G2CFO, QuickBooks® Online, and Intuit® ProConnect™ Tax

G2CFO is a group of experienced accountants based in Little Rock, Arkansas. The team has a wide range of expertise to help small businesses tackle their finances. They love working with small and growing enterprises all over the country, helping them weather economic downturns, benefit from economic upturns, stay in the green, and plan for creating an establishment that is a valuable asset.

I had the opportunity to speak with Grace Johnson, owner of G2CFO, about her firm and how they leverage a robust tech stack to serve their clients.

Powering a virtual firm with integrated software solutions

G2CFO started as a virtual firm eight years ago, long before remote working became popular. Going virtual allowed the team to travel freely and not feel tied to a brick-and-mortar building. One of the things that enabled this work style was using QuickBooks Online that integrates with various other applications, including Syft Analytics.

“We use QuickBooks Online exclusively along with other Intuit modules, such as QuickBooks Online Payroll, to make it as integrated as possible,” said Grace. “We also use Intuit® ProConnect™ Tax, which also integrates with QuickBooks Online. So when we get ready to do a business tax return, everything just flows.”

Grace and her team are entirely paperless. She can’t imagine still having clients dropping off envelopes of documents when there are cloud accounting tools available.

“I don’t know why there’s not been more embracing of the technology and the new tools because it’s such a game changer, and you can do so much more with your time,” she said.

Choosing QuickBooks Online

Before starting her firm eight years ago, Grace was in corporate finance for more than 20 years and used SAP because she worked for a large manufacturer. After evaluating several online software providers to service accounting clients, Grace found, “QuickBooks Online stood out as the leader.”

“We wanted a system that would have integrations for payroll, income tax preparation, sales tax, and all the other requirements a small business might have to ensure compliance,” she said. “QuickBooks Online was by far the leader in those offerings. Easy access was also key as we all work remotely. QuickBooks Online continues to add upgrades, and we need a software that is progressive.”

Once Grace and her team implemented QuickBooks Online, it was smooth sailing.

“Using QuickBooks Online has allowed us to collaborate with our clients easily,” said Grace. “There are no servers to maintain or clunky connections to client servers. All of our team members work remotely so they can easily get access with good internet. We are very happy with our choice, and so are our clients.”

Moreover, QuickBooks Online’s connections with other programs make it the perfect foundation to take clients’ data further.

Leaving a legacy with the right reporting software

G2CFO typically works with service businesses, utility contractors, insurance companies, and advertising agencies. Most of their clients are well established and working on their legacy. As Grace explained, they either want to pass the business on to other family members or “get it to the point that they have a sellable, transferable asset.” To do this, they need to have solid reporting in place so that the prospective buyer knows what’s being going on in the business.

The team prepares reports for clients to maximize the value of the enterprise when they decide to exit. However, this wasn’t always a smooth process.

Before finding Syft, Grace and her team would send clients a link to QuickBooks Online to analyze their numbers. However, many clients needed clarification, and this quickly became time-consuming. It was time to find a better solution.

The G2CFO team evaluated various reporting and analysis programs before deciding on Syft. Grace investigated Syft’s YouTube channel and could tell that “Syft was on the cutting edge.” She chose Syft primarily for the forecasting and budgeting capabilities and the Live View function.

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a larger article that was originally published on Firm of the Future. Check out the ProConnect Tax page for more information on integration and workflow benefits.