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Outsourced CPA team & CFO services

5.0
4 reviews

Translating a company's vision into numbers is our sweet spot and we strive to establish strong accounting processes and financial analysis in order to enable growth in our clients' business.  

In our experience, we've found that time and again, incredible companies with amazing visions are unable to scale because they lack a good handle on their finances. Decisions were made based on gut feel rather than hard financial data, resulting in a lack of execution, growth and success. We strongly believe that if you don't know your numbers, you don't know your business. 

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$1,000+
 
$100 - $149 / hr
 
2 - 9
 Founded
2018
Show all +
Chicago, IL
headquarters
  • 1 W Monroe St
    Chicago, IL 60603
    United States
    7082143608

Portfolio

Key clients: 

Blake's Seed Based, COCO5, Groupon Inc, Hello Beverages, Invenergy, Neon CRM, Primary Goods LLC, Rumi Spice PBC, Shiftgig Inc, Quevos

Reviews

5.0
4 reviews
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Accounting for Frozen Yogurt Business

“Alex is very good at explaining things to us in a way that we can understand without having a background in finance.”

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
Less than $10,000
 
Jun. 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

The Accountrepreneur provides a range of financial services to a natural ice cream company, helping them to maximize revenue across various streams by analyzing margins and pricing models.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Chicago, Illinois
COO, Fronen
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The work completed by The Accountrepreneur has significantly boosted the client’s company profitability, allowing them to focus on what they do best without worrying nearly as much about the financials. The owner is incredibly dedicated and helpful, always willing to take on new tasks when asked.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the COO of a low ingredient, natural ice cream company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Accountrepreneur?

We worked with them on a wide variety of financial services and processes for our company.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They have helped us with assessing the cost and finance structure of our online store and partnerships in retail and grocery stores. That includes everything from all of the costs associated with those to consistently evaluating our pricing model and target customers to get the best possible understanding of our margins on both of those revenue streams.

What was the team composition?

Our interactions have all been directly with Alex (Owner).

How did you come to work with The Accountrepreneur?

We met the owner at an event in Chicago, and he was local to the area and came recommended by another food owner in the area. The timing worked out really well for us because we were just starting out, so we decided to move forward with him.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, our spend with them has been somewhere between $5,000–$10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first partnered with them in July 2018 and are continuing to do so.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We still handle our day-to-day accounting, but they have been incredibly helpful in all of the projects we’ve worked on with them, which has freed up a lot of our time and helped us to really hone down the efficiency of a lot of our areas of revenue and save us money in the long run.

Any time we have specific questions we can take those to them, and they are able to answer all of those for us. Whether it’s how to build out 3–4-year revenue projections or just figuring out manufacturing fees, they have been in the trenches with us to make sure the margins were where they needed to be.

How did The Accountrepreneur perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management capabilities have been great so far. Everything is very organized and very fair, and we always get tasks completed within the expected time frame that we set out at the beginning. If we do need to make any modifications or adjustments along the way, they’re very flexible in accommodating those as well. We mostly communicate through email, but before the pandemic, we had a lot of in-person meetings as well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The working relationship has been really enjoyable for us, honestly. He goes above and beyond on projects in ways that are not part of the initial scope just to help us more and is always willing to take on additional tasks.
Alex is very good at explaining things to us in a way that we can understand without having a background in finance.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really can’t think of anything in particular that I wish he was doing differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ask as many questions as possible, because sometimes you don’t even know what you don’t know, but his skill really lies in being able to illuminate the subject for you and make it seem far more accessible than it does from the outside.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Bookkeeping & Financial Planning for Food Production Company

"The team has gone above and beyond, freed up a ton of my time, and made my life way easier."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
May 2019 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

The Accountrepreneur LLC provides bookkeeping services and financial insights to a food production company. The team creates strategies for projections and helps work with distributors and investors.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Chicago, Illinois
Founder, Food Production Company
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The client has saved a significant amount of time since transferring their accounting needs to The Accountrepreneur LLC. The team’s services are reliable, accurate, and informed by expertise in the client’s industry. Their diligence exceeds the client’s expectations.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of a food production company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Accountrepreneur LLC?

