Accounting Made Easy, Insights Made Extraordinary


Simplify Your Processes, Organize Your Financials, and Gain Insight into Your Business.

Let's Talk

Accounting Made Easy, Insights Made Extraordinary


Simplify Your Processes, Organize Your Financials, and Gain Insight into Your Business.

Let's Talk
A black and white icon of a calendar and a clock.

Why Use a Fractional Accounting Firm?

We’re a remote team of number-loving accounting experts who go beyond balancing books—we integrate into your business to drive real change.


What sets us apart:

  • Cost-effective, hands-on solutions that fit your needs
  • Integrated with your company culture for seamless collaboration
  • Strategic insight & financial expertise to fuel growth
  • Flexible, scalable support—FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis), bookkeeper, and controller in one


Unlike traditional outsourced accounting, we become part of your operations, providing proactive guidance to help you build sustainable success.

"We know what it takes to be an entrepreneur, and we empower our team with the tools they need to support one."

Areas of Expertise

At First Steps Financial, we’re more than just accountants—we’re your partners in success.


Our fractional approach means we roll up our sleeves, adapt to your needs, and genuinely care about helping your business thrive. Whether you’re looking for strategic guidance, smoother processes, or day-to-day financial support, we’re here to craft solutions that fit your goals.

Let us take the financial stress off your plate, so you can focus on what you do best—growing your business.


Check out our services below to see how we can help.

An icon of a calculator , a dollar sign , and a pencil.

Accounting


For over a decade, First Steps Financial has been a trusted partner for reliable bookkeeping and accounting services.

A black and white icon of a graph , coins , and a dollar sign.

First Steps Financial delivers expert financial guidance to empower smarter decisions and drive business success.



A group of people are talking to each other with speech bubbles.

Providing tailored solutions, tracking results, and delivering professionalism with clear, transparent communication.



Why You Should Choose Us

We bring FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) expertise to help you take control of your financial future:



  • Gain better insights & control over your financials
  • Improve budgeting & forecasting for smarter decisions
  • Streamline bookkeeping & bill management to save time


  • Boost cash flow with strategic planning
  • Integrate seamlessly into your company culture as a hands-on partner
  • Drive real business growth with data-backed financial strategies


FP&A goes beyond bookkeeping—it’s about collecting and analyzing data, creating budgets, forecasting trends, and optimizing business performance to help you scale with confidence.

LET'S TALK

Trust the Process.

A black and white icon of a gear with two arrows around it.

Whether you’re scaling up, streamlining operations, or just want someone to handle the numbers so you can focus on your passion, we’re here for you. Take the first step toward financial clarity today.

A red background with the words step 1 on it

Discover & Plan

Listen to Your Goals and Problems:

Understand your unique needs and objectives.


Provide a Road Map:

Create a tailored plan to achieve your financial goals.

Button
A red background with the words step 2 on it

Implementation & Review

Put Your Plan in Motion:

Execute the road map with precision and efficiency.


FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis) Review & Adjustments:

Regularly review financials, make

revisions, and

suggest improvements.

Button
A red background with the words step 3 on it

Hover Over the Steps to Learn More

What Our Clients are Saying...

A pair of black commas on a white background.

First Steps has been a lifesaver. We very much appreciate what

you do and how you do it.


Hanan l.

Kingston Law Group

We very much appreciate your help and feel like you are a true

member of our team. We have included you on our holiday card,

and hope you like it!


Tara D.

TellMed Strategies

Thanks for the overview, Gena, and all your hard work wrapping

up the year-end! I cannot express how much we appreciate

everything you do for us! We could not manage without you.


Anna-Lisa Mackey

PATHS program LLC

Thank you! I get stressed about these things—I need to take a

deep breath and remind myself that we have the amazing

people at FSF taking care of us!!


The Bryant Group

Before we worked with FSF I was involved on a daily basis with

financials, and it was a massive chunk of my time. I am so grateful

for your work, Jodi! My silence is only me being hyper focused

on all the stuff I wanted to get to for all those years! Thank you

for all you do!'


Ruth Adams

Art Omi

Our Latest Insight

Outsourced Accounting vs. Fractional Accounting: What’s the Difference?

