CLIENT · BOOTSTRAPPED FINTECH · ~95 PEOPLE ·  REDACTED

Books closed on the third for the first time in the company's history.

CLOSE LANDS ON
Day 3
CONSECUTIVE MONTHS
6 / 6
DRIFTS RECONCILED
22
ESCALATIONS TO CEO
0
// 01
WHAT WE WALKED INTO

Close was a 9-day exercise that ended on day 12 once exceptions and 'one more thing' showed up. The CFO knew where every problem lived; the system did not.

Tax codes were wrong in two systems and right in a third. The team had built compensating controls — spreadsheets, basically — to absorb the drift. Compensation kept the numbers right. It also kept the close slow.

// 02
THE WATCH · 6 MONTHS
WEEK 1
Ingested
Close calendar, GL, billing system, spend tool, and the controller spreadsheets.
WEEK 4
Reconciled
Tax code aligned across systems. Compensating spreadsheets retired.
MONTH 2
Closed
First close on day 3. Controller's words: 'I felt strange about it.'
MONTH 6
Verified
Six consecutive day-3 closes. Average controller hours per close: down 62%.
// 03
WHAT IT MEANS
The first time we closed on day 3, I assumed we'd missed something.
— Controller · BOOTSTRAPPED FINTECH · ~95 PEOPLE ·  NAME REDACTED
Your numbers are probably also three different numbers.
We can tell you which one is the real one. Usually within a week.
Start the watch →