I’d previously used three different accountants and wasn’t happy with any of them. We wanted to hand the reins of our accounting, projections, and financial components to someone I could rely on. It was taking up a lot of my time. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Alex (Founder) does our bookkeeping. He also helps create strategies for projections, run down bills, and work with distributors.

What is the team composition?

I just work with Alex. Some people on his team do backend stuff, but I only communicate with him. 

How did you come to work with The Accountrepreneur LLC?

They came recommended by a peer in the food industry.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together nine months ago, and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Alex has been amazing: the team has gone above and beyond, freed up a ton of my time, and made my life way easier. He’s been super helpful with our financial strategy, fundraising, and even our dealings with investors. He knows the financial components of our business inside and out. Plus. his prices are very reasonable.

How did The Accountrepreneur LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

He’s wonderful at meeting deadlines and communication. We keep in touch over email, phone calls, and text.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Alex knows the food industry really, which is what makes him so valuable. He never gets things wrong.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nope. I’d always like to get things at a lower price, but there’s always a cost to good work.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront and provide the information and access that he needs to do his job. 

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Financial Accounting & Consulting for SaaS Company

"He’s self-sufficient, his work is clean, and he always explains what he’s doing before recording the journal entries."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$50,000 to $199,999
 
July 2019 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

The Accountrepreneur LLC provided accounting services following US Gaap, reconciling the books of four recently-acquired companies under one umbrella in NetSuite. They also assisted with purchase accounting.

The Reviewer
 
51-200 Employees
 
Chicago, Illinois
Jennifer Weinacht
Former Controller, Neon One
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

Alex, the founder of the Accountrepreneur LLC, is a self-motivated and diligent partner. He is communicative and organized, delivering results while adhering to deadlines. Additionally, his ability to remain calm and his breadth of knowledge have been valuable assets throughout the partnership.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former controller of Neon One.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Accountrepreneur LLC?

When I became the controller at NeonOne, I needed some assistance with accounting. When I started, the accounting team in place wasn’t made up of true US Gaap accountants. The team played more of a bookkeeping role, so I was brought in to form true accounting processes.

Neon One was the parent of four different companies that all ran their own set of QuickBooks, so we had to consolidate all of the financials under a brand new system, NetSuite. I brought in Alex (Founder, Principal, & Chief Numbers Officer) to help me get four companies to report in US Gaap.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Alex worked with me and, together, we went through and reconciled every account for those four different companies. He also helped me to create processes on NetSuite and to form a true month-end closed process. 

We worked all the way down the balance sheet, put in reconciliation, and did the basics of accounting to get a consolidated financial set for the management. Additionally, since we were a conglomerate of small businesses that had been acquired, we had to undergo our first audit and needed to do purchase accounting, which is technical and complicated. 

We hired an outside firm to do the actual purchase accounting and valuation work, but Alex took the lead from the accounting side in terms of translating the valuation work into entries. 

What is the team composition?

I only work with Alex. 

How did you come to work with The Accountrepreneur LLC?

I know Alex because he used to work for me at a previous company and he was smart and educated – one of the best people I’ve worked with. When he left that company, we stayed in touch.

He was the first person I reached out to when I took on this project. I knew that I needed something quick but I didn’t need a full-time hire. I chose Alex because he’s talented, has a good attitude, and is so patient. 

He can do the basics, but he can also take on complicated tasks such as helping with entries related to purchase accounting. He has a wide breadth of knowledge.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $10,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement began in July 2019. I left Neon One about a month ago, but Alex is still providing them with consulting services.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Alex has a lot of experience so he can work on his own without much guidance, which is key. He’s self-sufficient, his work is clean, and he always explains what he’s doing before recording the journal entries. He calls to make sure that you understand it. 

Overall, he’s conscientious, diligent, responsible, and knows the right thing to do. He’s probably one of the top two people I’ve ever hired because he’s so self-motivated. Additionally, Alex has a lot of financial skills with cash flow analysis and helping companies try and get funding.

How did The Accountrepreneur LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

In the first month, he was at my company about three days a week. As things got to be more under control, he would only come in a couple of days a month. We would always touch base every week to come up with the plan for the week. 

