out how many of what forms may be required then charge you per form or for estimated time the forms may take.  Don't trust any service that says it will be a flat rate before they go through some kind of tax interview with you.  For instance, many popular tax preparation firms will practically complete your tax return then tell you if you are willing to file they can get you a refund or $X amount and this may sound good but it often is really the refund amount after they take out their fees, and often their fees are more expensive than other professional services including myself.  My approach is to discuss your tax situation and preferably to see a previous tax return to identify any opportunites or exposures to come up with a reasonable upfront price.  That way, if it takes me longer than I anticiptated, it doesn't cost you any extra.  I feel that is very fair approach for both of us.  

My hourly fee for CPA activities will be $105 an hour.  CPA activities include tax preparation, contact with tax agencies such as the State of Texas or the IRS to resolve tax issues, and special projects such as becoming a central figure involved with bank loans and business acquisitions.  I have strong SBA contacts and experience in positioning ourselves for the best opportunity for loan approvals.  

I started by working with one of the best CPAs in Dallas, but he opted to close his doors after experiencing some health issues.  After that, my experience was working with a couple of different firms that valued charging the fees over building relationships.  Perhaps it is my Texas values but I have always felt that if your priority is taking care of your clients, the clients will take care of you.  For my firm, my goal is to perform accounting / bookkeeping functions for business owners that cannot afford a full time staff accountant.  This saves the client money and headaches and allows me the flexibility to schedule my time for certain projects, while still being accountable for my responsibilities.  

My ideal clients are small business owners.  These people are specialists in certain areas, which is why they have gone into business for themselves.  These people are the ones who know starting a business is risky and have tried to develop a plan for success.  These people are also the ones that realize their strengths and weaknesses, and focus on the strengths to increase their chances of success for their business and to enjoy the individual rewards of their success.  These people realize to maximize success, they must be willing to involve others with a different strength set to contribute to their goals.   Allowing me to take on the accounting for you really is helping me to help you do what you do best.  This makes me a committed partner in the success of your business.  I have found that many bookkeepers enter the information but don't have the CPA perspective to see the big picture including seeing possible issues with your books.  Many larger CPA firms are larger because they will perform bookkeeping services at a premium price.  My approach is to be considered a part time accountant for the client I am working with to provide an accounting service that allows me to be familiar with the company's accounting records and offer my CPA perspective to identify potential issues that may affect the accuracy of the records.  For instance, one client I had wanted me to apply for the PPP loan when it was available but when it was approved, never told me until I figured it out (which was fine), but to accurately record how the loan was used and apply for foregiveness, it needed to be recorded differently than just as a regular deposit or payment from a customer.  

While there are many good CPAs out there, there are some that simply want your money and then out of sight out of mind.  This approach may be financially lucrative for them, but it is not in line with my business philosophy.  I simply feel if I take care of my clients with a professional approach and they feel it is a rewarding relationship that we have built, then I have a client for life.  And they have a trusted CPA that will always go above and beyond to protect his clients.  Isn't that what you want?

Wild Flower Festival in Richardson, close to the Eisemann Center in Richardson.  I appreciate the social atmosphere, and the shows going on all of the time, and the wide arrange of entreprenuership displayed in the variety of booths for vendors wanting to market their products and foods.  I enjoy the opportunity to enjoy some music legends as well as newer acts that may have that something special, even if it is just something special to me.  

My advice for clients is to consider your strength and weaknesses, and your motivation for doing what you are doing.  The clients I like to work with understand that they were likely drawn towards opening their own business because they have an expertise in a certain niche or wanted more independence than their previous employer could provide, whether that was financial or personal independence.  My feelings are that most business owners are great at what their business specializes in and there in lies the success of their company.  It's their investment of time and energy towards what makes their business successful that will in turn provide the highest returns and rewards for them.  Most people can recognize the value good accounting records bring to their business but it is not a high priority outside of their Profit/Loss statement.  As a business owner, allowing others to provide expertise in the areas where you don't either have the expertise or desire to invest your time and energy in an area of the business is a key strategy.  This keeps your focus on what makes your business great.  Keeping your business successful is what makes it all worth your time and your effort.  

To me, it's common sense but I've seen alot of business people flounder and get caught up in messy situations.  I was recently involved with a client wanting to purchase a business with well over $1 million in revenues per year, and the company kept great records for their sales and expenses.  My client was going to apply for an SBA loan to acquire the company and this involves a lot of paperwork and information from the company being acquired to get approval for the loan.  The company was able to provide Profit/Loss statements in detail for each month going back for several years, but when I asked them for their Balance Sheet, I was told they didn't really have a Balance Sheet.  The Balance Sheet is a big part of the Financial Statements any bank would want to see as part of their due dilligence before approving a loan, it is essentially shows a snapshot for the value of a business.  It shows cash in the bank, value of property and equipment, any loans or lines of credit, the investment by the owner(s), current Net Profit, and other contributing factors showing the actual value of the business.  Not to get on a tangent, but in the financial world, the Balance Sheet is considered a Business 101 type of topic and it did stop the progress of the loan until all of the necessary items could be collected to reliably build this document but my point was that if they had a part time accountant keeping track of this, it would have already been prepared and not subject to the high degree of scrutiny requiring more and more documents to back up what was on the Balance Sheet, which equals more time and fees for the current business owners.  

Part of what I ask my clients when we first start our relationship is what did your previous accountant / tax preparer do for you.  My next question is what do you wish they would have done for you?  The easy answer is 'save me money' but there is always action and consequences involved.  How big do you want to grow?  Do you want the control factor of the business to just be you, or do you want to hire employees?  Do you want to hire employees or contractors?  Do you know the IRS and Texas Workforce Commission's definition and differences between employees and contractors?  Do you want to set up a retirement account or is the business your retirement plan?  Do you want health insurance available for you or also for your employees?  Honestly, I am a payroll service for some of my clients with a few employees, however, if your business grows, it may outgrow me as a payroll service and then do you want to make those decisions alone or with a person that you trust as a partner in your business?  Along the way, the city and state(s) where you operate can throw you some financial curve balls.  Do you want to be responsible for providing those documents or have someone that is already invested in your business that knows what they are looking for that can protect you in the best manner possible?  As a business owner, there are many challenges you have to navigate, and while you are the captain, every captain has a crew that also is responsible for taking care of the ship.  I look forward to becoming a trusted and proud member of your crew.