How a restaurant franchise cut bookkeeping turnaround from months to one week
Quarterly bookkeeping could take three to four months, leaving the owner and outside CPA waiting for a usable set of books. Beankeeper established a monthly process, completed the books within one week of month-end, lowered recurring bookkeeping cost by 30%, and identified a prior-year bank-reconciliation discrepancy of $120,000.
Client Snapshot
Industry: Restaurant franchise
Challenge: Quarterly bookkeeping that took months to complete and delayed financial records needed by the outside CPA
Services used: Bookkeeping
Key Takeaways
Bookkeeping turnaround: From 3-4 months to 1 week after month-end
Bank reconciliation: $120,000 discrepancy identified
Monthly bookkeeping cost: 30% lower
What wasn't working
The company’s books were assembled quarterly, and each cycle often took three to four months to finish. By the time one set was ready, the next reporting period was already underway.
The outside CPA also had to wait for the books and follow-up information before tax preparation could move forward. That extended a process that already began well after each period ended.
The company needed a recurring bookkeeping process that kept the financial record current and included closer review of prior balances. Without that monthly rhythm, inventory and account issues could remain in the books long after the periods they affected.
What Beankeeper changed
A monthly bookkeeping process
Beankeeper took responsibility for the recurring bookkeeping and moved the work from a quarterly cycle to a monthly schedule.
The books were completed within one week after month-end, creating a defined timetable for each period instead of allowing the work to roll into another quarterly backlog.
A closer review of inventory and prior balances
As part of the monthly work, Beankeeper adjusted inventory and reviewed balances carried forward from prior periods.
That review identified a discrepancy of $120,000 in a bank reconciliation from the previous year. The work brought a material unexplained balance into view so the client could investigate and address it.
The results
Bookkeeping turnaround fell from three to four months to one week
The business moved from quarterly bookkeeping that could take three to four months to books completed within one week of month-end.
Financial records became available closer to the periods they represented, replacing a recurring backlog with a defined monthly rhythm.
A $120,000 reconciliation discrepancy was identified
Beankeeper identified a prior-year bank reconciliation that was off by $120,000.
The finding gave the client a specific balance to investigate and address instead of continuing to carry an unexplained difference in the financial record.
30% decrease in monthly bookkeeping costs
The client reduced its recurring bookkeeping cost by 30%.
The new engagement delivered a faster monthly process at a lower cost than the prior quarterly arrangement.
The business impact
The business had current books available each month.
Instead of waiting three to four months for each quarterly cycle to finish, the owner had books completed within one week of month-end and more current records available for the outside CPA.
Account issues could be identified closer to the periods they affected.
The monthly process created a recurring checkpoint for inventory, reconciliations, and balances carried forward from prior periods. That review surfaced the $120,000 discrepancy that required attention.
The business paid less for a faster monthly process.
The new arrangement reduced recurring bookkeeping cost by 30% while replacing delayed quarterly work with monthly completion.
Beankeeper matched the scope to the need with focused Bookkeeping support, clear ownership, and a defined monthly cadence.
Services used
Bookkeeping
Recurring monthly bookkeeping, bank reconciliation, inventory adjustments, and review of prior account activity.
Are your books arriving
months after the period ends?
When bookkeeping falls behind, owners and outside CPAs are left working from financial records that are already out of date.
Beankeeper provides recurring Bookkeeping support with clear ownership, monthly reconciliations, and a financial process built around the timetable the business needs.
