by Level Best | Aug 18, 2026
If you’re running a service business and using QuickBooks, you already have more data than you realize. The problem is most of it is buried. QuickBooks isn’t set up out of the box to surface the numbers that actually matter, so a little configuration goes a long way.
Here’s how to set up basic KPI tracking so your finances start working for you.
Step 1: Define the KPIs You Actually Need
Before you touch QuickBooks, get clear on what you’re measuring. For most service businesses, the core KPIs are:
- Revenue by service line or client
- Gross profit margin
- Net profit margin
- Accounts receivable aging
- Monthly recurring revenue (if applicable)
- Overhead as a percentage of revenue
Pick three to five to start. More than that gets hard to maintain and harder to act on.
Step 2: Set Up Your Chart of Accounts to Match
Your KPIs are only as clean as your Chart of Accounts. Go to Accounting > Chart of Accounts and make sure your income and expense categories map to the numbers you want to track. If you’re billing for multiple service lines, each should have its own income account so you can see revenue by type, not just total.
Step 3: Use Classes or Locations to Segment Revenue
If you have multiple service lines, team members, or office locations, turn on Class Tracking or Location Tracking under Settings > Advanced. This lets you run profit and loss reports broken out by segment, which is where KPI tracking gets genuinely useful.
Once it’s on, assign a class or location every time you record income or expenses.
Step 4: Build a Custom Report
Go to Reports > Custom Reports and set up a Profit and Loss by Class (or by month) report that reflects your KPIs. Save it so you can pull it up consistently each month without rebuilding it.
For accounts receivable aging, the report already exists: Reports > Who Owes You > Accounts Receivable Aging Summary. Run it monthly and set a threshold for what triggers a follow-up.
Step 5: Set Targets and Compare Monthly
KPIs without targets are just numbers. Once your reports are running, set a baseline for each metric and check against it at the end of every month. Are margins holding? Is AR growing faster than revenue? That month-over-month comparison is where the insight lives.
Step 6: Schedule a Monthly Review
Block 30 minutes at the end of each month to pull your reports, compare against your targets, and note anything that moved. Consistency matters more than perfection here.
Knowing What the Numbers Are Telling You
Getting your KPIs set up is the easy part. The harder part is knowing what to do with what you find.
If your margins are compressing, overhead is creeping up, or your cash position doesn’t match your revenue, those are signals most business owners don’t catch until they’re already feeling the impact.
That’s where a Fractional CFO comes in. Rather than reviewing your numbers once a year at tax time, a Fractional CFO helps you track the right metrics, understand what they mean, and make decisions based on where your business is actually headed.
If your QuickBooks data is starting to raise more questions than it answers, let’s talk. Schedule a free consultation now.
by Level Best | May 7, 2026
Every spring, CPAs across the country have the same conversation hundreds of times. A client gets notified that their return is being extended, and suddenly there are questions, concerns, and the occasional pushback. If you have ever been on the receiving end of that conversation, this post is for you.
An Extension Is Not a Penalty
The biggest misconception in tax season is that filing after April 15th means you are late. It does not. An extension is a completely legitimate, IRS-approved option that moves your filing deadline to October 15th. There is no penalty for filing on extension, as long as any taxes owed are estimated and paid by the original deadline. Extensions are a normal, routine part of how CPAs manage a high volume of returns accurately and on time.
Your CPA Is Managing More Than Your Return
Tax season is one of the most compressed professional periods in any industry. A CPA serving dozens or hundreds of clients is working against hard deadlines for all of them simultaneously. When your documents arrive late, or when materials are incomplete, filing an extension is not a sign that something went wrong. It is a sign that your CPA is doing their job responsibly rather than rushing a return to meet an arbitrary date.
What You Are Actually Responsible For
Here is where a lot of clients are surprised: your CPA is not responsible for tracking you down. If you received a request for documents in October or early in the new year and did not respond, that is not a dropped ball on your CPA’s end. The engagement goes both ways. Your CPA brings the expertise. You bring the materials on time.
A few things to keep in mind as a client:
- When your CPA sends a document request, treat it like a deadline.
- If you know your materials will be delayed, communicate early. Do not wait until March.
Why This Matters for Your Return
Rushing a return to meet a filing deadline is far riskier than filing on extension. Errors, missed deductions, and overlooked income are all more likely when there is not enough time to do the work carefully. Your CPA extending your return is, in most cases, the better outcome for you, not just for them.
Schedule a Financial Consultation
Extensions are not a problem. They are a tool. If your CPA recommends one, the right response is not resistance. It is trust. You hired a professional to manage your taxes correctly. Let them.
Ready to get your business’s finances set up the right way? Schedule a call with 13 Consulting for expert advice.
by Level Best | Mar 11, 2026
Background
Level Best Marketing is a digital marketing agency founded in 2021 by a husband-and-wife team in the business of web design, SEO, and website services. Like many small businesses built and run by their owners, the team handles most operations in-house.
Before partnering with 13 Consulting LLC, navigating business and personal taxes felt confusing and overwhelming. Without a clear system in place, the line between business and personal expenses was blurry, and tax season brought significant stress.
The Challenge
Running a growing company while managing finances left little room for tax strategy. The Level Best team needed more than just someone to file their returns, they needed a knowledgeable partner who could help them build organized processes and think proactively about minimizing their tax liability.
They also faced an inflection point: as the business grew, they needed guidance on when and how to make the transition from an LLC to an S corporation.
The 13 Consulting Approach
Level Best Marketing found 13 Consulting LLC back in 2022 through a Google search and quickly realized this was the right fit. As a small, boutique CPA firm, 13 Consulting offered something larger firms often can’t: genuine personal attention. Steve, their dedicated CPA, is always accessible, remembers the details of their financial situation, and treats each client’s case as the unique situation it is.
From the start, Steve helped Level Best Marketing:
- Build organized financial processes from the ground up
- Identify and act on opportunities to minimize their tax responsibility
- Navigate the transition from LLC to S corporation at precisely the right time to maximize tax savings and minimize headaches
Going Above and Beyond
When Level Best Marketing transitioned to QuickBooks alongside their S corp conversion, the learning curve was steep.
“When we first switched to QuickBooks, I was super overwhelmed by the UI. Steve took the time to have basically a Q&A session where I could share my screen and he could help me navigate through QuickBooks and understand how to handle my daily tasks.”
— Bella R, Co-Founder of Level Best Marketing Co.
This is the kind of above-and-beyond support that makes a lasting difference.
The Results
Since partnering with 13 Consulting in 2022, Level Best Marketing has experienced a dramatic shift in their financial confidence and operational clarity. Stress-free tax seasons, with organized processes and proactive communication replacing last-minute chaos. QuickBooks errors were identified and corrected before they impacted filings. Most importantly, taxes are filed accurately and on time, every year.
“From top to bottom, 13 Consulting acts as a true partner. Going above and beyond, answering your questions when you need help, and thinking proactively about your individual case.”
— Bella R, Co-Founder of Level Best Marketing Co.
If you’re looking for personalized financial recommendations, stress-free tax seasons, and a CPA who treats your business like their own, give us a call.
