THE NUMBERS DON’T LIE …
How To Use Your Construction Company Reports
to Make Better Business Decisions,
Reduce Your Financial Stress, and
Secure Your Financial Future
How This Course Will Help You and Your Company
When it comes to success in business, “the numbers don’t lie.” (But, unfortunately, sometimes your internal reports might be difficult to decipher, aren't useful, or don’t reveal the whole truth.)
- Does it feel like your internal financial reports are written in a “foreign language?”
- Do you look at your reports and doubt that they're accurate?
- Do you spend time and energy creating your own "side systems" to get a handle on the numbers in your company?
If so, you’re not alone, and it’s not your fault! There are several understandable reasons why this may be the case…
BUT – it doesn’t mean you can’t fix the problem!
The solution is easy: take a few short hours to “walk the site and check behind the walls!”
These three, powerful one-hour "Numbers Don't Lie" workshops give you an easy way to do that. They provide an in-depth look into the primary reports every construction business owner (or manager) needs in order to MAKE THE RIGHT BUSINESS MOVES.
Cornerstone Reports
These are the three essential “cornerstone” reports you should know, like, and trust for your company:
- Profit & Loss
- Job Cost
- Balance Sheet
As experienced consultants, we know how important it is for construction business owners to be in a position to understand and use each of them with confidence. These reports should be a dependable resource as you make those day-to-day, month-to-month, and year-to-year decisions and plans for your company. (It’s why we created these classes.)
You’ll be surprised by how much you'll learn, and we know you’ll enjoy the pride you'll experience with your additional management expertise. (NOTE: By the conclusion of the series, you’ll likely know more about your reports than 80-90% of other construction owners!)
Your takeaways from each workshop include:
- What the “right report info” looks like.
- The “stories” behind the numbers.
- The power of your percentages.
- Past, present & future decisions.
- The Guess-timators Corner...
(“Spot-the-issue” coaching)
You’ll find individual workshop descriptions below. Each owner-oriented workshop creates a strong foundation for one type of cornerstone report...
#1. Five Ways to Unlock the Powers Hidden in Your Profit & Loss (P&L) Reports
Topics and Takeaways...
♦ Which Numbers Should Go Where?
We’ll cover exactly which data should appear in each section of your Profit & Loss report.
Takeaway: You’ll understand what your Profit & Loss report should look like. When you apply this approach to your own company’s reports, you’ll find them to be much easier to read and use.
♦ Structure and Stories:
Your construction company's reports always “tell a story." We’ll illustrate how you can view that story at summarized, mid-level, and detailed degrees.
Takeaway: As the company owner, it's your right to see and assess your "financial story" from a viewpoint, and in the way that YOU find most useful...
♦ The Power of Percentages:
Dollars are just one way to look at financial information. By adding the "window" of percentages to your Profit & Loss reports you'll see how revenue gets distributed within Your P&L company reports.
Takeaway: You’ll be able to pinpoint relationships between your company's gross revenue and critical cost categories, plus compare your results to industry standards.
♦ Past, Present, and Future Business Decisions (What Reports Can – and Can't – Reveal):
MANY construction owners don't schedule a regular time slot to look at their company's reports. We'll explore quality-control steps (to save your time) and discuss best practice suggestions for how frequently to review Profit & Loss reports.
Takeaway: When to use time-based P&L report options to spot trends and trouble spots, plus how to use past and present reports to help "predict" the future so that you can make informed business decisions.
♦ Wrap-Up Practice Exercise: The "Guess-timators" Corner (Can you spot the issue?)
You’ll get to look at several (short) sample reports. Your challenge will be to spot (at least one) potential problem – or where the numbers might be "lying" – in each. Then we’ll discuss the results.
Takeaway: This "company-owner-big-picture" exercise will provide practice for when you look at your own internal Profit & Loss reports.
Client Endorsement From the QuickBooks® FindAProAdvisor website:
"...I am now able to use my P&L, balance sheet, and other Quickbook reports and forecasts as critical tools for operating my business..."
#2. Job Cost Reports: Defining What You Need and Want From Your Job Cost Tracking
Topics and Takeaways...
♦ What Should Job Cost Construction Reports Look Like?
You'll evaluate varied job cost structures plus brief pros and cons for each approach. We’ll include examples of job cost reports based on system lists designed to synchronize with the software design.
Takeaway: You’ll be able to compare these sample reports to your current job cost reports to determine if you’d like to adopt any of these models, or make any changes to your current reports.
♦ Big Picture: The Structural Building Blocks, Systems, and Info-Flow in QuickBooks
Like construction, accounting software is typically comprised of a series of elements and subsystems that fit together in very specific ways. We’ll explore their underlying logic and illustrate how they fit together.
Takeaway: When you’re able to see the system’s de-constructed “pieces and parts,” and get a feel for how data flows through, step-by-step, you’ll have a deeper understanding of your job cost reports.
♦ Items – The Secret to Job Costing
Items are the often misunderstood, “underground infrastructure” that makes QuickBooks desktop such a powerful company-wide and job-costing powerhouse. Items are used in Estimates, Purchase Orders, Time Tracking, Payroll, Inventory, Invoicing, Sales Taxes, varied job cost codes, and in many other ways.
Takeaway: Once you're exposed to, and begin to understand the various types of – and applications for – Items, a new world of information awaits!
♦ Create Your Job Cost Reports by “Beginning With the End in Mind”
You’ll complete a short survey to help define the job-cost-tracking elements you currently use, ID which you would still like to implement, and consider the types of reports that will be most valuable to you.
