Savvy Rhino Solutions

09/16/2026

Home service company doing $5M–$30M and still relying on a bookkeeper for Controller-level reporting?

Your bookkeeper may be doing a great job.

But as the business grows, ownership usually needs more than reconciliations, payroll and paying bills.

You need visibility into things like:

Cash flow.
Gross margin.
Labor burden and utilization.
Department-level profitability.
Month-end reporting.
KPIs that actually help you make decisions.

That is Controller-level work.

But that does not necessarily mean you need to hire a full-time Controller.

Savvy Rhino can help build the reporting, processes and financial visibility your business needs, then help your existing accounting person maintain it going forward.

If your business has outgrown basic bookkeeping but is not ready for another six-figure hire, that is exactly the gap Savvy Rhino was built to fill.

Want to see what that could look like in your business? Send me a message.

Trent Sheats /

09/15/2026

𝗔 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺. 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱.

In a lot of growing home service businesses, the accounting role evolves almost by accident.

What may start as paying bills, reconciling the bank and sending invoices can eventually grow into month-end close, job costing, cash flow tracking and financial reporting.

The expectations changed.

The support around the role often didn’t.

And eventually the conclusion becomes:

“We need a better bookkeeper.”

Sometimes that is true. But sometimes the real issue is that the business never built the accounting function around the person doing the work.

Savvy’s gap-fill:
Define the role, build the processes, establish reporting standards, and provide Controller-level support so the accounting team knows what good looks like.

Potential impact:
Fewer corrections. Faster closes. More reliable reporting. Less owner involvement fixing accounting issues after the fact.

Sometimes replacing the person is necessary. Sometimes developing the role is the better investment.

Where do you see the bigger problem most often: the person, the process, or the expectations?

09/14/2026

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝘁. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺?

In a lot of growing home-service companies, the person doing the books didn’t start with an accounting background.

Maybe it was a spouse, family member, trusted employee, or simply the person who raised their hand when somebody needed to do it.

Then the business grew.

Now they’re handling more transactions, more employees, more reporting, and more responsibility.

That doesn’t always mean you need a different person.

Sometimes you need to give the person you already have better tools.

Better processes.
Month-end procedures.
Reconciliation training.
Clear reporting expectations.
A better understanding of what the numbers should be telling the business.

That’s one of the areas where Savvy Rhino can help.

And the impact can add up quickly. Even eliminating just 2 hours of avoidable rework per week gives the business back 104 hours a year.

Just as important, investing in someone’s development shows them their role matters and gives them a chance to grow with the company.

Before replacing the person, develop the function.

09/11/2026

In recognition of Labor Day, we’re spending this week looking at what labor actually costs your business.

Yesterday, we looked at labor burden: payroll taxes, benefits, workers’ compensation, paid time off and the other costs added to an employee’s base wage.

But even that may not tell you what an employee truly costs your business.

Wages are increasing.

Insurance is increasing.

Vehicles, fuel, software, tools, training and administrative support are all becoming more expensive.

If your labor rates have not been recalculated recently, there is a good chance your pricing has not kept up with your costs.

A fully burdened labor rate includes:
• The employee’s base wage
• Labor burden
• The overhead required to support that employee

For example:
Base wage: $30 per hour
Labor burden: $10 per hour
Allocated overhead: $15 per hour
Fully burdened labor rate: $55 per hour

If you are pricing work using the $30 wage, or even the $40 loaded labor cost, you may not be charging enough to recover your true operating costs.
And remember, $55 is still only the cost.

You must price above that amount to produce the gross margin and profit your business needs.

Being busy does not automatically mean you are profitable. If your labor rate is outdated, every additional hour worked could simply compound the problem.

When was the last time you recalculated what an employee costs per productive hour?

- Trent Sheats / Savvy Rhino Solutions

09/10/2026

Most home service owners know something is off financially.

They just are not sure exactly what.

Over the years I have seen the same problems come up again and again.

Books that have not been reconciled in months.

Job costing that nobody set up correctly.

Bookkeepers who keep leaving because nobody told them what good looked like.

Cash flow that gets managed reactively instead of planned.

These are not unique problems. They are just problems that nobody with the right background ever sat down and fixed.

That is what I do.

Some of it is quick. Some of it is more strategic. All of it makes the business easier to understand and manage.

I work with home service businesses across Metro Detroit as a fractional Controller and CFO.

If any of this looks familiar, send me a message.

- Trent Sheats / www.savvyrhinosolutions.com

01/29/2026

Happy to announce that Savvy Rhino has joined the Troy Chamber of Commerce!

01/29/2026

One Year of Savvy Rhino Built on Five Pillars

As I wrap up my first year in consulting, one thing has become clear.
Every meaningful improvement ties back to the same five pillars that guide how I work.

Purpose
We built financial structure with intention and efficiency so leadership could focus on growth instead of reacting to noise.

Focus
Weekly leadership meetings and scorecards created rhythm, accountability, and alignment across the organization.

Clarity
Charts of accounts were redesigned, service industry KPIs were established, and income statements were rebuilt to support real decision making.

Strength
Month end close procedures were standardized, entities were consolidated, and scalable workflows were implemented to support growth.

Protection
Audit partners were engaged early, more work was brought in house, and risk was reduced through stronger financial controls.

This year was not about doing more work. It was about building the right structure so businesses can scale with confidence.

I wrote a more detailed breakdown of how these pillars were applied in practice. Check the comments for the link to the detailed blog post.

Charge Ahead With Purpose
Purpose | Focus | Clarity | Strength | Protection

Over the past year, Savvy Rhino Solutions has partnered with owner operators and leadership teams to strengthen the financial foundation of their businesses. The work was never about cleaning up books for the sake of compliance. It was about building structure that supports growth, improves decision...

02/03/2025

At Savvy Rhino Solutions, we understand that managing your accounting and finance functions can feel overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be. Our expert-led solutions are designed to simplify your financial processes, empower your team, and position your business for growth.

For more information visit: www.savvyrhinosolutions.com
or email [email protected]