Cross + Co - Insights
You Can’t Steer a Car by Staring in the Rearview Mirror
Clean books tell you what happened. Forecasts tell you what’s about to. Most owners obsess over the first and barely glance at the second—then wonder why every cash crunch feels like an ambush. Here’s the truth: accurate historical are the foundation, but they’re a starting line, not a finish line. The real edge comes when…
Scrappy Built Your Startup. Scrappy Will Also Kill It.
The habits that keep an early-stage business alive are the same ones that strangle it at the growth stage. Early on, it’s all about runway—watch the burn, guard the cash, and prove the model before the money runs out. Once you hit growth mode, the game changes completely: now you need real infrastructure, tighter margins,…
What Most SMBs Get Wrong About Accounting Software
Choosing accounting software for your SMB isn’t about chasing the most familiar logo—it’s about fit. Before you commit, weigh these four pillars: 🔹 Business model — How do you actually make money? This drives everything else. 🔹 Transaction volume — What you process today and where you’ll be in two years. 🔹 Industry-specific needs —…
W2 or 1099? The Misclassification Trap
That contractor on your books might actually be an employee—according to the IRS. Worker misclassification is one of the most common and most expensive mistakes. The IRS doesn’t care what your contract says—it looks at the actual relationship through three lenses: 🔹 Behavioral control — Who decides how and when the work gets done? 🔹…
Your Cash Doesn’t Walk Out the Door. It Slips Through the Cracks
Most businesses don’t fail because they run out of customers. They fail because they lose track of their cash. As a CPA and CFO, I’ve seen it firsthand: the difference between a company that scales and one that stalls often comes down to a few unglamorous internal controls. Here are the ones that matter most:…
Most Know Their Sales. Few Know Their Margins Most small and medium-sized business owners can tell you their sales figures off the top of their head—but ask about gross margin trends or cash flow position, and they get quiet. That gap is exactly why financial reporting matters: it turns scattered numbers into a clear roadmap,…
Value Added CPA Firm
A Transformative CPA Firm is not defined by the tax returns it files or to feel comfortable that your books are correct—it is defined by the strategic outcomes it delivers to its customers. At Cross + Co, transformation begins with replacing the traditional, transactional accountant relationship with a true partnership built on insight, foresight, and…
How “Just This Once” Expenses Turn Into Big Problems
If you’re using your personal card “just this once” to cover a business expense, you’re not alone—but commingling funds is one of the fastest ways to create tax headaches and messy books. As a CPA/CFO, I see it lead to missed deductions, unsupported write-offs, and stressful audit trails because the story behind each transaction gets…
Why Startup Accounting Is Your First Real Growth Strategy
Startup business accounting isn’t just a back-office function—it’s a strategic foundation that directly impacts survival, scalability, and investor confidence. I witness early-stage companies struggle not because of product-market fit, but because they lack financial visibility into cash flow, burn rate, and true unit economics. Establishing a clean accounting system from day one—using cloud-based tools, consistent…
How Predictable Revenue Fuels Confident Decision-Making
Recurring billing is one of the simplest ways to make cash flow more predictable—and predictability is what turns “busy” into “scalable.” As a CPA/CFO, I see it reduce A/R headaches by turning follow-ups and manual invoicing into automated, on-time collections. It also improves the customer experience: fewer missed payments, fewer service interruptions, and cleaner renewals…