Two-location bakery, Olympia
- Problem
- A $22,400 tax bill nobody saw coming.
- What we did
- Monthly closes, quarterly estimates and an S-corp election.
Balance due in April
Before$22,400
After$0
We keep your books and tell you what they mean.
A CPA firm in Olympia for businesses of 2 to 50 people: books, taxes and CFO advice for one fixed monthly fee.
Exhibit 1
Cash ran short of payroll three times last year. A 13-week forecast closed the gap.
Month-end cash, $ thousands. Sample café with 14 staff.
With forecastBeforePayroll due
Below payroll
Payroll due, $40k
$31k in March
With forecast
Before
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Illustrative sample figures, not client data.
How we help: a 13-week cash forecast, updated weekly. From $1,250 a month. See all fees
Exhibit 2
Planning in June cut this owner’s tax bill by $16,300.
Federal and state tax owed, $ thousands. Sample owner-operator with $620k revenue.
Tax owed, no planning$48.2k
Retirement plan−$7.1k
S-corp election−$5.4k
Equipment timing−$2.9k
Missed deductions−$0.9k
Tax owed, with planning$31.9k
Illustrative sample figures, not client data.
How we help: planning every June and both returns. From $2,400 a year. See all fees
Exhibit 3
Month-end close went from 41 days to 9 in the first year.
Days after month-end until statements were ready. Sample contractor, first year with us.
10-day target
4138342722181412111099
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Illustrative sample figures, not client data.
How we help: a cleanup, then statements by the 10th. From $450 a month. See all fees
Exhibit 4
Two of five job types were losing money, and nobody could see it.
Gross margin by job type, last 12 months. Sample cabinet shop with 11 staff.
Kitchens34%
Built-ins28%
Vanities21%
Repairs(3%)
Install-only jobs(9%)
Illustrative sample figures, not client data. Losses shown in parentheses.
How we help: job costing and a pricing memo. $2,800 one time. See all fees
Exhibit 5
A valuation turned a $950,000 offer into a $1.3 million sale.
Value range by method, $ millions. Sample heating and cooling company, owner retiring.
First offer $0.95MSold $1.30M
Comparable sales1.10-1.45
Multiple of earnings1.20-1.55
Discounted cash flow1.05-1.40
Asset value0.60-0.80
0.60.81.01.21.41.6
Illustrative sample figures, not client data.
How we help: a valuation and a plan to sell. From $4,500. See all fees
At a glance
- Years keeping Olympia’s books
- 20
- From 200+ client reviews Sample rating
- 4.9
- Businesses on monthly service Sample figure
- 180
Licensed CPA firm
CPAs, an EA, a CFP and a CVA. Peer reviewed.
Fixed fees
The price in your proposal is the price you pay.
Audit support guarantee
If a return we prepared is examined, we represent you free.
What we learned from clients’ books in 2025
Patterns that held across bakeries, contractors, clinics and shops. The figures are illustrative samples.
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Owners who closed their books every month spent 41% fewer hours at tax time.
A monthly close catches a missing deposit while it is easy to find.
Monthly close14 hYear-end catch-up24 h -
Price increases cost far fewer customers than owners expected.
Owners guessed they would lose 15% of customers. They lost 4%.
Expected loss15%Actual loss4%
Three more findings
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Six in ten were paying for software nobody used. The median was $1,140 a year.
Payroll add-ons, duplicate storage and three scheduling apps. Canceling them took one afternoon.
6 of 10 clients -
Businesses with two months of cash in reserve almost never borrowed in the slow season.
A reserve is cheaper than a line of credit: 3% of every deposit, set aside automatically.
No reserve, took a loan38%With a reserve, took a loan3% -
The average new client was missing $9,800 in deductions.
Home office, vehicle, retirement and equipment were the usual four. Most of it was recoverable.
$9,800 average found in year one
Services and fixed fees
A written, fixed-fee proposal before any work begins.
| Service | What you get | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly bookkeeping | Reconciled accounts and your statements by the 10th of every month. | from $450 a month |
| Payroll | Pay runs, tax deposits and year-end forms for up to 50 people. | from $95 a month |
| Tax planning and returns | A planning meeting every June, quarterly estimates, both returns. | from $2,400 a year |
| Fractional CFO | A 13-week cash forecast, budgets and a monthly advisory meeting. | from $1,250 a month |
| Cleanup and pricing | Untouched books brought current, or job costing with a pricing memo. | from $1,500 one time |
| Valuation and succession | What your business is worth, and a plan to sell it or hand it on. | from $4,500 a project |
Three engagements, measured
What we changed, and what the numbers did next. Sample cases.
Cabinet shop, Tumwater
- Problem
- Booked solid all year and still not profitable.
- What we did
- Job costing by job type, then new pricing for installs and repairs.
Gross margin
Before22%
After31%
Coffee roaster, Lacey
- Problem
- Needed $180,000 for a second roaster, and a lender who would say yes.
- What we did
- Books cleaned up, a lender package and a 13-week forecast.
Wholesale revenue, year one
Before$410k
After$566k
How an engagement works
Set up within six weeks, then a monthly rhythm.
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Free consultation
Week 1
Thirty minutes, in person or by video.
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Books review and proposal
Weeks 1-2
A two-page memo, then one fixed price in writing.
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Cleanup and setup
Weeks 3-6
Bank feeds, payroll and any catch-up work.
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Monthly close
Week 7 onward
Your statements by the 10th of every month.
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Quarterly review
Every 13 weeks
One hour on what the numbers say.
A note from the partners
Twenty years ago we opened above a print shop with one rule: every owner should understand their own numbers. Fixed fees, plain English, no surprises in April.
Lena Moreno and Rohan Desai
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Lena Moreno
CPA CFP
Managing partner
Tax planning. Founded Meridian in 2005.
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Rohan Desai
CPA CVA
Advisory partner
Forecasting and valuation. Partner since 2013.
Senior team
- Grace Okafor, EATax manager
- Hana Sato, CPAAdvisory manager
- Tom LindqvistBookkeeping lead
- Ben AlvarezPayroll specialist
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They found $11,000 in deductions in our first meeting. I wish we’d called five years ago.
Marisol T., bakery owner Sample review -
I finally understand my own P&L. The quarterly meeting is the most useful hour of my month.
Dev K., cabinet shop owner Sample review -
Fixed fee, no surprises, and they answer email the same day.
Karen L., physical therapy clinic Sample review
Book a free consultation
Thirty minutes, in person or by video. We’ll tell you plainly what it would cost.
Visit the office
418 Union Avenue SE, Suite 200Olympia, WA 98501
Get directions [email protected]
Hours
- Monday to Thursday
- 8:30 am to 5:30 pm
- Friday
- 8:30 am to 3 pm
- Saturday, February to April
- 9 am to 1 pm
Free parking behind the building.