Case Study: Replacing an In-House Bookkeeper with HighBeam Accounting

How ABC Company Saved Time, Money, and Improved Financial Accuracy

Client Background

ABC Company

Industry: Professional Services

Annual Revenue: ~$2 million

ABC Company employed a full-time, in-house bookkeeper responsible for:

• Recording transactions in QuickBooks Online (QBO)
• Managing accounts receivable (invoicing and collections)
• Handling accounts payable (bill entry and payments)
• Reconciling bank and credit card accounts
• Preparing basic monthly financial reports

The company’s QuickBooks Online was already connected to their bank and credit card accounts and used standard invoice templates.

The bookkeeper’s salary ranged from $55,000 to $80,000, depending on bonuses and benefits.

Challenges

Although the bookkeeper managed daily tasks, several major problems developed:

• Frequent mistakes in transaction coding and invoice processing
• Missed follow-ups on collections, leading to delayed cash flow
• Late or inaccurate financial reporting, making it difficult for leadership to make decisions
• Significant HR management headaches.
• High fixed costs for work that didn’t scale with company growth
• Leadership spent 5–7 hours per week overseeing and correcting bookkeeping work

ABC Company realized they needed a more professional, scalable, and cost-effective solution.

The HighBeam Solution

ABC Company outsourced its bookkeeping, invoicing, receivables, and payables functions to HighBeam Accounting, replacing their in-house position with a structured, secure, CPA-led service.

HighBeam implemented the following system:

• Sales orders are uploaded weekly into a dedicated, secure Google Drive folder.
• HighBeam prepares and sends customer invoices directly through QuickBooks Online.
• Receivables are actively monitored with polite reminder emails sent to customers.
• Vendor bills are forwarded to HighBeam or uploaded to the Drive, entered into QBO, and scheduled for payment approvals.
• Bank and credit card accounts are reconciled monthly with CPA-level oversight.
• Monthly financial reports are delivered, including Profit & Loss Statements, Balance Sheets, AR/AP Aging Reports, and Cash Flow Summaries.
• Weekly email updates keep the client informed, with optional monthly review calls for more detailed check-ins.

Results After 90 Days

After three months of working with HighBeam Accounting, ABC Company achieved:

• A 40% to 50% reduction in annual bookkeeping costs compared to the in-house salary ($55,000–$80,000).
• Management oversight time dropped from 5–7 hours per week to about 1 hour per week.
• Invoicing became timely and accurate, helping improve cash flow.
• Receivables follow-ups became structured and reliable.
• Financial reporting quality improved dramatically, with CPA-reviewed reports delivered on time.
• All HR burdens associated with managing an employee were eliminated.

Key Benefits Delivered

• Major cost savings and improved financial accuracy
• No employee supervision, training, or turnover risk
• Faster, more reliable billing and collections cycles
• Timely, accurate, CPA-supervised financial reporting
• Management freed to focus on growing the business

The Bottom Line

By outsourcing its bookkeeping and financial operations to HighBeam Accounting, ABC Company improved the accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of its financial reporting — while significantly lowering costs and eliminating HR management headaches.

HighBeam provided a smarter, more scalable solution that allowed leadership to focus fully on business growth, not back-office issues.

✅ Better financial control

✅ Lower total cost

✅ No HR risk

✅ Greater operational freedom

Get in touch today.