Article overview
Start by identifying what is unreliable
Most cleanup projects begin with uncertainty about the numbers. The business may not trust the profit and loss statement, accounts may not reconcile, payroll entries may be inconsistent, or owner distributions may be mixed into operating expenses. Before anything else, it helps to identify where the reporting is most unreliable and how far back the cleanup needs to go.
For many Charleston business owners, the real goal is not historical perfection. It is creating a cleaner baseline that lets monthly reporting become usable again. That means cleanup decisions should support the future process, not just close the past.