http://www.howtomanagemayhem.com/

Managed Mayhem, Denver, CO (2026)

06/06/2026

Ever feel like your books are up to date, but you still don't really know what's going on in your business?

Your invoices have been sent.
Your bills have been paid.

Your bank accounts are reconciled.

But you're still wondering:

🤔 Are we actually profitable?
🤔 Why does cash flow feel tight?
🤔 Which services or projects make us the most money?
🤔 Why does month-end always feel rushed?

This is where a Fractional Controller can help.

While a bookkeeper focuses on keeping the books accurate, a controller focuses on helping business owners understand what the numbers are saying and building the systems needed to support growth.

In other words:

📚 A bookkeeper records the story.
📊 A controller helps you understand it.

Many small businesses don't need a full-time controller—but they can absolutely benefit from controller-level support.

Have you ever found yourself asking a financial question that your reports didn't seem to answer?

05/27/2026

Sales tax is not an area where you want to be “mostly right.”

Getting sales tax wrong isn’t just a bookkeeping issue.

It has real financial consequences—penalties, interest, and cleanup that’s way more painful than doing it right the first time. And this is where I see a lot of problems.

Most accounting systems (including QuickBooks Online) try to handle sales tax inside the platform.

That can work…
if you’re dealing with one simple rate.

But once you have:

✅ multiple jurisdictions
✅ different rates
✅ or any level of complexity

It starts to break down.

Not because the system is “bad”— but because it’s trying to do too much.

I’ve found that using a dedicated sales tax platform that integrates with your books gives much more reliable results.

Those systems are built specifically to:

✅ track changing rates
✅ apply them correctly
✅ and keep filings aligned with what was actually collected

Sales tax isn’t something I like to “make work.” It’s something I want to know is right.

If you’re not 100% confident in your sales tax setup, I’m happy to take a look.

05/20/2026

Paying your bills shouldn’t feel reactive.

But for a lot of businesses, it does.

Not because they don’t have the cash — but because they don’t have a clear system.

I see this a lot with businesses managing A/P directly inside QuickBooks Online.
And on paper, it works.

You can enter bills.
You can mark them as paid.

But that’s not the same as actually managing payables.

What I tend to see instead:

invoices sitting in inboxes
• unclear approval processes
• missed or late payments
• no real visibility into what’s coming due

At that point, it’s not an accounting issue—it’s a workflow issue.
This is one of those areas where I prefer using a dedicated platform like Bill.com.

Because it’s built for:

✅ capturing and organizing bills
✅ routing approvals
✅ scheduling payments intentionally
✅ and giving real visibility into cash going out

Your accounting system should reflect what’s been paid.

Your A/P system should control how and when it gets paid.

Those are two different jobs.

If your payables feel scattered or reactive, it’s usually not a cash problem—it’s a systems problem.

If that sounds familiar, it might be time to rethink how your A/P is set up.

05/13/2026

Payroll is one of the few areas where I’ll almost always recommend using a separate system.

Not because accounting platforms can’t do it—
but because payroll isn’t just another workflow.

It’s compliance.
It’s deadlines.
It’s filings you don’t get to be late on.

And when something goes wrong, it’s not just a cleanup issue.
It affects your employees.

I see a lot of businesses try to keep everything in one place, especially inside QuickBooks Online.

And I get it—it feels simpler.

But payroll is one of those functions where “simple” can get expensive fast.

That’s why I typically recommend using a dedicated provider like Gusto, ADP, or Paychex.

They’re built for:

• staying on top of tax filings
• handling compliance correctly
• and making sure people get paid when they should

Your accounting system can still do what it does best—record and report.

Payroll just isn’t something I like to bundle in for convenience.
If there’s one place I’d choose reliability over simplicity every time, it’s here.

If you’ve ever second-guessed your payroll setup—or had something go sideways—it’s probably worth a closer look.

05/13/2026

Payroll is one of the few areas where I’ll almost always recommend using a separate system.

Not because accounting platforms can’t do it—
but because payroll isn’t just another workflow.