I would always make sure that we had laid out what we needed help with on our end. Alex and I would then go over, especially in the early phases of the engagement, what each party was working on. Additionally, he’s very organized because he works with a lot of clients. 

Even though we have a friendship outside of work, our relationship was very business-oriented. We worked according to a timeline and he always met every deadline. If a deadline wasn’t going to be met or if he ran into anything that complicated the process, he would let me know. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

His ability to remain calm was impressive. When I took on the job, I hadn’t realized that the accounting books were in such poor shape. But Alex helped to keep me calm, laying out the plan clearly. He reassured me that the situation wasn’t terrible.

He’s seen a lot of company’s books, so he has that perspective. He knows when something is a problem. When I thought the books were a huge mess, he was able to take a lot of his experience from working with businesses of all sizes and industries and set a plan.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I have no suggestions, to be honest. I don’t have anything negative to say about Alex. I would hire him to help me with any work in any position.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know your objective. I knew exactly what tasks I needed him for and we had a plan to ramp up the process, and then eventually tail it off. He’s a consultant, so he’s not going to be with you forever. 

Make sure that you have very specific tasks. Additionally, don’t be afraid to challenge Alex. I would recommend him to anyone looking to get a clean set of books.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer

Accounting & Financial Planning for Beverage Company

"The Accountrepreneur’s services would make any CEO look great."

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5.0

Quality: 
5.0
Schedule: 
5.0
Cost: 
5.0
Willing to refer: 
5.0
The Project
 
$10,000 to $49,999
 
Aug. 2018 - Ongoing
Project summary: 

The Accountrepreneur provides several accounting services to a nutritional beverage company. They manage Quickbooks, create monthly packages with about a dozen reports, and offer other support.

The Reviewer
 
1-10 Employees
 
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Tom Bushkie
President/CEO, Hello Beverages
 
Verified
The Review
Feedback summary: 

The monthly packages are an excellent tool: professional, up-to-date, and detailed, they’re consistently a great resource for investors. The Accountrepreneur’s services have pleased internal stakeholders, and their responsiveness and engagement with the project have led to an ongoing partnership.

A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of Hello Beverages. We offer fiber-infused nutritional beverage products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with The Accountrepreneur LLC?

The Accountrepreneur helps us with a range of accounting services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When the team came in, they basically took over our Quickbooks account. Taking on a CFO-like role, at the end of each month The Accountrepreneur comes in with a complete financial package with about 10–12 different reports. It provides a vast amount of information; looking at it, we can identify margins on each of our clients as well as other details. 

We’ve also begun to raise money, and The Accountrepreneur puts together those reports as well.

What is the team composition?

I work only with Alex (Founder & Principal).

How did you come to work with The Accountrepreneur LLC?

Alex approached me on LinkedIn. I wasn’t looking for accounting services at the time, but I agreed to a meeting anyway. What I saw in the meeting blew me away, and I decided to start working with him on the spot.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $10,000–$50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in August 2018 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

I’m able to send my investors the monthly financial reports they put together, which keeps them informed in a very professional manner. They’re always impressed with how clean, detailed, and up-to-date the information is. 

Their work has also helped us to lower our COGS and ensure all of our inventory was accounted for. It saves me a lot of time. Plus, Alex totally understands CPG. He knows what to look for on all of our invoices and documents, so I can feel comfortable knowing I’m never being cheated on something. The Accountrepreneur picks up on a lot of things I would miss—I wouldn’t work without them.

How did The Accountrepreneur LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

Alex works extremely quickly and always meets our deadlines. His communication skills are great, too. We keep in touch through text messages, emails, and phone calls, and I can count on him to be available when I need him. If he can’t help me out right away, he’s extremely forthcoming and always provides a date when he will be able to.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Accountrepreneur’s services would make any CEO look great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there hasn’t been anything so far.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Sit down with them and see where your baseline is. From there, The Accountrepreneur will analyze where you and where you need to be, and then they’ll get you there.

5.0
Overall Score
  • 5.0 Scheduling
    ON TIME / DEADLINES
  • 5.0 Cost
    Value / within estimates
  • 5.0 Quality
    Service & deliverables
  • 5.0 NPS
    Willing to refer