Frequently Asked Questions

Your business likely needs professional bookkeeping if you're experiencing any of these signs: you're spending evenings and weekends catching up on financial paperwork; you lack clear visibility into job profitability; you're unsure about your true labor costs; you've experienced issues with cash flow despite good revenue; you're concerned about an upcoming insurance audit; or you're planning to apply for business financing. If your business generates over $500k in revenue, or $200k for real estate professionals, bookkeeping isn't a luxury—it's essential for sustainable growth.

Scheduling a consultation is simple—just click the "Book a Call" button on our website, or call us directly. During this 30-minute consultation, we'll discuss your business needs, current financial challenges, and how our services might help. There's no obligation, and you'll receive a custom solution design with clear pricing information. We can conduct consultations via phone, video call, or in person depending on your preference and location.

To make our first meeting most productive, it helps to have a general understanding of your current financial processes and challenges. Consider what's working well and what's causing frustration in your current bookkeeping approach. If possible, have recent financial statements, bank statements, or tax returns available for reference. Also, think about your goals—whether it's saving time, improving financial clarity, preparing for growth, or something else. Don't worry about having everything perfectly organized; helping you create order is part of our service.

For new clients, we can typically begin work within a week of your decision to move forward. The initial setup phase, including connecting accounts and establishing systems, usually takes 1-2 weeks. For QuickBooks cleanup projects, the timeline varies based on the current state of your books, but most can be completed within 30 days. During busy tax season, timelines may extend slightly, which is why we recommend not waiting until tax deadlines are approaching to get your bookkeeping in order.

Absolutely! Many of our clients come to us with disorganized or neglected books, and getting them cleaned up is one of our specialties. Our team includes a certified QuickBooks cleanup specialist who can transform even the most chaotic financial records into organized, accurate books. While it may take some time depending on the severity of the situation, we'll develop a systematic approach to reconcile accounts, categorize transactions properly, and establish sustainable systems going forward. There's no mess too big for us to handle.

Our team is highly qualified with impressive credentials. Loren, our founder, holds a bachelor's degree in business administration, is an IRS Certified Acceptance Agent for ITIN services, has PTIN certification, AFTR certification, and is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor. She completes approximately 40 hours of continuing education annually to stay current. Our team also includes professionals with master's degrees in finance and accounting, including a former QuickBooks auditor. We're committed to ongoing professional development to serve you better.

While we can work with businesses of various sizes, Calor Business Solutions specializes in serving businesses with annual revenue of $500,000 or more and real estate agents making $200k or more. This focus allows us to provide the most value to businesses that have reached a significant operational scale where professional financial management becomes crucial for continued growth and sustainability.

Accurate bookkeeping does more than keep you compliant—it provides the financial clarity needed to make strategic growth decisions. For construction businesses, precise job costing allows you to identify your most profitable projects. For restaurants, detailed financial analysis can improve margins by 2-3% through better inventory and labor management. Clean books also ensure you're prepared for business loans, insurance audits, and potential expansion opportunities. Without this foundation, growth opportunities often vanish.

Unlike basic bookkeeping services that just record transactions, Calor Business Solutions takes a proactive approach to prevent financial problems before they start. Our team includes masters-level finance specialists, former QuickBooks auditors, and industry-certified experts. We offer bilingual support, maintain a 100% success rate on insurance/workers comp audits, and focus on providing actionable financial insights that drive growth. We're your financial guardian, not just your bookkeeper.

Our pricing is customized based on your specific needs and business complexity. We perform a diagnostic review to provide an accurate estimate. For new clients starting from scratch, our bookkeeping services typically begin at a minimum of $400 per month for the first 2-3 months, with adjustments based on transaction volume or revenue as we learn more about your business needs. We can provide packages combining bookkeeping, payroll, sales tax, and other services for the most value.

We offer both monthly service packages and project-based options. Most clients benefit from our monthly service packages, which provide ongoing bookkeeping, regular financial reports, and continuous support. For specific needs like QuickBooks cleanup, ITIN applications, or setting up new systems, we can work on a project basis. Our monthly packages can be customized to include various combinations of bookkeeping, payroll, sales tax, and advisory services based on your needs.