It’s compliance.
It’s deadlines.
It’s filings you don’t get to be late on.

And when something goes wrong, it’s not just a cleanup issue.
It affects your employees.

I see a lot of businesses try to keep everything in one place, especially inside QuickBooks Online.

And I get it—it feels simpler.

But payroll is one of those functions where “simple” can get expensive fast.

That’s why I typically recommend using a dedicated provider like Gusto, ADP, or Paychex.

They’re built for:

• staying on top of tax filings
• handling compliance correctly
• and making sure people get paid when they should

Your accounting system can still do what it does best—record and report.

Payroll just isn’t something I like to bundle in for convenience.
If there’s one place I’d choose reliability over simplicity every time, it’s here.

If you’ve ever second-guessed your payroll setup—or had something go sideways—it’s probably worth a closer look.

05/07/2026

Your accounting system is not a project management tool.

And your project management tool is not an accounting system.

They’re built for completely different jobs.

I see a lot of small, growing businesses try to force one system to do both— usually inside QuickBooks Online.

And on the surface, it kind of works.

You can track jobs.

You can assign costs.

But once you start trying to manage actual projects —

☑️ timelines
☑️ tasks
☑️ team communication
☑️ day-to-day ex*****on

That's where things start to break down.

Because accounting systems are built to record what already happened.

Project management tools are built to run what’s happening now. Those are not the same thing.

The businesses that operate the cleanest use both:

☑️ An industry-specific project management tool to run the work
☑️ An accounting system to track the financials

And then connect the two with an API so the information flows between them.

That way:

☑️ Your team has a system they’ll actually use
☑️ Your projects stay organized
☑️ And your financials stay clean and reliable

Trying to force one system to do everything usually creates more work, not less.

If your projects feel messy or your books feel overcomplicated, it might not be a people problem—it might be a systems problem.

If you’re trying to make one system do everything and it’s not working, I’m happy to help you rethink the setup.

04/29/2026

Sales tax gets filed and paid.
But that doesn’t always mean the books match.

Balances can reflect timing differences.
Payments don’t always line up exactly with filings.
Adjustments can sit in the account longer than expected.

Everything may look “done.”
But the account itself isn’t always clean.

It’s often “fine” for filing.
But not always clear enough to trust at a glance.

If your sales tax payable account doesn’t fully make sense, we can help you clean it up and move forward with clarity.

04/22/2026

What is “benefits payable”?

It’s what you owe for employee benefits — things like insurance, 401(k) contributions, and similar costs that haven’t been fully paid out yet.

These accounts don’t usually break — they drift.

✔Accruals are recorded.
✔Payments are made.
✔But they don’t always line up cleanly.
✔A timing difference here.
✔An adjustment there.
✔Something that never fully clears.

The balance may still look “fine” at year-end.

But it’s not always clear what’s behind it.

And that’s where confusion builds over time.

If you’re not confident in your benefits payable accounts, we can help you get them back to a place you trust.

04/15/2026

Payroll Tax Liabilities:

This is one of those areas that looks fine… until you actually dig into it.

Payroll liability accounts drift more often than people realize.

Payments are made.
Filings are submitted.
But the account doesn’t fully clear.

A timing difference here.
An adjustment there.
Something that never quite reversed.

It’s usually “good enough” for tax.
But over time, it becomes harder to explain what’s actually in the account.

Not urgent. But worth cleaning up.

04/03/2026

This is one of those areas that looks fine… until you actually dig into it.

Payroll liability accounts drift more often than people realize.

Payments are made.
Filings are submitted.

But the account doesn’t fully clear.

A timing difference here.
An adjustment there.
Something that never quite reversed.

It’s usually “good enough” for tax.

But over time, it becomes harder to explain what’s actually in the account.

Not urgent.
But worth cleaning up.

Managed Mayhem

06/06/2026

05/27/2026

05/20/2026

05/13/2026

05/13/2026

05/07/2026

04/29/2026

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04/03/2026

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