Case study · Comprehensive Bookkeepers
From 28-day close to 6-day close at a $22M industrial supplier.
Aldermont rebuilt the monthly close cycle in 90 days after the internal bookkeeper retired in Q2.
Client snapshot
Industry · Industrial supply, 200+ SKU wholesale distribution
Size · $22M revenue, 45 employees
Region · Cleveland, 4-state Midwest distribution
Stage · Family-owned, second-generation since 1978, no in-house controller
Four-month backlog, 60 days to a board deadline.
Aldermont’s books fell four months behind for over a year. The internal bookkeeper retired in Q2 and left behind 12,800 unreconciled transactions across 11 bank and credit-card accounts. Monthly financials arrived three to four weeks past month-end, and the CFO corrected each one before circulating. Purchasing, pricing, and board-reporting decisions all ran on data that was already obsolete.
The CFO needed three things, and needed them fast: a Foundation cleanup of the backlog, a sustainable monthly close cadence, and senior review without the cost of an $80K to $115K in-house controller. The board had scheduled a strategic review in 60 days. Financials needed to land reliable by then.
Three phases of The Continuous Close Method™.
Debit & Co. matched a dedicated bookkeeper on Day 1, then ran Foundation, Activation, and Steady-state phases.
1. Foundation, Days 1 to 15
The dedicated bookkeeper audited Aldermont’s chart-of-accounts and surfaced 312 categorization issues, three unreconciled inter-company entries, and a duplicate accounts-payable workflow. Aaron Ressel, Senior Controller, approved the U.S. GAAP-aligned rebuild plan before any new entries posted. The bookkeeper cleared the four-month backlog, rebuilt opening balances, and reconciled all 11 bank and credit-card accounts inside the first 15 days.
2. Activation, Days 16 to 45
Daily transaction recording began on Day 16. The bookkeeper closed each business day with a reconciliation pass against the bank feed. Aaron and Kevin Cahill, CFO, reviewed exceptions every Friday and signed off on each month’s close. The Custom Playbook™ documented all 14 of Aldermont’s recurring workflows, including a dedicated exception path for the deposit-on-purchase-order pattern that produced 40 percent of the original categorization issues.
3. Steady-state, Day 46 onward
Monthly close hit a six-day target by Month 3, ten weeks ahead of the original schedule. Each cycle ships the same packet — close memo, variance against forecast, and exception register with recommendations. The CFO restored monthly board reporting two weeks before the next scheduled board meeting.
Three measured outcomes by Month 3.
28 to 6 day close
Monthly close compressed from 28 days post-close to a six-day cycle by Month 3 of engagement.
Backlog: 51 days
Four-month transaction backlog cleared in 51 days, 9 days inside the 60-day board deadline.
48% of W2 cost
Controller-level oversight ran at 48 percent of the $80K to $115K all-in W2 controller cost.
CFO quote
“I didn’t realize how steady our business really is month to month. I was used to seeing big expenses throw off individual months. Now I see exactly where our true performance lands every cycle.”
CFO, Aldermont Manufacturing
$22M industrial supplier, Midwest U.S. · 28→6 day close, Month 3
Three hours per week back on the CFO calendar.
The engagement returned three hours per week of CFO time previously spent chasing the bookkeeper for status. The Continuous Close Method™ runs on a documented cadence; the CFO opens the same monthly packet on the same calendar day each cycle. Reconciliation exceptions surface in the close memo with a recommended action attached. Inventory-carrying, vendor-terms, and quarter-end accrual decisions now run on data fewer than seven days old.
Want the same close cycle for your books?
Comprehensive Bookkeepers brings a dedicated bookkeeper, weekly Controller and CFO review, and the Custom Playbook™ to your business every monthly close cycle.