Client Results
Clean books change how you run your business.
Restaurant Owner Who Couldn't Explain Where the Money Went
The Problem
A family restaurant had been open for four years but the owner could never answer a simple question. Where does the money go? Revenue was strong and tables were full on weekends, but the bank account never reflected it. His books were eight months behind, sales tax filings were late, and his CPA was threatening to stop working with him if he didn't get organized.
He had tried keeping up with the books himself using spreadsheets, but between running the kitchen and managing staff, it always fell to the bottom of the list.
What We Did
We started with the eight-month backlog, working through bank statements, credit card feeds, and POS reports to get everything reconciled and current. We separated his expenses into clear categories so he could see food costs, labor, and overhead as distinct numbers for the first time.
We took over his sales tax filings and set him up on a monthly bookkeeping schedule so the backlog would never build up again.
The Result
His food cost percentage was running at 42%, well above where it should have been. Once he could actually see that number, he found the problem. Two suppliers had raised prices over the past year and he hadn't adjusted his menu or renegotiated. He switched one supplier and updated pricing on his highest-cost dishes.
Within three months, food costs dropped to 34%. His CPA received clean books before the filing deadline for the first time in years. He now reviews his numbers with us every month and actually understands what he's looking at. The late sales tax filings and the stress that came with them are gone.
Contractor Bidding Jobs Without Knowing His True Costs
The Problem
A general contractor in Dodge County was staying busy year-round but couldn't figure out why some months felt profitable and others left him scrambling. He bid jobs based on experience and gut feeling, but he had no system to track what each project actually cost once materials, labor, and subcontractor bills were factored in.
His books were a year behind, and personal and business expenses ran through the same accounts. He needed a line of credit for a larger project but couldn't produce financials his bank would accept.
What We Did
We cleaned up the full year of backlog, separating personal from business transactions. We set up QuickBooks Online with a proper chart of accounts and implemented job costing so every material purchase, labor hour, and sub invoice tied to a specific project.
We built a job profitability report he could review after each project wrapped up.
The Result
The first round of reports showed that his smaller handyman-style jobs were barely breaking even once drive time and material runs were factored in. He stopped taking those jobs and focused on the mid-size renovations that actually made him money.
His bank approved the line of credit once they had clean financial statements to review. He now knows his margins before a job is even finished because costs are tracked in real time. Bidding has gone from guesswork to a process grounded in actual numbers.
Cleaning Company That Outgrew the Shoebox
The Problem
A residential and commercial cleaning business had grown from the owner and one helper to three crews in under two years. But the financial side hadn't kept up. She was tracking income in a notebook, paying some workers as employees and others as contractors, and wasn't confident the classifications were correct.
Year-end was approaching and she had no idea how to handle the 1099s. She also suspected one of her commercial contracts was losing money but couldn't prove it.
What We Did
We got her set up on QuickBooks Online from scratch, connecting bank feeds and organizing all her income by client and contract type. We reviewed her worker classifications and found two that needed to be corrected. We set up a payroll system for her W-2 employees and trained her to run it on her own.
At year-end, we prepared and filed all the 1099s for her contractors.
The Result
The worker classification issue was resolved before it became a real problem. She now runs payroll confidently every two weeks without second-guessing whether the withholdings are right.
The contract she suspected was losing money turned out to be worse than she thought. Once she could see the labor hours and supply costs against what the client paid, the math was clear. She renegotiated the rate, and the contract is now profitable. She told us that understanding her numbers gave her the confidence to have that conversation instead of just absorbing the loss.
Boutique Owner Guessing at Margins
The Problem
A retail shop owner was doing well with foot traffic and loyal customers, but she had no real understanding of which products were making money. She bought inventory based on what sold quickly, not on what was most profitable. Sales tax filings were something she dreaded every quarter because she was never sure the numbers were right.
She was using a basic spreadsheet to track inventory counts, but it was always off by the time she did a physical count.
What We Did
We moved her to QuickBooks Online and set up inventory tracking so she could see cost of goods sold by product category. We connected her POS system so sales data flowed in without manual entry. We also took over her quarterly sales tax filings so she didn't have to worry about them anymore.
We walked her through her first set of reports and explained what the margins meant for each product line.
The Result
She discovered that her best-selling product line had one of her lowest margins. It moved fast, but she was barely making money on it after accounting for shipping, packaging, and the shelf space it took up. She adjusted her buying mix and gave more room to a slower-moving but higher-margin category.
Her overall gross margin improved noticeably over the next quarter. Sales tax filings now just happen on schedule without her involvement. She told us the biggest change was that she finally feels like she's running the business with real information instead of instinct.
Property Manager Who Couldn't Tell Which Buildings Performed
The Problem
A property management company overseeing twelve residential units across four buildings had everything lumped into one set of books. Rental income, repairs, insurance, and management fees were all in one bucket. The owner had no way to tell which properties were profitable and which were dragging the portfolio down.
His accountant had asked for property-level financials at tax time, but all he could provide was a single P&L for the entire operation.
What We Did
We restructured his QuickBooks file with class tracking so every transaction tied to a specific property. We went back through the prior year to recategorize everything, then moved him to a monthly bookkeeping schedule where each building gets its own income and expense breakdown.
We also set up a simple dashboard showing net operating income per property so he could compare performance at a glance.
The Result
Two of his units in one building were consistently cash-flow negative after accounting for the ongoing maintenance they required. He had been sinking money into repairs without realizing the rent wasn't covering it. He raised rent on one unit when the lease renewed and invested in deferred maintenance on the other to reduce the cycle of emergency fixes.
His accountant now gets clean property-level reports without the usual back-and-forth. The owner told us he makes decisions about capital improvements and rent pricing differently now because he can see what each property actually contributes to the bottom line.
Freelance Designer Afraid to Raise Her Prices
The Problem
A freelance graphic designer and illustrator had been running her Wisconsin-based business for five years but still felt like she was guessing at pricing. She set rates based on what felt fair and what competitors seemed to charge, but she had never figured out what she actually needed to earn per project to cover her costs and pay herself a reasonable amount.
Her books were a year behind and everything was mixed between personal and business accounts.
What We Did
We caught up her full year of bookkeeping and separated personal from business expenses. We set her up on QuickBooks Online and built a simple budget that showed her monthly overhead, including software subscriptions, equipment costs, and self-employment taxes she hadn't been setting aside for.
We then worked with her to calculate her true cost per project hour so she could see what her rates actually needed to be.
The Result
Her hourly rate was about 30% below where it needed to be to cover her real costs and pay herself consistently. She had been undercharging because she never accounted for the unbillable hours spent on revisions, admin work, and client communication.
She raised her rates for new clients and adjusted her project scoping to include revision limits. Her income went up even though she took on fewer projects the following quarter. She now sets aside money for taxes every month instead of scrambling in April, and she reviews her budget with us quarterly to make sure she's staying on track.
Client Reviews
Here's what other business owners have to say about working with us.
"Rock Steady was the best decision I have made for my business. I find bookkeeping to be confusing, overwhelming and time-consuming. [Rock Steady] has helped me free my time so that I can actually spend it where I'm most efficient and has also greatly reduced my stress level."
Jessie U.
"When choosing someone to help you keep track of your business, it's important to choose the right company to keep everything in check. Choosing Rock Steady Bookkeeping, not only are you getting the best organization, you're getting someone that treats you like family."
Oscar O.
Wisconsin's Small Business Bookkeeper
The Next Step:
A Quick Conversation
Tell us about your business. We'll talk through what you need, answer your questions, and give you a clear quote.