Yes, we understand that business owners often can't address financial matters during standard business hours. We're available for evening appointments, and can often accommodate calls and meetings until late evening. This flexibility is especially valuable for restaurant owners who may not be available until after closing time, or construction professionals who are on job sites throughout the day. Our commitment is to work with your schedule, not the other way around.

Calor Business Solutions works with clients throughout the United States, with particular focus on Florida, California, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. We operate primarily as a remote service, using secure technology to access your financial information and communicate efficiently. This remote approach means you don't need to visit an office or drop off paperwork—everything can be handled electronically through secure channels, saving you valuable time.

While we don't typically require lengthy contracts, we do recommend at least a three-month initial commitment for new bookkeeping clients. This allows us sufficient time to understand your business, set up systems properly, and demonstrate the value we provide. For ongoing bookkeeping relationships, we operate on a month-to-month basis after the initial period. For project-based work like QuickBooks cleanup, the commitment is simply for the duration of the project.

We can adapt our communication approach based on your preferences. Some partners prefer we communicate directly with clients for day-to-day bookkeeping matters, while others prefer to maintain all client contact themselves. We're happy to work behind the scenes or as a visible extension of your team. For bilingual clients, we offer Spanish-language support, helping bridge any communication gaps. Our goal is to make your practice more efficient while providing exceptional service to your clients.

Our deep understanding of tax requirements sets us apart as a bookkeeping partner. Unlike standard bookkeepers, our team has tax preparation background and understands exactly what you need from client books. We map accounts according to tax entity types and can prepare books compatible with your tax software for easy importing. Our industry specializations in construction and restaurants mean we understand the nuances of these complex businesses. Plus, our bilingual capabilities help you better serve Spanish-speaking clients.

We ensure books are tax-ready by properly categorizing transactions according to tax entity type, reconciling all accounts, and verifying expense allocations. We can produce financial reports in formats compatible with your tax software, saving you data entry time. For areas requiring professional judgment, such as depreciation methods or expense categorization, we'll consult with you to align with your preferred approach. This preparation typically saves tax professionals significant time during tax season and helps

Absolutely! We go beyond transaction recording to provide valuable business insights. For construction clients, we advise on project profitability, bidding strategies, and cash flow management for long-term projects. Restaurant owners receive guidance on menu pricing, labor optimization, and inventory control. We offer monthly review meetings to discuss your financial reports and identify growth opportunities. Our masters-level finance team can help with forecasting, budgeting, and strategic planning to support your business goals.

We have a 100% success rate with workers' compensation and insurance audits for our clients. We maintain the detailed payroll and financial records these audits require, organized exactly how insurance companies need to see them. We can help prepare for audits throughout the year, not just when they occur, ensuring you're always ready. This proactive approach has saved clients from significant unexpected premium adjustments that often result from poor record-keeping.

Yes, we handle sales tax compliance for restaurants, retail stores, and other businesses required to collect and remit sales tax. We can log into your POS system monthly or quarterly to calculate and submit your sales tax returns accurately and on time. Many clients come to us after facing issues with their Department of Revenue due to incorrect calculations or late filings. Our service ensures you remain compliant while removing this recurring task from your to-do list.

Yes, we offer comprehensive payroll services through two options: QuickBooks Payroll or as an ADP wholesaler. Our ADP partnership allows us to provide payroll processing at competitive rates, often lower than going directly to ADP. Services include all payroll tax filings at federal and state levels, W-2 and 1099 preparation, and HR services. We also offer time tracking solutions tailored to your industry—whether it's mobile app tracking for field workers or kiosk solutions for restaurant staff.

Our CPA partnership program is designed to save you time and help you focus on higher-value advisory services. We handle all the detailed bookkeeping work for your clients, provide audit-ready financial statements, and can work directly with your clients to collect necessary documentation. You maintain the client relationship while we handle the time-consuming aspects of bookkeeping. This partnership typically saves CPAs 20+ hours per client monthly and helps eliminate the chaos of rush season.

Our QuickBooks setup and cleanup service includes creating a customized chart of accounts specific to your industry, connecting your bank accounts and credit cards for automatic transaction importing, properly setting up items and services for accurate reporting, and establishing job costing systems for construction businesses or inventory tracking for restaurants. If you have existing QuickBooks data that needs cleanup, we'll reconcile historical transactions, correct miscategorizations, and ensure your financial records properly reflect your business activities.