By Alisa McCabe • April 15, 2025
As a service-based business owner, managing finances effectively is key to growth and profitability. When looking for financial support, you may come across terms like "outsourced accounting" and "fractional accounting." While they may sound similar, they serve different purposes and offer unique benefits. Understanding the differences can help you decide which approach best suits your business needs. What is Outsourced Accounting? Outsourced accounting refers to hiring an external firm to handle bookkeeping and financial reporting tasks on an ongoing basis. This solution is ideal for businesses that need consistent, reliable financial management but don’t require a full-time, in-house accounting team. Key Benefits of Outsourced Accounting: Cost-Effective: More affordable than hiring an internal accounting department. Scalability: Services can be tailored to your business size and needs. Access to Expertise: Work with professionals who specialize in bookkeeping, payroll, and tax preparation. Technology-Driven: Many firms use cloud-based software like QuickBooks Online for efficiency and real-time reporting. What is Fractional Accounting? A fractional accounting firm provides higher-level financial strategy and decision-making support, often acting as a part-time CFO or controller. This approach is best for businesses that need more than basic bookkeeping but don’t yet require a full-time financial executive. Key Benefits of Fractional Accounting: Strategic Financial Oversight: Helps with budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning. Higher-Level Expertise: A fractional CFO or controller can provide insights beyond day-to-day transactions. Customizable Support: Businesses can engage a fractional firm for a few hours a week or month based on their needs. Growth-Focused: Ideal for scaling companies needing financial strategy without the full-time cost of an in-house CFO. Which One is Right for Your Business? The choice between outsourced and fractional accounting depends on your business size, complexity, and financial goals. Choose Outsourced Accounting if: You need reliable bookkeeping, payroll management, and financial reporting but don’t require deep financial strategy. Choose Fractional Accounting if: Your business is growing, and you need financial leadership, cash flow management, and strategic planning without the cost of a full-time CFO. The Best of Both Worlds Some firms, like First Steps Financial, offer both outsourced accounting and fractional CFO services. This allows businesses to start with outsourced accounting and scale up to fractional services as they grow, ensuring they always have the right financial support. Both outsourced accounting and fractional accounting firms can play a crucial role in your business’s success. The key is understanding where your business stands today and what level of financial expertise will help you achieve your long-term goals. If you’re unsure which option is best for you, First Steps Financial can help! Contact us today to discuss your needs and find the right financial solution for your business.

Train, Trust, and Let Go: How Great Leaders Build Confident Teams

By Alisa McCabe • April 4, 2025
Don’t overinspect or oversupervise. Allow your leaders to make mistakes in training, so they can profit from the errors and not make them in combat. -Col. Glover Johns We had just hit the jackpot. A Chinese submarine crossed our path in an area where no one expected it to be. This should have been a massive win for U.S. intelligence, our ship, and us as SONAR technicians. But there was one problem: no one made the call. The submarine was only discovered in post-analysis days later. What should have been a career-defining success became a failure for our SONAR team due to hesitation and lack of confidence. One of my teammates saw the submarine—its frequencies matched, it behaved like a submarine, and all the indicators were there. But he didn’t speak up. He was afraid of being wrong. When this failure came to light, our team had a meeting to figure out what went wrong. The teammate who had seen it was devastated. He felt like he had failed the entire crew. Our immediate supervisor didn’t help—he picked apart every mistake, repeatedly asking, “How could you miss this? I’ve shown you this a million times!” After a few minutes of this, his boss stepped in. He asked how we were being trained. The answer was obvious to all of us. Our supervisor was a doer, not a teacher. He couldn’t stand to see mistakes, so instead of letting us learn, he micromanaged and took over. The result? We lacked the confidence and knowledge to make decisions because we had never been trusted to. At this point, you might think, “What a terrible leader!” And you’d be right—at least in this instance. But what you might not realize is that even good leaders fall into this trap. And you’re not immune to it either. If you have kids, I guarantee you’ve stepped in and done something for them because they were taking too long. If you run a business, you’ve likely taken over a task because you didn’t trust an employee to do it right. It feels like the right move in the moment, but it’s not. It is the easy way out. The answer is simple: real leadership requires patience. It’s easier to take over than to teach. So how do we break this cycle? It takes discipline. Step one: provide the right training. No one becomes an expert overnight, but they need a foundation strong enough to work from. Encourage questions and never make people feel stupid for asking. If they’re afraid to ask, they’ll be afraid to act. Step two: let go. You have to trust the people you train. Set expectations clearly and then step back. Resist the urge to jump in. Step three: debrief. Go over the work. Point out successes and failures. Then, instead of just pointing out what went wrong, show them how to do better. Follow these steps, and I guarantee you’ll build a team that has the knowledge and confidence to make the call. Written by: Marc Chianese, CPA Candidate

