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Questions on scope, fees, and process

Answers for firms deciding whether to request a diagnostic. For anything not covered here, email brandon@pinnacleapexpartners.com or call 404-445-6876.

Questions and answers

Which decisions is the diagnostic meant for?

Operational decisions in owner-led professional services firms and in real estate companies that hold their properties in separate LLCs. For example: whether to hire a controller or finance lead, outsource the accounting, change who owns reporting and approvals, restructure, or change systems, and in what order.

It suits a firm or company whose monthly report arrives late or is not trusted, or whose approvals wait on one person.

If you are unsure, describe the decision in your request. If the diagnostic is not the right fit, we will tell you directly.

Is the diagnostic for real estate companies?

Yes. It is for real estate companies that hold their properties in separate LLCs, with or without outside investors, where the monthly close still waits on the owner or one long-time bookkeeper.

The decisions it informs include whether to hire a controller, outsource the accounting, change systems, or change who owns the close and approvals.

The diagnostic looks at process, ownership, approvals, and handoffs, and does not review investor terms or tax work. The findings support your own decision and are not written for investors or lenders.

The diagnostic for real estate companies
What does the diagnostic look at?

How reporting, approvals, and work actually move through your firm: the month-end close and reporting timeline, reconciliations and exceptions, sign-off paths, and the handoffs between people and systems. Each is examined with your decision in mind.

How the diagnostic works
What do I receive?

Three written deliverables, each answering one question:

  • Structural Assessment: What is actually happening today?
  • Constraint Map: Where does the work stall, and why?
  • Decision Brief: What should happen first?

Each deliverable cites the evidence behind it.

Is the example work from a real client?

No. The example work is three illustrative demonstrations, each prepared for a fictional firm using synthetic data. None is a client engagement, and none reports results for any real firm.

Each shows how findings are traced from a visible symptom to a documented cause, and how they become a decision in a set order.

See example work
Is Pinnacle Apex Partners a CPA firm, and is the diagnostic an audit?

No. Pinnacle Apex Partners is not a CPA firm and does not issue audit, review, or attestation reports.

The diagnostic is not an audit or any other attestation engagement, and it does not give tax opinions. It sets out in writing what the evidence shows about how your reporting and approvals run.

How does the fee work?

Fixed fee, with scope agreed in writing before work begins. You receive a written quote and engagement terms, and work starts only after your written acceptance. The timeline is set in your quote and starts once we receive the information requested. No exploratory call required.

Is implementation included?

Implementation is not included in the diagnostic. Any follow-on work is scoped separately.

Once you have the findings, you can act on them yourself, with your current advisors, or with Pinnacle Apex Partners. Project work is offered only when the diagnostic shows it is the right next step. We will quote any follow-on work, including monthly oversight, in writing, and we take no fees from vendors.

What happens after I send a request?
  1. We review your request.
  2. You receive a written quote and engagement terms.
  3. Work starts only after your written acceptance.
  4. You receive a request for the information needed.
  5. Findings are delivered in writing, on the timeline set in your quote.
  6. If it helps, we walk through the findings with you and your team.
Do I need a call first?

No. You describe the decision in your request, and the quote and engagement terms come back in writing. A call happens only when it is needed to confirm scope.

Who does the work?

Pinnacle Apex Partners is led by its founder, Brandon J. Jones, Managing Director. He scopes every diagnostic, carries out the work, and writes the findings.

About the founder
What information will you need from my firm?

After you accept the quote, you receive a request for the information needed. It covers records your team already keeps, such as close calendars, reconciliations, and approval trails. Where it helps, we also talk with the people who do the work.

You do not need to send anything with your request.

How do you handle my firm's records?

We use the records you send only for your diagnostic and keep them confidential. Your engagement terms set out how they are stored and what happens to them after the findings are delivered. If you prefer, we will sign your confidentiality agreement before you send anything.

How long does the diagnostic take?

The timeline is set in your quote and starts once we receive the information requested. You see it before you decide whether to accept.

How much of my team's time does a diagnostic need?

Your team gathers the records on the information request and answers our follow-up questions about them. Where it helps, we also talk with the people who do the work. Your quote sets out the scope, so you can judge the effort before you accept.

Describe the decision in front of you

You receive a written quote before any work begins.

Request a diagnostic