A CPA who actually picks up.

What does business advisory look like in practice?

Every quarter: a scheduled 1-hour call. Every week-ish: a quick question by phone or email that gets answered same-day. Every December: a planning session before the year closes. That's the shape of it.

The point of advisory is that the marginal cost of asking is zero. Owners who pay hourly tend to not call until it's already a problem. Advisory clients call earlier, and earlier calls cost less to fix.

How is this different from tax preparation?

Tax prep is once-a-year compliance. Advisory is year-round counsel. Most advisory clients also have us prepare returns, but the two are billed separately so clients can scope each independently.

Is this the same as fractional CFO?

No. Advisory is conversation-based; fractional CFO is model-based. Advisory answers questions; fractional CFO builds the models behind the answers. Many businesses start with advisory and graduate to CFO when the questions get bigger.

What kinds of questions come up between quarterly reviews?

"Should I hire this person now or wait?" "My biggest customer wants 90-day terms." "I got an IRS letter." "I'm thinking about buying my building." "My partner wants to leave." The decisions don't wait for quarterly calls — advisory means they don't have to.