Controller-Led Accounting
Books you can trust.
Numbers you can use.
Most small businesses have books that satisfy the tax return and tell the owner nothing else. LedgerKeep fixes that — clean, current records underneath, and senior-level financial guidance on top, without a full-time salary on your payroll.
You didn't start a business to do data entry
But somewhere between the first invoice and the hundredth receipt, the books became a monthly source of dread. Here's what that usually looks like.
The numbers arrive too late
You find out how March went in June — long after you could have done anything about it. Decisions get made on gut feel because the data isn't there yet.
You can't tell which work pays
Revenue is up and the bank account isn't. Without job-level or product-level costing, the profitable work and the money-losing work look identical on a P&L.
Tax season is an emergency
Every spring turns into a scramble of missing receipts and guessed categories — and your tax preparer bills you for cleanup work you shouldn't have needed.
Your books aren't paperwork. They're the instrument panel — and most owners are flying without one.
What we do
Three levels of support, one relationship
Most clients start at the first level and grow into the others. Engage any one on its own — or move up as the business gets more complex.
Level One
The Keep
Keep the records right.
Accurate books, filed on time, every month. Everything above this depends on it being solid.
- Business Formation Filing
- Accounting Software Implementation
- Cleanup & Catch-Up
- Monthly Close & Reporting
- Payroll & 1099 Filing
- Sales & Use Tax
- AP / AR Processing
Level Two
The Close
Own the numbers.
Controller-level accountability — the close, the controls, and what the numbers actually mean.
- Fractional Controller
- Cost Accounting & Job Costing
- Financial Analysis
- Insurance Premium Audits
- Inventory Accounting
- Multi-Entity Consolidations
Level Three
The Counsel
Steer the business.
Forward-looking financial leadership: where cash is going, what to charge, what you can afford.
- Fractional CFO
- Cash Flow Forecasting
- Budgeting & Scenario Planning
- KPI Dashboards
- Lender & Investor Packages
- CPA Coordination & Audit Support
How it works
Straightforward from the first call
A real conversation
A free 30-minute call. You describe the business and what's frustrating you. No pitch deck, no obligation.
We look at the books
Read-only access to what you have now. We tell you honestly what shape it's in and what it would take to fix.
A written scope
You get a plain-English proposal: exactly what's included, what it costs, and when it's delivered. Flat monthly fee — no surprise hourly bills.
We keep the books
Reports arrive on a set schedule every month. You always know where you stand, and you always know who to ask.
Why LedgerKeep
A Controller, who loves bookkeeping
There's a real difference between someone who can categorize transactions and someone who has been responsible for the numbers a business runs on. LedgerKeep is built on the second kind of experience.
That means your books aren't just entered — they're structured to answer the questions you're actually going to ask.
More about the practice- One person, start to finish. You work directly with the owner of the practice. Nothing gets handed to an offshore data-entry queue.
- Flat monthly pricing. Quoted up front and held. You'll never hesitate to ask a question because the clock is running.
- Plain English, always. If a report needs a glossary, it isn't finished. Every number gets explained in terms of a decision you can make.
- Built to hand off. Your books stay clean enough that your tax preparer's job is easy and their bill is smaller.
- Your data stays yours. Everything lives in accounts you own and control. If we ever part ways, you keep all of it.
Common questions
How much does this cost?
It depends on volume and complexity, so a flat number here would be a guess. What we can promise is the shape of it: a fixed monthly fee, quoted in writing after we've looked at your actual books, and held for the term of the engagement. Cleanup work is quoted separately as a one-time project.
The consultation that gets you that number is free.
Do you handle the bookkeeping too?
Yes — the day-to-day bookkeeping is included in every monthly engagement. You don't need to keep a separate bookkeeper on the side.
The distinction that matters isn't whether the work gets done, it's who is accountable for it. A Controller builds the books to answer questions, reviews what comes out of them, and owns whether the numbers are right. You aren't hiring someone to enter transactions — you're hiring the person who signs off on what those transactions add up to.
Do you prepare tax returns?
No — and that's deliberate. LedgerKeep is not a CPA firm and does not prepare returns or represent clients before the IRS. What we do is get your books genuinely tax-ready, then work directly with your CPA or Enrolled Agent so filing season is a handoff instead of a fire drill.
Don't have a tax preparer yet? We're glad to point you toward one.
My books are a disaster. Is that a problem?
It's extremely common, and it's one of the main reasons people call. Cleanup is a defined project with a fixed scope and price — we rebuild the history, reconcile every account, and get you to a clean starting point. Only then does monthly service begin.
What software do you work in?
QuickBooks Online is the primary platform, and LedgerKeep is a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. We also work in QuickBooks Desktop and Xero, and can handle a migration if you're on the wrong tool for where the business is headed.
Do we have to meet in person?
Not unless you want to. LedgerKeep is based in Kansas City, Missouri and works across both Kansas and Missouri, plus clients nationwide — secure document sharing, video calls, and cloud accounting mean location isn't a constraint.
What's the difference between a Controller and a CFO?
A Controller looks backward and inward: are the numbers right, did the month close correctly, are the controls working. A CFO looks forward and outward: where is cash going, what should we charge, can we afford this hire, what does the bank need to see.
Most small businesses need the Controller function first. The CFO function becomes worth paying for once the numbers underneath it are trustworthy.
Let's find out where you actually stand
Thirty minutes, no cost, no obligation. Bring your questions and whatever mess you've got — you'll leave the call knowing what shape your books are in and what it would take to fix them.