How Perlson grew its CAS practice from $15k to $1M with Keeper

A conversation with
Sabrina Burke- Perlson
Sabrina Burke
Virtual Controller Division Head
Madison Gile
Marketing Manager
Published
August 19, 2024
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Summary

Perlson LLP, established in 1985, was primarily focused on accounting, tax, and financial planning, until 2020, when the company added bookkeeping to its service portfolio. Sabrina Burke, head of the Virtual Controller Division, recognized the opportunity to help businesses that needed reliable and trustworthy bookkeeping services amidst the pandemic.

In a little over 2.5 years, Perlson’s Virtual Controller Division division grew from $15k to $1M in net revenue, added eight new full-time bookkeepers, and 54 new clients to their portfolio.

“No company knows the nuances of what bookkeepers do better than Keeper.”

Choosing the right tool for their bookkeeping business

With the growing demand for bookkeeping services, Perlson’s Virtual Controller Division realized they needed new software. Sabrina, being an expert in accounting software, evaluated multiple tools against Keeper but found Keeper to be the best. She said “no company knows the nuances of what bookkeepers do better than Keeper. The tool acts as a compass that keeps you from veering off the trail.”

Some of the changes they knew they had to make:

  • single workspace for bookkeepers to manage and track their work
  • Ability to standardize tasks and workflows to improve internal collaboration and communication
  • A tool to help build out standard operating procedures and quality control when onboarding new team-members

 

Keeper Executive Dashboard

Smooth transition to a new system

Sabrina and her team found that Keeper’s platform was intuitive and straightforward, and wasted little time rolling out specific features. “The Intercompany Transfer tool has been a significant time saver for my team. The ease of being able to attach files, change how something is allocated directly in Keeper, and sync those updates back to QuickBooks Online has significantly reduced the amount of time needed to close the books for our clients.”

“The tool acts as a compass that keeps you from veering off the trail”

More focus on advising, less on data entry

With Keeper in place, Perlson’s Virtual Controller Division could confidently grow and keep track of its client portfolio with a more accurate picture of each business and its unique needs. “Our bookkeepers working alongside Keeper’s automation allow us to be proactive rather than reactive when advising our clients. We’re now able to focus on our client’s overall business, forecasts, and strategies, instead of spending time on daily task management and organization.”

The adoption of Keeper helped improve their alignment, efficiency, and visibility around client progress each month.

“Overall, Keeper empowers my bookkeepers to act as advisors and understand the true pulse and heartbeat of each individual client.”

What’s next for Perlson’s Virtual Controller Division

Our next goal is to “dive into the financial reporting tools and KPIs for our clients.” With the increased efficiency and time savings that Keeper provides each month, Sabrina can now allocate more bookkeepers to new client accounts and focus their attention on growing her division’s revenue.

When asked about recommending Keeper, Sabrina stated, “Keeper is what’s new and what’s needed in the industry. We have significantly streamlined our accounting processes and increased our efficiency, and we would not have been able to grow at the rate and pace we did over the last 2.5 years.”

“Keeper is what’s new and what’s needed in the industry!”

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About

Sabrina Burke is the Head of the Virtual Controller Division at Perlson LLP. She manages a team of remote bookkeepers and has over 16 years of experience providing stellar outsourced controller services to clients spanning multiple industries.

location
New York, USA
industry
Accounting, Tax, and Financial Planning
Clients
50+
Features Used

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