Trigger
Referral or inbound inquiry arrives
1
Client Acquisition
Owner
This phase begins when a lead reaches the firm. The sales call happens, the prospect shares QuickBooks access, the books are reviewed to scope cleanup, and a priced quote goes out. Ends with a Functional handoff from Owner to Firm Administrator. Transferred: the accepted Quote PDF filed in the client's Prospective folder in Google Drive. Acceptance criteria: UNKNOWN, no source documents this stage; the entire phase is reconstructed from one call and needs mapping in the session.
PROCESS 1.1
Lead Intake Process
Referrals are the evidenced channel; onboarding ends by crediting the referral source to the owner. Other channels and any tracking system are unknown.
End state
Prospect has a folder and a scheduled conversation
PROCESS 1.2
Sales Discovery Process
Owner-led per the source call. Script, checklist, and captured fields are unknown.
Trigger
Sales call scheduled
End state
Needs scoped and next steps agreed
The prospect grants accountant access so the books can be reviewed before pricing.
Trigger
Sales call complete
End state
Firm has working access to the prospect's books
PROCESS 1.3
Pricing and Quote Process
Assess the state of the books to size cleanup and ongoing service.
Trigger
QuickBooks access granted
End state
Cleanup range and service scope determined
The service fee workbook holds the authoritative budgeted hours per tier; the tier recommendation is a judgment call tailored to the client.
Trigger
Scope determined
End state
Priced quote ready with tier recommendation
The Quote PDF in the Prospective folder is the artifact the onboarding automation picks up.
Trigger
Quote built
End state
Quote with the prospect and filed in Drive
2
Onboarding
Firm Administrator
Functional handoff in
This phase begins with a Functional handoff from Owner to Firm Administrator. Transferred: the accepted quote in the Prospective folder. Acceptance criteria: quote terms extractable from the PDF. The full onboarding runs: proposal and signature, Drive and Financial Cents setup, welcome packet, team handoff, kickoff. Ends with a Functional handoff from Firm Administrator to Lead Accountant at the kickoff call, with the client entering cleanup and recurring service. Detailed in the Client Onboarding Workflow map.
PROCESS 2.1
Client Onboarding Process
Summary of onboarding phase 1. Full detail in the Client Onboarding Workflow map.
Trigger
Accepted quote in the Prospective folder
End state
Signed engagement letter returned
Summary of onboarding phases 2 and 5: folders, resources, dashboards, credentials, recurring schedules.
Trigger
Engagement signed
End state
Client workspace complete with tested credentials
Summary of onboarding phases 3 and 4: Canva packet, welcome email, sales onboarding workbook, team handoff email.
Trigger
Workspace ready and team assigned
End state
Client welcomed and team formally handed the client
Summary of onboarding phases 6 and 7: prep email, client checklist completion, lead-run kickoff, recap.
Trigger
Kickoff scheduled
End state
Kickoff held and recapped with a 90-day call scheduled
3
Cleanup and Stabilization
Lead Accountant + Controller
Functional handoff in
This phase begins with a Functional handoff from Firm Administrator to Lead Accountant. Transferred: the client workspace, sales onboarding workbook, and outstanding items. Acceptance criteria: kickoff held and credentials confirmed. The books are brought current: coding through the present month, reconciliations, tie-out to the last tax return, payroll and sales tax setup where needed, with weekly client updates. Ends with a Role handoff from Lead Accountant to Controller for the cleanup-complete review, then financials and final billing to the client.
PROCESS 3.1
Books Cleanup Process
Work the backlog in the bank feeds from the cleanup start date forward.
Trigger
Kickoff complete
End state
No uncoded transactions in the feeds
Verify starting balances before delegating any reconciliation to staff.
Trigger
Backlog coded
End state
Every account reconciled to date
Anchor the cleaned books to the last filed return.
Trigger
Accounts reconciled
End state
Books tie to the last tax return
Completing the payroll or sales tax task auto-creates the matching setup template; credentials go to the client vault.
Trigger
Cleanup surfaces payroll or sales tax needs
End state
Payroll and sales tax running with credentials vaulted
Standing weekly status update on cleanup and outstanding items, four weeks scaffolded in the template.
Trigger
Each week during cleanup
End state
Client current on status and outstanding items
PROCESS 3.2
Cleanup Completion Process
Review notes prepared with Claude assistance; recorded video commentary where the client's tier includes it.
Trigger
Cleanup books complete
End state
Review notes and commentary ready
External handoff: financials plus the completion email through the Financial Cents portal.
Trigger
Review notes ready
End state
Client has the cleanup-complete package
Firm administrator runs the final 50 percent draft, notifies the client of the amount and date, and sends the onboarding and cleanup surveys to the client and the team of three.
Trigger
Financials sent
End state
Final payment drafted and surveys out
The stabilization checkpoint scheduled at kickoff. TGF also shows a 45-day check-in; the standard cadence is a session question.
