DiPaola Di Pietro & Little Professional Corporation

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of XpertVR, a virtual reality business based out of Ontario. We create VR simulations for academic institutions across Canada and North America to help students learn throuigh actions instead of statements.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with DiPaola Di Pietro & Little Professional Corporation?

We were looking for help when it came to filing our taxes. We also needed someone who could address our finance and accounting-related questions throughout the year, so we hired DDL.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

DDL initially did a year in taxes for us. They had access to our accounting software, which is Wave Accounting. Through there, they were able to pull all of our transactions and different accounting statements. Their team then started putting together our taxes for that year and other documents that we needed. 

DDL had their own portal that we logged into and uploaded some documents on. Throughout the engagement, we called each other to verify everything. They also connected us with a grant or tax rebate specialist to help us get any grants that were available for our company.

What is the team composition?

We most often communicate with Tony (Managing Partner). We also have a dedicated head accountant, a bookkeeper, and a secretary who helps book our meetings with the agency. 

How did you come to work with DiPaola Di Pietro & Little Professional Corporation?

DDL sponsored a pitch competition when we were still a small company. We won that competition for one of their services. That’s how we got to work together.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $10,000 CAD (approximately $8,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement is ongoing, and we’ve been working with DDL for three years now since March 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Through DDL’s assistance, we’ve been able to secure fundings as well as get back around $20,000 CAD (approximately $16,000 USD) in tax rebates. They’ve also helped us prepare the necessary documents to get a company vehicle and receive $60,000 (approximately $48,0000 USD) in tax rebates for that. 

DDL has also helped decrease our accounting errors, walking us through a bunch of issues and continuously overseeing our financial statements to make sure we’re doing everything properly. Beyond that, DDL has just really enabled me and my business partners to reduce our stress around our accounting. 

How did DiPaola Di Pietro & Little Professional Corporation perform from a project management standpoint?

DDL has done a great job. They’ve always been available to answer our questions and they’ve always provided regular updates as to what they’re currently working on. We usually communicate via phone and email. We also sometimes use Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

DDL’s partners are highly involved in making sure everything is done correctly. It doesn’t feel like we’re just communicating with a middleman. Even when we have a big question concerning our strategic finance problems, they’re there to help us out. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything. Even through the pandemic, they send us weekly reports of policies and grants that we can take advantage of. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Our engagement stemmed from a unique situation because we won their pitch competition. However, as a future customer, be sure to reach out, get connected, and build a good relationship with any one of the partners because that’s the person that you can go to along with the accountant that’s assigned to you.