Six steps. No surprises. No pressure.
Every engagement follows the same proven path. We move at your pace and you will know exactly what is happening at every stage.
Discovery Call
We talk about your firm. Your practice areas, your size, what you feel like you need help with, and what you hope to gain from a financial partner. This is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We are figuring out if this is a good fit for both sides.
If you are not sure where to start, that is fine. Most firms we talk to know something is wrong but cannot pinpoint exactly what it is. That is what this call is for.
Information Gathering
After our call, we collect the data we need to assess your current situation. This is straightforward and we guide you through exactly what to provide.
File Review and Assessment
We review your financial data, log into your software, and assess where things stand. How far behind are the books? Is the trust module configured correctly? Are integrations pushing clean data? What is the tax situation? We follow up with any questions and start forming a clear picture of what your firm needs.
We also look for quick wins. Cost-saving opportunities with minimal business interruption that we can flag before the engagement even starts.
Engagement Proposal
We send you a clear proposal that includes our suggested scope of services, a monthly quote, and a timeline for onboarding. There is no ambiguity. You will see exactly what we are taking off your plate, what it costs, and when it starts.
If catch-up work is needed, that is scoped separately as a defined project with its own timeline so it does not get tangled with the ongoing engagement.
Onboarding
Once you sign the engagement, we begin onboarding. This starts with a kickoff meeting where we discuss deliverables, timing, how we communicate, and data privacy and security. We assign your dedicated CPA and accountant, establish your monthly meeting cadence, and begin setting up or correcting your software configuration.
If your books need catch-up, we handle that during onboarding so that by the time we transition to the ongoing engagement, everything is current, clean, and accurate.
Ongoing Engagement
This is where the relationship lives. Your books are closed every month. Trust accounts are reconciled. Tax planning is ongoing. Money movement is managed (if included). You meet with your CPA monthly or weekly depending on your engagement level to review your firm's financial position and make decisions based on numbers you trust.
You stop worrying about the back office. It is just handled.
One engagement.
Every function.
The power of this model is that nothing lives in isolation. Your bookkeeping informs your tax planning. Your trust accounting connects to your money movement. Your financial reporting is built from data we maintain every month. One team. One set of numbers. Everything flows together.
What your engagement looks like every month.
This is not a once-a-year relationship. Your team is working inside your firm's financials continuously. Here is what a typical month looks like for firms on our advisory engagement.
Pipeline & Capacity
Review your sales pipeline, current workload capacity, lead status, and any new opportunities. Discuss incoming revenue and staffing alignment.
Forecast & Targets
Review financial forecast, realization goals, and collection targets. Discuss strategies to close gaps and optimize billing performance.
Monthly Performance
Review the previous month's financial performance, year-to-date metrics, and budget vs. actuals. Identify trends and areas that need attention.
Operations & Systems
Take a broad view of operational systems and policies. Identify bottlenecks, discuss upgrades, and receive updates on nonfinancial goals.
The principles behind every engagement.
Your engagement grows with you.
We do not lock you into a scope that was designed for where your firm was two years ago. As you add partners, open offices, or take on new practice areas, the engagement adjusts. You never outgrow the relationship because the relationship was designed to scale.
We work in your software from day one.
We do not ask you to export reports or set up new systems. We log into Clio, Smokeball, LeanLaw, MyCase, or Filevine on day one. If the configuration is wrong, we fix it during onboarding. Your data stays where it is. We come to it.
Communication is built into the process.
Monthly meetings are standard for all engagement levels. Advisory clients get weekly meetings. You are never wondering what is happening with your books or your tax situation. If something needs your attention, we bring it to you before it becomes a problem.
The relationship works for both sides.
Our successful relationship will hinge on our ability to deliver the service you need in a manner that works for your firm and our firm. We are transparent about timelines, deliverables, and expectations from the start.
"Adding Knight's services to our operations has been tremendously helpful in streamlining our accounting, bookkeeping, and financial functions. Having Knight as a resource has been extremely valuable for strategic planning regarding big-picture financial outlook decisions. The accuracy of his team's work has been outstanding and is a huge improvement over our previous approach."