Working with Instrumental
What exactly does Instrumental do?+
We’re an outsourced financial operations team for MSPs. We take over your bookkeeping, then layer on cash-flow forecasting, KPI dashboards, and fractional CFO guidance: the instrumentation that lets you run on numbers instead of gut feel.
How is this different from a regular CPA or accounting firm?+
Our CPAs and accounting professionals work exclusively with MSPs. We understand MRR, COGS/revenue matching, and the anomalies a generalist firm misses, so your books and reports reflect how an MSP actually runs. And we take the finance management workload and oversight off you, greatly minimizing the time you invest in the process.
Do you understand our PSA?+
Yes. We understand PSAs (ConnectWise, Autotask, and Halo) and have PSA experts on staff, so your PSA data and your accounting stay in sync.
What size MSP do you work with?+
We specialize in MSPs in the $2M–$10M revenue range: the stage where financial complexity outgrows a basic bookkeeper but a full-time CFO isn’t yet the right hire.
Do you replace our current bookkeeper?+
Usually, yes. We assume the bookkeeping function and clean up the foundation, then build reporting on top. Most clients move over with minimal disruption during onboarding.
Our bookkeeper just left. How fast can you take over?+
Quickly. A departing bookkeeper is one of the most common reasons MSPs come to us. We assume the function, keep bills and payroll data moving, and clean up the foundation, so you skip the re-hiring cycle entirely.
Do you provide fractional CFO services?+
Yes. CFO-level guidance is built into the engagement: pricing, margin, capital allocation, and the decisions that move enterprise value, without the cost of a full-time hire.
Who leads Instrumental?+
Instrumental is led by David Wilkeson, an MSP expert and author, and Diane Dennis, CPA, an expert in delivering high-end outsourced bookkeeping services.
Pricing & what you get
Is it really cost-neutral?+
For most MSPs, yes. Because we take over bookkeeping at a lower cost and service it efficiently, the added forecasting and dashboards typically land at roughly what you already pay for bookkeeping alone.
What do we get each month?+
Accurate, reconciled books; a weekly cash availability report; a cash-flow health report and rolling forecast; KPI dashboards; and a monthly CFO-level review where we walk you through an actionable executive dashboard built for non-finance leaders.
How much of my time will the finance process take?+
Far less than it takes today. We take the finance management workload and oversight off the owner. You get a monthly CFO-level review of an executive dashboard built for non-finance leaders, and we handle the rest.
Scope & responsibilities
What’s included in the service?+
The full accounting back office: accounts payable and accounts receivable management, payroll process management, bank and credit card reconciliation, sales tax filing, PSA-to-accounting integration management, and a chart of accounts built to MSP best practices, plus dashboards, benchmarking, and day-to-day financial oversight on top.
What don’t you do?+
We stay out of functions that belong in your business or with your CPA: customer invoicing, collections, procurement and inventory, tax preparation, depreciation schedule creation, physical check printing, and HR beyond submitting payroll data.
Do we still need a CPA?+
Yes, we complement your CPA rather than replace them. They handle tax preparation, depreciation schedules, and year-end review; we manage the books and interface with them directly on P&L and balance sheet matters, so you’re not the go-between.
What do you need from our team?+
An administrative contact for things like customer invoicing and deposits, a manager to approve bill payments, and the owner’s engagement: reviewing the weekly cash availability report and joining the monthly financial review. We handle the rest.
Getting started
What does onboarding look like?+
We assume the bookkeeping function first and clean up your accounting foundation. Once the books are solid, we layer on forecasting and dashboards. Most clients move over with minimal disruption.
Do we have to change accounting software?+
We run on QuickBooks, Online or Desktop. If you’re on QuickBooks Desktop, we’ll typically migrate you to QuickBooks Online as part of onboarding; if you’re already on QBO, nothing changes.
Growth & exit
How do clean financials affect my MSP’s valuation?+
Buyers pay for confidence: diligence-ready books, a defensible MRR and margin story, and a KPI track record. Messy financials create discounts and kill deals; clean ones support your multiple.
Can you help us prepare for an acquisition?+
Yes. Buyers pay for clean, diligence-ready books, a defensible MRR and margin story, and a KPI track record. We build that foundation whether an exit is two years away or simply an option you want to keep open.
Still have a question?
Ask it on a complimentary Executive Briefing. No pitch, just a look at your numbers.