The Importance of Clean Books: How We Help Small Business Owners Stay on Track

By Alisa McCabe • March 21, 2025
As a small business owner, keeping your financials in order is crucial—especially when it’s time to file taxes. Many small business owners come to us for cleanup services because they realize their books don’t reflect their actual business activity. Without accurate financials, you’re flying blind when it comes to planning, decision-making, and tax compliance. Here’s how we help small businesses clean up their books and get back on track: Step 1: Assess the Situation Our first step is to review your books and identify: What looks incorrect: We spot errors like negative balances, uncategorized transactions, or inconsistencies. What needs to be cleaned up: Issues like unreconciled accounts or miscategorized expenses. How to improve going forward: Suggestions to ensure your books remain accurate and useful. Common Issues We See in Small Business Books Here are some of the most frequent problems we uncover: Uncategorized transactions: These don’t show up in your financial reports, leaving you with an incomplete picture of your business. Bank and credit card accounts not reconciled: Without reconciliation, you can’t trust the accuracy of your financials. Large balances in the undeposited funds account: Often caused by customer payments not applied to invoices, leading to double-recorded income. Negative balances on the balance sheet: This usually indicates recording errors, like misapplied payments or incomplete loan setup. Inconsistent expense categorization: For example, telephone bills recorded under different accounts, making it harder to compare year-over-year trends. Step 2: Clean and Reconcile Once we’ve assessed your books, we tackle the cleanup process step by step: Categorize all transactions in holding: Ensuring they appear in your financials. Reconcile every bank, credit card, and loan account: Without reconciliation, there’s no confidence that your numbers are accurate. Apply customer payments to invoices: This prevents double-counting income and ensures your sales figures are correct. Review accounts with large balances: For example- A large sales tax liability may indicate payments are being recorded as expenses instead of reducing the liability. A negative loan balance could mean the original loan wasn’t recorded properly. Check for consistent categorization: We run reports to ensure, for example, that all telephone bills are categorized under the same expense account. Step 3: Build Confidence in Your Financials After cleaning up the books, you’ll gain: Accurate financials: Confidence that your reports reflect reality. Insights into past trends: So you can make informed decisions about the future. Ready for filing taxes: Avoid overpaying taxes by ensuring income is recorded only once. For instance, if customer payments are recorded as new income instead of being applied to existing invoices, you’ll overstate your revenue—and could end up paying taxes on double what you actually earned! Step 4: Prevent Future Problems We don’t stop at cleanup. We provide training and tips to help you: Keep your books accurate moving forward. Spot and fix issues early before they become major problems. Why Accurate Books Matter Accurate financials allow you to plan for the future of your business. Whether it’s forecasting cash flow, preparing for growth, or filing taxes, clean books give you the clarity and confidence to make smart decisions. Ready to clean up your books and take control of your financials? We’re here to help! Reach out to get started. Written By: Diane Roberts
SEE ALL INSIGHTS

Join our Team!

We love working with awesome people.

A black and white drawing of an atom with a heart in the center.

Our Core Values:

Be Innovative | Be a Team Player | Be Kind | Take Ownership

A black and white icon of a heart in a speech bubble.

Let Us Tell You More:

Be Innovative | Be a Team Player | Be Kind | Take Ownership

A black and white drawing of a target with an arrow in the center.

Our Mission:

Collaborating with entrepreneurs to create success, as they define it, and solve issues together

A line drawing of a person surrounded by circles on a white background.

Current Opportunities:

Accounting Support LI | Controller | CFO | Accounting Supervisor

Work With Us: Be Part of Something Great

A black and white drawing of a phone in a speech bubble.

At First Steps Financial, we’re not just about helping small businesses succeed—we’re about building an amazing team, too! If you love numbers as much as we do and enjoy working with passionate people who make a difference, this is your chance to shine.

Our Business runs on EOS

We know what it takes to be an entrepreneur, and we empower our team with the tools they need to support one.

A logo for we run on eos with a light bulb in the middle.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Contact Us