Onboarding: The First 60 Days with Kaizen CPAs

When most businesses switch accountants, the process often follows the SALY approach (Same As Last Year). That means repeating what was done before, without asking whether it still makes sense.

The problem? What worked in the past isn’t always what’s best for your business today.

We take a different approach. Our goal is to understand you, your business, and where you’re headed, then apply our experience to build solutions that actually support better decisions going forward.

Our onboarding process is designed to help us get aligned quickly and efficiently. To provide proactive guidance, we need a clear picture of how your business operates and what matters most to you. Just as important, we want you to feel comfortable with your accounting team and confident that we’re here to support you.

That starts with your story. We’ll talk through what’s happened in the past, where things stand today, and what you’re working toward so we can put a plan in place that supports your goals.

Kickoff Call

This is where the relationship officially begins and expectations get set.

You’ll meet your onboarding team and walk through The Kaizen Difference—an overview of what it looks like to work wtih Kaizen. We’ll review the services you’re receiving, how communication works, and what you can expect during onboarding and beyond.

We’ll also:

Review your tech stack, including the tools we’ll be using together
Walk through Qount portal training so you know where documents, requests, and updates live
Explain “The Kaizen Difference” and how our approach differs from a traditional accounting firm
Talk through “Help Us Help You” expectations so onboarding stays smooth and efficient
Schedule upcoming meetings so you know what’s next and when

By the end of this call, you should feel oriented, supported, and clear on how the process will unfold.

Initial Strategy Session (ISS)

This is where we start building real understanding and alignment.

You’ll meet your Client Manager, who oversees your ongoing relationship, financials, tax strategy, and reporting. We’ll also review your business structure and current processes so we understand how things work today.

During this session, we focus on:

Your business story: how you started, what’s working, and what’s not
Your biggest challenges and what’s keeping you up at night
Your future goals and where you want the business to go
Best practices that may apply based on your industry and situation
How Kaizen will support you moving forward

This conversation is structured, but collaborative. The more open you are, the better positioned we are to give meaningful guidance.

Implementation

This is the hands-on phase where the real work happens behind the scenes.

We’ll begin by securing bank and software access, then move into training and setup to ensure everything is working together properly.

Key activities in this stage include:

Software training for tools like Dext/Ramp and QuickBooks Online
A detailed QuickBooks review to assess structure, setup, and historical accuracy
Backwork, where we clean up prior periods if needed
A coding review call to ensure transactions are being categorized consistently and in a way that supports clear reporting

The goal here is to get your books clean, accurate, and aligned with how you actually run your business.

Financial Statement Review

This is where everything comes together.

Once your books are in good shape, we’ll review your new financial statements line by line with you. We’ll explain what you’re seeing, why it matters, and how to use the information to make decisions.

In this stage, we:

Walk through your financial statements in plain language
Teach you how to read and interpret your Kaizen reporting package
Establish your ongoing accounting and reporting roadmap
Confirm next steps and cadence going forward
Celebrate the completion of onboarding

By the end of this stage, you should feel confident in your numbers and clear on how Kaizen supports you moving forward.

What It's Like After Onboarding