Consulting & business services
Books and taxes for lean and operations consultants.
A five-day Kaizen event on the plant floor, a gainshare payment tied to savings the client actually realized months later, a subcontracted black belt for the statistical work, and an extended stay near the client's facility. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
April came in at $13,600. Brightline's gainshare payment reflects savings they actually realized this quarter, so I booked it against the original engagement instead of as brand new income.
- Brightline Mfg Kaizen eventEngagement project fees
- Brightline gainshare, Q1Gainshare fee income
- Subcontracted black beltSubcontracted specialists
- Plant site travel, extended stayTravel to client plants
- Minitab licenseProcess analysis software
Why your books are different
A lean and operations consultant's books go wrong in the same few places.
A generalist sees deposits and travel bills. Your business is a project fee for a multi-day Kaizen event, a gainshare payment that arrives months later once savings are validated, and specialists you bring in for the statistical heavy lifting. When the books do not know that, a delayed gainshare payment can look like a brand-new deal instead of the payoff from work already done.
-
1
A gainshare payment looks like a new engagement
A fee tied to a percentage of documented savings often arrives months after the original engagement, once the client has validated the actual results, and booked as fresh income, it disconnects the payment from the work that earned it.
What we doTies gainshare payments back to the original engagement, so a delayed payout reads as the payoff from earlier work, not a new deal. -
2
A Kaizen event fee and an ongoing retainer blend together
A one-time fee for a multi-day Kaizen event is a different kind of income than an ongoing monthly retainer for continuous improvement work, and mixed together, it is hard to see which part of the practice is the steady base.
What we doKeeps project event fees separate from retainer income, so the steady base of the practice is visible on its own. -
3
A subcontracted black belt becomes a standing hire
A statistical specialist you bring in for every engagement's data work, using your process and your client relationships, starts to look like an employee rather than a project hire.
What we doFlags a subcontracted specialist who looks employee-like and gets the accountant's read before the pattern is a year old. -
4
Extended plant stays cost more than a normal site visit
A multi-day stay near a client's facility for a Kaizen event costs more in travel and lodging than a typical single-day consulting visit, and blended into general travel, it is hard to see if a project's fee actually covers it.
What we doKeeps extended-stay travel costs visible against the engagement they support, so you can see if the fee actually covers the time on-site.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a lean and operations consulting practice.
Set up once for how you bill and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Engagement project feesFees for Kaizen events and other multi-day improvement projects.
- Gainshare fee incomePayments tied to a percentage of validated cost savings.
- Retainer incomeOngoing monthly continuous improvement support.
- Training and certification feesTraining a client's own staff in lean methods.
Money out
- Subcontracted specialistsOutside black belts and statistical experts brought in for engagements.
- Travel to client plantsMileage, flights, and extended-stay lodging for on-site work.
- Process analysis softwareLucidchart, Minitab, or similar mapping and statistical tools.
- Certification renewalLean Six Sigma or similar credential maintenance.
- Professional liability insuranceCoverage for the consulting advice you provide.
What we watch for you
- Gainshare payment lag
How long it takes clients to validate savings and pay out the gainshare portion of a fee.
- Retainer versus project mix
How much of the practice is steady retainer work versus one-time event fees.
- Subcontractor cost share
What outside specialists cost against total engagement income.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things lean and operations consultants ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
No. I tie it back to the original engagement, so it reads as the payoff from earlier work rather than a fresh piece of business.
Yes. Project event fees and retainer income are kept in separate lines, so you can see which part of your practice is the steady base.
Worth a look. That pattern is starting to resemble an employee relationship, so I flagged it for the accountant to weigh in.
The tax side
The tax side of a lean and operations consulting practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing gainshare payments right and classifying the specialists you bring in. Handled right, the year does not surprise you.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Contractor 1099sA subcontracted black belt or specialist paid $2,000 or more over the year, off payroll, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that running count current.
- Employee or contractorA black belt who works only your Kaizen events, on your schedule, using your process, is starting to look like an employee rather than a project hire. Gus flags that pattern.
- Self-employment taxBecause owner income isn't taxed through payroll, it carries a 15.3 percent self-employment tax up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- The pass-through deductionConsulting profit from lean engagements can often qualify for up to a 20 percent deduction off what gets taxed, and the accountant works out the exact number at filing time.
Deductions lean and operations consultants miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Lucidchart, Minitab, or similar software
- Lean Six Sigma certification renewal
- Subcontracted specialist fees
- Extended-stay travel and lodging
- Professional liability insurance
- Laptop and presentation equipment
- Home office space
- Marketing to manufacturers
- Trade association dues
- Continuing education courses
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A lean consulting year, checked in four times.
Kaizen events and gainshare payouts land unevenly through the year with no fixed season. Gus keeps your own taxes on schedule alongside them. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, 1099s go out to any subcontracted black belts, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Return filed, return signed. The bill is no surprise, because the set-aside has been quietly building since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether gainshare payments are arriving as engagements wrap up.
- October
Before year end
A look at software and certification renewals worth doing before December closes out the year.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for lean and operations consultants. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions lean and operations consultants ask first.
A gainshare payment arrived months after I finished the engagement. Does that count as new income?
No. Gus ties it back to the original engagement, so a delayed gainshare payout reads as the payoff from earlier work, not a fresh deal.
I run one-time Kaizen events and also keep some clients on an ongoing retainer. Can Gus keep those straight?
Yes. Project event fees and retainer income are kept in separate lines, so you can see which part of your practice is the steady base.
My statistical specialist works on every engagement I take on. Does that change my taxes?
It can. A black belt who works only your engagements on your schedule starts to look like an employee rather than a subcontractor, and Gus flags that for the accountant.
Extended stays near a client's plant cost more than a normal visit. Can Gus track that?
Yes. Extended-stay travel costs are kept visible against the engagement they support, so you can see whether the fee actually covers the time on-site.
My books are behind after a stretch of back-to-back Kaizen events. Is that fixable?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have from your Kaizen events and retainers. Gus sorts them out, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever