Step 1
Keep the monthly books current
Covered accounts are reconciled and the QuickBooks file is maintained each month, with targeted organization changes when the reporting needs them.
Client story · Taylorville, Illinois
From square-foot estimates to job-margin visibility
Newby Construction already had a workable QuickBooks structure. What owner Richard Newby did not have was a hands-on bookkeeping partner who could connect project activity to a useful monthly job report.
- 7 months
- Ongoing engagement
- 15–20 jobs
- Included in a typical report
- 10+ hours
- Estimated time saved monthly
- Job + crew
- Receipt documentation
The problem
Completed books were not the same as useful answers.
Richard’s previous bookkeeper completed the routine work but communicated very little. The account structure was relatively solid, yet the reports did not show what he needed to make stronger project decisions.
Estimates relied primarily on a square-foot formula. That gave the company a consistent starting point, but it did not connect the next bid to the documented materials, crew activity, and performance of completed work.
Construction creates a high volume of receipts and material purchases. Some materials are bought before they are used. Without a consistent job and crew note, those transactions are difficult to turn into a dependable project report.
What changed
Move from silent bookkeeping to a hands-on monthly review.
The account structure did not need a ground-up rebuild. The work focused on making the existing records more useful for bidding and project review.
Step 2
Tag purchases by project and crew
Richard sends a receipt with a brief note identifying the customer job and the crew. That gives the bookkeeping team the context needed to assign documented costs.
Step 3
Build a focused job report
A custom monthly report typically covers 15 to 20 adequately documented jobs. The reported margin includes captured materials, labor, subcontractors, equipment, fuel, and overhead for each project.
Step 4
Bring completed work into the next estimate
Richard uses the project information to strengthen his estimating formula rather than relying only on square footage and hoping the month works out.
Before and after
A clearer monthly workflow.
Before
The prior relationship produced books with limited conversation.
Now
Monthly reporting is paired with hands-on questions and follow-up.
Before
Bids relied primarily on a square-foot formula.
Now
Completed-job information now informs the estimating process.
Before
Receipts lacked consistent project and crew context.
Now
Each submitted receipt includes the job and crew when available.
Before
The books did not provide a focused job-margin view.
Now
A custom monthly report shows reported margins for approximately 15 to 20 documented jobs.
The result
The next bid has more behind it than square footage.
Job costing does not replace an estimator’s judgment. It gives that judgment better information from work the company has already completed.
A stronger bidding process
Richard changed his estimating approach after seeing how documented project costs affected completed-job margins.
More useful monthly communication
The engagement adds the hands-on explanation and follow-up that was missing from the previous bookkeeping relationship.
Less owner bookkeeping time
Small Business Bookkeeping Co. estimates that recurring bookkeeping and job-cost reporting save Richard at least 10 hours in a typical month.
“Now we know our actual margins. We can bid with absolute confidence.”
Richard Newby
Newby Construction
“Highly recommend Skylar. Before hiring Sabillon Advisory we were basically guessing on our project estimates and hoping for the best at the end of the month. Skylar completely cleaned up our messy books and pointed out exactly where we were losing money on our jobs. Now that we know our actual profit margins we can bid new work with absolute confidence. If you run a trade or service business and want to know your real numbers you need to work with him.”
Richard Newby
Owner, Newby Construction
Case-study details approved for publication July 29, 2026
Related services
See the process behind the result.
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Start with a clear review
Use completed jobs to make the next estimate stronger.
We will review the current books and reporting process, then explain whether monthly bookkeeping or job costing is the clearest next step.