Our proactive approach ensures you're always audit-ready. We maintain detailed, organized records throughout the year, properly categorize all expenses, and ensure compliance with tax regulations. For our construction clients, we've achieved a 100% success rate on insurance and workers comp audits. If you do face an audit, we can provide all necessary documentation quickly and professionally. Plus, through our Protection Plus partnership, tax clients receive additional audit defense coverage for added peace of mind.

Absolutely—job costing is one of our specialties for construction businesses. We'll set up a custom QuickBooks system to track every expense by project, helping you identify exactly where your money is going. Our construction clients typically save 40+ hours monthly on job costing tasks. We'll provide real-time project profitability tracking, helping you identify which types of projects deliver the best returns. This precision allows you to bid more accurately on future projects and focus on your most profitable work.

Restaurants face unique financial challenges, and we've helped numerous owners improve their margins by 2-3%. Our financial analysis can reveal opportunities for cost reduction—whether it's optimizing staff scheduling during slow periods or identifying menu items with poor profit margins. We've helped restaurant owners determine optimal operating hours, pricing strategies, and inventory management techniques to strengthen their bottom line.

Most business owners we work with save 20-40 hours per month by partnering with us. Instead of staying up late reconciling accounts or hunting for receipts, you can focus on what you do best—growing your business and serving your customers. Our construction clients report saving over 40 hours monthly on job costing alone. Restaurant owners no longer need to manually reconcile POS systems with bank statements. This time savings translates directly to improved operations and often better work-life balance.

We do more than track numbers—we help you understand and act on them. For construction businesses, we identify your most profitable project types and highlight areas where costs are exceeding estimates. For restaurants, we analyze labor costs, food costs, and operational expenses to find optimization opportunities. Our clients typically see a 2-3% improvement in profit margins through our advisory services. We'll provide regular reports comparing your performance to industry benchmarks, helping you identify opportunities to outperform competitors.

Calor Business Solutions provides comprehensive financial services including bookkeeping, accounting, payroll, sales tax management, ITIN applications, and business advisory. We specialize in QuickBooks setup and cleanup, job costing for construction businesses, POS integration for restaurants, and offer partnerships with CPAs and tax preparers. As an ADP wholesaler, we also provide HR services, time tracking solutions, and can assist with workers compensation and general liability insurance needs.

To add a new FAQ follow these steps: 1. Manage FAQs from your site dashboard or in the Editor 2. Add a new question & answer 3. Assign your FAQ to a category 4. Save and publish. You can always come back and edit your FAQs.

We primarily use QuickBooks for bookkeeping, as it offers the flexibility and features needed for comprehensive financial management. If you're currently using other software like Wave, we can export your data and transfer it to QuickBooks at no additional cost. The QuickBooks account belongs to you—we simply administer it while providing our services. If you ever decide to change providers, we'll transfer admin control back to you or your new accountant, ensuring a smooth transition.

Our onboarding begins with a free consultation to understand your specific needs. Next, we perform a diagnostic review of your current financial systems to provide a custom solution and pricing estimate. For businesses starting from scratch, we begin with setting up your QuickBooks account and connecting your bank accounts and credit cards. If you have existing books that need cleanup, we'll assess the work needed and develop a plan. Throughout the process, we prioritize making it stress-free and convenient, with most work handled remotely and securely.

Clients receive standard financial reports monthly, including balance sheets and profit & loss statements. We'll email these reports directly to you and offer to schedule a review meeting to discuss any questions you may have. Beyond standard reports, we can provide custom reports as needed, such as job costing reports for construction clients or labor cost analysis for restaurants. If you're planning to purchase a home or need reports for loan applications, we can prepare additional financial documentation as required.

We take data security extremely seriously. We've implemented WISP protocols and use a secure hosting network for accessing tax software, creating multiple security layers. All our financial data is secured through QuickBooks' enterprise-level security, and any documents not in software are stored in Google Business Workspace with advanced encryption, ensuring your sensitive financial information remains protected at all times.