Trigger
90 days from kickoff
End state
Check-in held and relationship confirmed healthy
4
Recurring Service Delivery
Staff Accountant + Lead Accountant
Role handoff in
This phase begins with a Role handoff from Lead Accountant to Staff Accountant. Transferred: stabilized books and the recurring project schedule. Acceptance criteria: recurring projects live in Financial Cents with correct dates. The engine of the business: weekly bookkeeping feeds month-end close feeds monthly review and delivery, repeating for the life of the client. Each loop is its own detailed map. Ends only when the client moves toward offboarding; the annual compliance phase runs alongside every year.
PROCESS 4.1
Weekly Bookkeeping Process
Summary: Dext publish, point-of-sale pulls, bill pay, categorization, accounts payable cleanup. Full detail in the Weekly Bookkeeping Workflow map.
Trigger
Weekly recurring project opens
End state
Week's books current
Summary: the uncategorized list flows staff to lead to client on the client's cadence.
Trigger
Unknown items remain after categorization
End state
Unknowns in front of someone who can resolve them
PROCESS 4.2
Month-End Close Process
Summary: statements, feeds, reconciliations, recurring journal entries, report refresh with disclaimer. Full detail in the Month-End Close Workflow map.
Trigger
Month-end recurring project opens
End state
Reconciled month with current reports
Summary: contractor payment list to the lead, review project signaled.
Trigger
Close tasks complete
End state
Review project signaled ready
PROCESS 4.3
Monthly Review Process
Summary: adjusting entries, lead review, internal notes, controller final review. Full detail in the Monthly Client Review Workflow map.
Trigger
Review project signaled
End state
Financials approved for delivery
Summary: AI-drafted external narrative, portal delivery, Drive archive.
Trigger
Financials approved
End state
Client has the month's package
Summary: scheduling link, call window from the 25th to the 10th, escalation after three skipped months.
Trigger
Package delivered to a top-tier client
End state
Call held or skip pattern escalated
5
Annual Compliance
Staff Accountant + Lead Accountant
Role handoff in
This phase begins with a Role handoff from Staff Accountant monthly work into the year-end calendar. Transferred: the year's contractor payment lists and reconciled books. Acceptance criteria: December close complete. The 1099 cycle runs January (vendor cleanup, W-9 collection, filing, billing), the year closes in QuickBooks Online, and the books tie out to support the client's tax accountant. Ends when 1099s are filed and the year is closed and handed to tax.
PROCESS 5.1
1099 Filing Process
Firm template exists; TGF currently has two of these projects open despite a NO 1099 group tag, which is a session question.
Trigger
Year-end 1099 cycle opens
End state
Vendor records accurate for filing
Staff and lead split per the firm's 1099 process docs; monthly contractor lists over the threshold feed this.
Trigger
Vendor cleanup complete
End state
W-9s on file for all reportable vendors
Filed through Tax1099; copies saved to the archive.
Trigger
W-9s collected
End state
1099s filed and archived
Billing details recorded on the filings master tab of the 1099 tracker.
Trigger
Filings submitted
End state
1099 billing recorded and invoiced
PROCESS 5.2
Year-End Close Process
Confirm the books agree with the last filed return before closing the year; chase the tax accountant if no return has been received.
Trigger
December close complete
End state
Books tie to the prior-year return
Lock the closed year in QuickBooks Online.
Trigger
Tie-out complete
End state
Year locked in QuickBooks Online
6
Advisory Services
Controller
Functional handoff in
This phase begins with a Functional handoff from Lead Accountant to Controller. Transferred: delivered monthly financials for advisory-tier clients. Acceptance criteria: UNKNOWN, no source documents this stage. The firm's second service line: a monthly reporting call plus a strategy call for fractional CFO clients, and quarterly CFO calls for some. Trigger, staffing, agenda, and outputs are all undocumented and need mapping in the session. Ends as a standing rhythm that continues for the life of the engagement.
PROCESS 6.1
Advisory Meeting Process
Walk the month's financials with the client.
Trigger
Monthly financials delivered
End state
Reporting call held
The forward-looking half of the fractional CFO offering.
Trigger
Reporting call held
End state
Strategy call held with actions captured
Owner-involved quarterly rhythm for some clients.
Trigger
Quarter end for subscribed clients
End state
Quarterly call held
7
Offboarding
Firm Administrator + Lead Accountant
Functional handoff in
This phase begins with a Functional handoff from the service team to Firm Administrator. Transferred: the decision that service is ending and the last service date. Acceptance criteria: administrator notified after final financials are sent. Billing stops, recurring work stops, access unwinds everywhere, and records archive. This phase ends the workflow when the final survey is out, the QuickBooks subscription is transferred, and the client folder is in Inactive.
PROCESS 7.1
Service Termination Process
Cancel the recurring monthly sales receipt charge.
