Ten questions, personal first, then the company, then the controller.
The Foundation Check is how every engagement starts, and it is free because it is how we decide what to recommend. On this page you can take the short version yourself in about two minutes, and if you send us the result we follow up with the real thing. That means a three bureau credit snapshot, your IRS transcripts on Form 8821, a fundability read on the company, a look at your QuickBooks Online close, and the compliance pulse. You get a written result that names the first thing to fix, written in the same voice as the rest of this site.
Question 1 of 10 · Personal credit · Personal taxes · Personal finances (1 of 4)
PersonalPersonal credit · Personal taxes · Personal finances
BooksBooks
OpsBack office
FundingBusiness funding
CtrlController
The Foundation Check
Ten questions. One honest picture.
Answer these the way you would answer us on a call, not the way you would answer a lender. Each answer grades one layer of your foundation, personal first, then the company, then the controller. At the end you will see which layer is holding you back and what we would do about it first. It takes about two minutes, and nothing is sent unless you ask.
Personal credit · Personal taxes · Personal finances · question 1 of 4
Personal · credit
What is your credit score?
Most business credit under a few million dollars comes with your personal guarantee, so the lender reads this file first.
Personal credit · Personal taxes · Personal finances · question 2 of 4
Personal · tax file
How many years behind are you on filing?
The IRS file is the one that matters, and not knowing is an answer too.
Personal credit · Personal taxes · Personal finances · question 3 of 4
Personal · tax file
What do you owe the IRS?
A balance changes what is possible. Say the real number, not the hoped for one.
Personal credit · Personal taxes · Personal finances · question 4 of 4
Personal · capital
How much cash sits in your personal bank right now?
Cash you can actually spend. If it is a thousand dollars or less, every layer above this one waits on it.
Next layer: Books
Books · question 1 of 1
Books
How current are the books?
A CFO on unreconciled books is guessing. This is the next layer up.
Next layer: Back office
Back office · question 1 of 2
Back office
Do you run bills, invoices, and payroll inside QuickBooks?
Small companies post bills, invoices and payroll to the wrong vendor, customer or bank all the time. The file looks busy and is still wrong.
Back office · question 2 of 2
Back office
When did you last reconcile every bank and card, for real?
A month without reconciliations is not closed. Most owners have never seen one done.
Next layer: Business funding
Business funding · question 1 of 2
Business funding
Is the company a separate entity or a sole prop?
A sole proprietorship has no business credit file, so funding reads you personally until you form an entity.
Business funding · question 2 of 2
Business funding
What did cash flow and net income look like last year?
Lenders ask this even when the credit file is personal.
Next layer: Controller
Controller · question 1 of 1
Controller · compliance
Annual report, sales tax, payroll. What is late?
The controller's first five questions. One late item can hold up a closing.
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You do not know yet, and that is the honest answer.
Most owners cannot answer these from memory, which is exactly why the real check pulls the transcripts and the file instead of asking. Send us the result and we will fill in the blanks with actual data.
Nothing is sent when you take the quiz itself. The quiz runs in your browser, and nothing leaves the page unless you enter an email and press send.
02What is the 8821 and why not the 2848▾
Form 8821 is a Tax Information Authorization. It lets us see your IRS account and transcripts. Form 2848 is a Power of Attorney and lets someone represent you. We use 8821 for the review because seeing is what the review needs. If you need representation we will say so, and we will tell you why.
03What do I get back▾
You get a written result that names which layer is holding you back, what we would fix first, roughly how long it takes, and whether we think we should work together.