Thorn And Associates

Year-end income tax returns are the one thing this practice does not file, for businesses or for individuals. The offer is stand-alone bookkeeping, which can take in payroll and sales tax filing, and clients are encouraged to keep the tax preparer or CPA they already have; Thorn & Associates then supplies that preparer with the financial reports. Work runs on QuickBooks Online. An engagement starts with a phone assessment to see whether the fit is there, moves to an engagement letter setting out the agreed scope, and then to documents shared through Dropbox or Google Drive. Alongside the monthly books there is cash flow forecasting, internal controls review and projection planning.

Amy Thorn, the principal, began in public accounting before moving into private accounting in the wine industry, with stints across food, agriculture and multinational apparel manufacturing. The firm covers the North Bay Area of California and the Treasure Valley of Idaho, working with restaurants, construction businesses, insurance agencies and small nonprofits. Every member of the team holds an accounting degree, by the firm's own account.