Client Intake — Pre-Proposal Discovery
CONFIDENTIAL
Discovery questionnaire

Understanding your
financial operation.

Five sections. 10 minutes. Everything we need to prepare a proposal that is specific to your business.

Section 01

Business basics

Size, structure, complexity — understand the operation before anything else.

Business name & owner
Business name
Owner / contact
Contact details
Email
Phone
State
Business type
Restaurant / caféBar / loungeFood truck / pop-upCatering / eventsMulti-concept groupOther
Number of locations
12–34–1010+
Approximate annual revenue
Under $500K$500K–$1M$1M–$3M$3M–$10M$10M+
Entity structure
LLC (single-member)LLC (multi-member)S-CorpC-CorpSole proprietorNot sure
Employees / contractors on payroll
1–1011–3031–8080+
Section 02

Finance team & infrastructure

Who is managing the money and how capable is that setup right now.

Who handles day-to-day bookkeeping?
Owner does itIn-house bookkeeperOffice managerOutsourced bookkeeperMy CPA does itNobody — not being done
Accounting software your books are in
QuickBooks OnlineQuickBooks DesktopXeroExcel / SheetsNothing formalOther
Does your POS connect to your accounting software?
Yes — auto syncsManual export / importNo connection at allWe don't use a POSNot sure
Who runs payroll?
GustoADP / PaychexManual / spreadsheetMy CPAOther
How current are your books right now?
Up to date — within a week1–2 months behindQuarter or more behindNo idea
Dedicated finance person on staff?
Yes — full-time CFO or controllerPart-time finance helpNo — just the owner
Section 03

Current CPA & accounting

What their CPA is — and is not — delivering. This builds the competitive case.

Do you currently have a CPA or accountant?
Yes — active relationshipYes — tax filing onlyNo — looking for oneHad one, recently left
How often does your CPA proactively reach out?
Never — I always call themTax time onlyQuarterlyMonthly or more
What does your CPA actually deliver? (select all)
Tax return filingBookkeepingMonthly P&L reportsCash flow projectionsBudget vs actual reviewTax strategy & planningPayroll managementHonestly — not much
When did you last receive a segmented P&L by location or concept?
Never — just one total numberYear-end onlyQuarterlyMonthly
Has your CPA ever proactively flagged a cost issue before it became a problem?
Yes — regularlyOnce or twiceOnly when I specifically askNever
Overall satisfaction with your current accounting setup
Very happyOkay but not greatFrustratedActively looking to switch
Annual spend on accounting, tax & bookkeeping combined
Under $2K$2K–$5K$5K–$15K$15K–$30K$30K+No idea
Section 04

Pain points & financial visibility

Where they are bleeding and what they cannot see. This shapes the proposal.

Do you know your food cost % and labor cost % for last month — right now?
Yes — exactlyRough estimate onlyNo idea
Can you see your cash position 60–90 days from now?
Yes — we have a forecastI estimate from gut feelNo — no one knows
Which of these are problems right now? (select all)
Unpredictable cash flowSurprise tax billsShrinking marginsPayroll complianceNo useful reportingPlanning to expandNeed a business loan / SBATip reporting / FICATheft or shrinkageReporting to investors
IRS or state tax notice in the last 3 years?
Yes — more than onceYes — onceNoNot sure / just ignored it
How confident are you that your books are accurate right now?
1 = not at all confident  ·  5 = very confident
12345
What does a bad month look like financially?
Be specific — vendors paid late, payroll stress, no idea why margins dropped...
Section 05

Intent, goals & budget

Qualify the opportunity — what they want, when, and what they can spend.

Primary goal for the next 12 months
Get books clean and organisedReduce my tax billActually understand my numbersOpen another locationRaise capital / SBA loanPrepare for sale or exitGrow revenue significantly
Services most interested in (select all)
BookkeepingTax preparation & filingTax strategy & planningPayroll managementFractional CFO15-day reporting & KPIsSales tax / multi-stateM&A / exit advisory
Decision timeline
This month — ready to moveWithin the quarterWithin the yearJust exploring
Monthly budget for finance & accounting support
Under $500/mo$500–$1K/mo$1K–$2K/mo$2K–$4K/mo$4K+/moOpen — depends on value
Who else is involved in this decision?
Just meBusiness partnerInvestor / boardOperations manager
What would need to be true to sign on within 30 days?
e.g. clear pricing, sample 15-day report, reference from another restaurant...
Anything else before we prepare your proposal?

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