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Case study · Coaching & consulting
Business coach bookkeeping case study: a year of books redone and audit-ready
A business coach and copywriter based in Europe, with US clients and a US company in California, had a year of messy books from a previous provider just as she needed clean, audit-ready records for paperwork tied to a move to the United States. Steingard redid the year in about three months and has kept the books current, with IRS quarterlies on time, for two and a half years.
At a glance
| Client | Business coach and copywriter, under $500K annual revenue, no payroll |
| Location | Based in Europe; US business registered in California (served remotely) |
| Services | Full-year rebuild · monthly bookkeeping · quarterly IRS filings · quarterly reviews |
| Software | QuickBooks |
| Working together | 2.5 years |
| Before Steingard | After |
|---|---|
| A year of books in a mess from a previous provider | The year redone from scratch, every transaction re-categorized |
| Personal and business expenses mixed | Clearly separated |
| Records not ready for scrutiny | Clean, documented books ready for review |
| Deadlines a worry | IRS quarterlies filed on time |
The problem
The client helps other small businesses build their offers and marketing plans and writes their website copy. She lives in Europe and has clients across Europe and the US, with her US business set up in California.
Her books had been kept by another small firm and were a mess, mostly because personal and business expenses were mixed and many transactions were in the wrong categories. That mattered more than usual: she was preparing paperwork tied to moving to the United States, and her records needed to be clean, complete and ready to stand up to an audit.
What we did
- Redid the year from the start. The existing books were not worth patching, so we rebuilt the full year in about three months.
- Separated personal from business. We went through every expense to settle what belonged to the business and what did not, and fixed the categorization errors.
- Moved to monthly bookkeeping. Books are kept current every month, and the quarterly IRS filings go out on time.
- Quarterly review calls. Once a quarter we go through transactions with her, confirm everything is right, and close out the quarter.
Results
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Cleanup | A full year rebuilt in about 3 months |
| Categorization errors | Found and corrected |
| IRS quarterly deadlines | Met every quarter |
| Relationship | 2.5 years |
She now has books that would hold up if anyone looked closely, and she no longer worries about them. A short quarterly call keeps it that way.
Common questions
Can you keep US books for an owner who lives abroad?
Yes. This client lives in Europe and runs a US business registered in California. The books are in QuickBooks, so everything is handled remotely, with a review call each quarter.
What does audit-ready bookkeeping mean?
Every transaction is categorized correctly, business and personal spending are separated, accounts are reconciled, and the records can be explained line by line if anyone asks.
How long does it take to redo a year of books?
For this client, about three months. We quote cleanup after a diagnostic review of your file.
Books in the same shape?
Cleanup is quoted after a diagnostic review of your file. Monthly bookkeeping is $199 to $999 a month. See pricing · More case studies