Takeaway: You’ll leave with a clear list of “to do” steps and construction company job cost reporting priorities to implement.
♦ Wrap-Up Practice Exercise: The "Guess-timators" Corner (Can you spot the issue?)
You’ll get to look at several sample reports. The challenge will be for you to spot (at least one) potential problem in each. Then we’ll discuss the results.
Takeaway: This group exercise is designed to help you look at your own internal job cost reports using a similar "company-owner's-top-down-bird's-eye-approach."
Client Endorsement From the QuickBooks® FindAProAdvisor website:
"...I’m so grateful to have crossed paths with Diane Gilson and her staff at Info Plus+ Accounting.... I’m looking forward to ... continued viewing of her very educational training videos."
#3. The Balance Sheet: News You Can Use – Delivered by Your Friendly Balance Sheet
Topics and Takeaways...
♦ What Should Construction Company Balance Sheet Reports Look Like?
You’ll identify the primary sections included in Balance Sheets, de-mystify their headlines, understand their lifespan, and discover how they interact with your Profit & Loss reports.
Takeaway: When you know the primary elements presented in a standard Balance Sheet, you’ll be able to better understand and interpret what you see in your own Balance Sheet.
♦ Construction Company Accounts that Deserve Extra Attention
You’ll identify critical, time-sensitive accounts that deserve your regular focus. We’ll also illustrate “special” industry-specific accounts that live in the Balance Sheet.
Takeaway: When you can pinpoint accounts that provide essential management information, (and know what to look for), you can convert that knowledge into decisive action!
♦ Gremlins That Can Live in Balance Sheets
Balance Sheet accounts can hide a variety of gremlins and “sins" that many outside accountants don’t bother to check or fix. (We'll provide several examples and categories of what to watch out for.)
Takeaway: You’ll be able to ask questions about, and request resolution for, various “mystery balances” that could be hiding out in your (potentially) not-so-squeaky-clean Balance Sheet.
♦ Past, Present, and Future Business Decisions (What Your Reports Can – and Can't – Predict):
As with P&L reports, MANY construction owners don't regularly dive into their company's Balance Sheet. We'll outline reporting options, time-saving quality controls, plus best practices for timing and frequency .
Takeaway: How to enhance decisions with time-based Balance Sheet reporting options (e.g., spot trends, trouble spots, or logically "predict" the outcome of a specific course of action).
♦ Wrap-Up Practice Exercise: The "Guess-timators" Corner (What Do You See?)
You’ll get to look at several sample reports. The challenge will be to spot (at least one) potential problem – or prediction – from each. Then we’ll discuss the results.
Takeaway: This group exercise is designed to help you look at your own internal Balance Sheet reports using a similar "company-owner-top-down-bird's-eye-approach."
Client Endorsement From the QuickBooks® FindAProAdvisor website:
..."[Diane] truly understands the remodeling industry and the types of financial information we need to be successful.”
About Your Instructor and Discussion Leader for
Construction Company Report Workshops
Diane Gilson (Instructor)
As U.S. ProAdvisor of the Year, published author, keynote speaker, and top professional QuickBooks Solution Provider and trainer with over 30 years of accounting experience, Diane Gilson is recognized as a top innovator and leader in the construction industry on the topics of finance and accounting.
With her deep passion and skill for designing, customizing, and upgrading accounting systems for small to mid-sized construction and manufacturing companies, Diane is a master at helping clients turn financial chaos into clarity and profitability.
Diane has a unique way of simplifying the complex and has proven there is no accounting topic or challenge too complicated for her clients to understand and implement.
As a result, she has successfully worked with countless clients, teaching all levels of technique in her step-by-step online workshops and private one-to-one business consulting services.
Long story short, if you are a contractor, remodeler, or custom builder who wants to:
- Continue to grow your business profitably,
- Achieve financial security,
- Have more personal freedom,
All while doing the work you love… you are in the right place.
David Lupberger (Discussion Leader)
Experience:
- 3 decades of experience (custom remodeling field)
- Building and remodeling custom homes
- Active member: NARI
Speaker:
- Travels extensively, speaking to thousands of remodelers across the country
- A regular presenter at national trade shows
Author:
- Managing the Emotional Homeowner book
- The Remodelers Turnkey business manuals
- The Client for Life program
Personal:
- A Colorado native who lives in Boulder
- Former meditation teacher
- Enjoys hiking, biking, and motorcycling in CO
$497
365-Day Guarantee
Attend Live (OR watch the recordings): If you don’t discover at least 10 ways to use your Company & Job Cost Reports to Make Better Business Decisions, Reduce Your Financial Stress, and Secure Your Financial Future, let us know…
We’ll immediately refund 100%. NO QUESTIONS ASKED!
“Diane’s knowledge of QuickBooks is amazing. I don’t profess to have an in-depth understanding of QuickBooks but when I talk with Diane, I quickly realize I don’t even scratch the surface. She has the ability & experience to quickly cut to the chase on fixing issues or setting up reports, estimates, items, lists, etc. Highly recommend her.”
— Jay Scott, Scott Homes Inc
Mechanics & Practical Stuff...
- When you enroll, you will receive login information and immediate access to your "The Numbers Don't Lie" portal.
- You'll find your link to attend each live class inside the modules in your portal.
- You'll receive GoToWebinar reminder emails for each live workshop.
- Can't make it? No problem! You'll see the recordings in your portal within 1-2 business days following the live workshop.
- You'll have 3-year access to the workshop recordings