Services08 Accounting advice
QuickBooks or Xero? Ask someone with no horse in the race.
Accounting software advice from someone who has kept the books and spent 18 years running business systems.
Free to start
How it works
- Your bookkeeper likes one tool, your accountant another, and you're stuck in the middle.
- The books live in three places and none of them agree.
- Every software rep says their product is the answer.
- 01
Look at the actual books
A look at how money moves through your business, not a demo of software.
- 02
Get a straight answer
Which tool fits, what the switch really costs, and whether staying put is the honest answer.
- 03
Execute if you want
Migration, cleanup and integration are separate, scoped projects. The advice stands on its own.
Three options before you change systems.
A decision canvas for the assessment.
Keep and improve
Correct the setup, reporting or workflow in the system you already pay for.
Connect what you have
Remove duplicate entry where a supported integration is a better fit than migration.
Move with a plan
Compare requirements, total cost, data migration and training before committing.
The recommendation follows your requirements, not a software commission.
Where AI can help your books
I help you identify useful places for AI in your accounting workflow: preparing invoice details, suggesting categories and flagging exceptions for review. We compare the tools you already have before adding another subscription.
The decision includes who can access financial data, where it is processed, which actions need approval and what activity history the tools retain. Your accounting team reviews the suggestions; automation does not replace their judgment.
Implementation is a separate, scoped project. See AI-assisted CRM and accounting integration for the delivery process and controls.
What it costs
Free to start
The free hour is a discovery conversation about your books and the decisions you face. Further investigation, advice, migration or cleanup is scoped and priced before paid work starts.
What moves the number
- Single company file or multiple entities
- Whether a migration or cleanup is involved
- Payroll, inventory or industry-specific needs
Why should I trust this over my bookkeeper's advice?
You do not have to choose. I work alongside your bookkeeper or accountant, bringing the systems perspective to the process they know. I sell no software and take no vendor referral fees.
What does this cost?
The first hour is free. If reaching a dependable recommendation needs more work, we agree that scope and price with you first.
You work directly with me.
I'm Chris Patten: eighteen years leading technology as VP, IT and CIO, a finance and accounting background, and experience building and selling my own business. You work with me directly, and I have no software to sell you.