Trigger
Offboarding decision made
End state
No further recurring charges
Remove recurring projects in Financial Cents, stop recurring tasks and communications, and update the bookkeeper on the status change.
Trigger
Billing canceled
End state
No recurring work scheduled
Ensure every open billable is invoiced before access unwinds.
Trigger
Recurring work stopped
End state
All billable work invoiced
Client logo off the website, client out of the mailing list, trackers updated.
Trigger
Offboarding underway
End state
No client presence on firm surfaces
PROCESS 7.2
Access Removal Process
Clean the client's QBO file of firm-created automation before handback.
Trigger
Last service date passed
End state
Client QBO file clean of firm automation
Make the client admin, transfer billing, and follow up so the client removes the firm's user from their account.
Trigger
QBO file cleaned
End state
Client owns their subscription with firm access removed
Passwords, app access, Financial Cents assignments, bank statement project membership, and bookkeeper file access all revoke.
Trigger
Subscription transferred
End state
No team member retains client access
PROCESS 7.3
Archive and Exit Process
Google Drive folder relocates to Inactive; revenue tracker updates.
Trigger
Access removal complete
End state
Client records archived
The improvement survey closes the relationship.
Trigger
Records archived
End state
Survey sent and relationship closed
WORKFLOW MAP REVIEW
Notes & Assumptions
Sources and confidence
- Phase 1 and phase 6 are reconstructed from the owner's July 6 framing of the journey ("sales call, QuickBooks access, review, plan, price") and one working-session mention of the advisory line. Every activity in both phases is draft: real work, undocumented shape.
- Phases 2 through 5 and 7 trace to Financial Cents templates: Client Onboarding, Kick-Off Call, Cleanup, the recurring loop templates, 1099 End of Year, Tax Returns, and Client Offboarding.
- TGF Holdings validates the chain end to end: created March 13, onboarding closed May 11, cleanup opened March and still open, roughly ten weekly instances, three month-end closes, three reviews, plus open Tax Returns, 1099s, and two Vendor Cleanup projects.
- The whole map is marked DRAFT pending the mapping session.
Structure notes
- Processes 2.1, 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 are reusable process references; their canonical definitions live in the four detailed workflow maps. Activities shown here are summaries, not re-definitions.
- Phase 4 runs continuously and phase 5 annually; the linear phase order flattens what is really a loop with an annual overlay.
Role notes
- Owner carries phase 1 based on the source call; whether anyone else sells or prices is unknown.
- The firm runs a pod model per client: bookkeeper, lead, controller. Thirteen users exist in Financial Cents; the user-to-role mapping is a session question.
Assumptions to verify
- Referrals assumed to be the primary lead channel from a single template task; unvalidated.
- The recurring service loop is assumed identical across tiers except for controller calls; tier differences may run deeper.
- TGF sits in three different staff client groups simultaneously (and one named person is absent from the user list), so pod assignment conventions need explaining.
FOR THE MAPPING SESSION
All open questions (15)
Phase 1: Client Acquisition
Jump to phase ↑- Q1
Where do new clients come from, and where do prospects live before Financial Cents?
Referral, website, and any tracking system.
- Q2
Walk the sales and discovery call: who runs it, what script or checklist exists, what gets captured where?
- Q3
How is a price built?
Walk the service fee workbook: tiers, budgeted hours, and how the cleanup range is estimated.
- Q4
What tool produces the quote PDF, and what happens between quote sent and quote accepted?
- Q5
When does the prospect hand over QuickBooks access, and what exactly do you review before pricing?
Phase 2: Onboarding
Jump to phase ↑- Q9
How is capacity checked when a new client is assigned to a pod?
Phase 3: Cleanup and Stabilization
Jump to phase ↑- Q13
TGF's cleanup project has been open since March with 28 tasks. Real remaining work or a stale project?
Phase 5: Annual Compliance
Jump to phase ↑- Q12
TGF is tagged NO 1099 but has an open 1099s project and two open vendor cleanup projects. Which is right, and why two?
Phase 6: Advisory Services
Jump to phase ↑- Q10
For advisory and fractional CFO clients: what triggers the service, who staffs it, and what is the actual meeting cadence?
Workflow-wide
- Q6
Confirm the tier lineup and what each includes: Basic, Full Service, and Premium appear in welcome packets while Platinum appears in the review template.
- Q7
Map the thirteen Financial Cents users to roles: who are the staff accountants, leads, controllers, and admin?
- Q8
Who is TGF's pod today?
The client sits in three different staff groups and one group's name matches no current user.
- Q11
For each client, where is the billing platform recorded: Stripe, QuickBooks payments, or another rail, plus the draft date?
- Q14
The owner said "we do a lot of different clients with him" about TGF. How are multi-entity relationships structured across Financial Cents and QuickBooks?
- Q15
What per-client variables beyond our fuel list (billing rail, bank accounts, source systems, payroll, sales tax, entity type, tier, report formats, pod) does the team track in their heads today?