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Forbes & Company
Forbes & Company business consulting services driving growth and success in Atlanta and Charleston
ACCOUNTING FOR SERVICE-BASED BUSINESSES

Financial management built for
knowledge-based businesses

Your consulting firm, legal practice, medical practice or professional firm operates on expertise and time. Get accounting services for service-based professionals who understand billable hours, client relationships, and knowledge-work revenue models.

Specialized accounting for the professional services industry

Professional service businesses, whether that’s a consulting firm, a law firm, an architecture firm, or a marketing agency, all run on a similar engine: billable hours, client relationships, and revenue that depends on people rather than products. That model creates financial questions a generalist accountant doesn’t always know how to answer, from tracking billable time accurately to managing the ebb and flow of retainer-based income.

We’ve spent years working with professional service businesses across the greater Atlanta area, the greater Charleston area, and across the United States, and we understand what makes your model different. Whether you’re managing a growing consulting practice, running a small law firm, leading an architecture firm, or building a marketing agency, we bring financial expertise that actually reflects how your business operates.

THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CHALLENGE

Time-based businesses need specialized financial expertise

Professional service businesses face distinct financial management challenges that require industry-specific expertise:

  • Time tracking and accurate billable hour reporting
  • Managing irregular income from client projects and retainers
  • Expense tracking for professional development and client costs
  • Cash flow management between large client payments
  • Accounts payable coordination with professional liability and overhead costs
THE STRATEGIC SOLUTION

Accounting that understands your business model

Get accounting services for consultants and professional firms that integrate with your practice management software. From time tracking to financial reporting, get systems designed for knowledge-based businesses. Professional services accounting includes:

  • Time tracking integration and billable hour analysis
  • Accounts payable management and expense tracking systems
  • Cash flow planning for project-based revenue cycles
  • Financial reporting tailored to professional services metrics
  • Strategic financial planning for practice growth and expansion

Common questions we get about how we work with professional service businesses

We work with a range of professional service businesses, including consulting firms, law firms, architecture firms, and marketing agencies, throughout the greater Atlanta area, the greater Charleston area, and across the country. The billable hour and client relationship model is common across all of them, and we tailor our approach to your specific practice.
Yes, that’s one of the most valuable things we do for professional service clients, whether you’re a consulting firm, a law firm, an architecture firm, or a marketing agency. By connecting your time tracking and financial data, we can show you where your profitability is really coming from, which is sometimes different from what you’d expect.
We help you recognize and track retainer income properly, so your financial statements accurately reflect earned revenue rather than just cash received, which matters for both tax purposes and understanding your true performance. This comes up often for the consulting firms and marketing agencies we work with in Alpharetta, Charleston, and across the United States.
Absolutely. Growing your team changes your payroll needs, your overhead structure, and often your cash flow patterns, and we help you plan for those changes before they catch you off guard, whether you’re a law firm adding associates, an architecture firm building out a design team, or a marketing agency scaling account staff.
Yes, many of our professional services clients, from consulting firms and law firms to architecture firms and marketing agencies, work with us on broader strategic planning, from expansion decisions to partnership structuring, in addition to day-to-day accounting. And whether your office is near our Alpharetta location, our Charleston location, or somewhere else in the country, that support looks the same.

Ready for accounting that understands your professional service?

Get financial clarity that supports your
expertise-based business


Your professional practice deserves financial management that understands billable hours, client relationships, and the unique opportunities in knowledge-based businesses.
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