Audit-grade preparation for milestone events
Significant corporate events — first-year audits, IPOs, M&A deals, first-year SOX — demand audit-grade preparation. We've been on both sides of these milestones and know what they require, where companies typically stumble, and how to prepare for them. Partner-level expertise delivered at a fraction of Big 4 pricing.
A different approach to readiness work
Big 4 readiness engagements are heavy, slow, and expensive. Junior staff do the diagnostic work, with partners parachuting in for sign-off. Boutique firms charge less but often lack the audit-side perspective on what auditors and bankers will scrutinize. We've built something different.
Partner-level engagement throughout
At our firm, the diagnostic work, roadmap building, and technical execution are done by senior leadership with Big 4 audit partner experience — not handed to junior staff. Senior eyes see everything from day one.
Big 4 expertise, not Big 4 cost
Same senior-level rigor, delivered through a leaner operating model. Fixed-fee assessments and predictable engagement structures replace the open-ended hourly billing that makes readiness work prohibitively expensive at large firms.
Where we focus
First-year audit readiness
A first-year audit is often the most disruptive operational event a company faces. Auditors request documentation that doesn't exist, push back on accounting positions that have always been accepted, and surface control gaps that were invisible before. Drawing on both audit-side and operational accounting experience, we assess what your auditors will request, document positions that need defensive memos, and implement processes and controls to address any significant risks.
IPO readiness
IPO readiness is a 12-24 month undertaking, and the stakes only get higher as the offering window opens. Drawing on Big 4 audit experience with multiple high-profile tech IPOs, we deliver an initial assessment benchmarking where you are against S-1 filing requirements. We then partner with your team through the multi-year roadmap — historical financial statement reconstruction, SAB 99 materiality assessments, segment reporting, EPS, and the technical positions that will face SEC staff review.
First-year SOX (Section 404)
The first year of SOX is qualitatively different from year two. The framework needs to be designed, key controls documented, gaps remediated, and IT general controls tested — all while the regular accounting function keeps running. We design the SOX framework, document key controls, walk the design through with your external auditors, and identify remediation work before year-end testing.
M&A transaction support
The accounting work on an M&A deal doesn't stop at signing. We handle deal-stage analysis (purchase accounting under ASC 805, earn-out treatment, accounting policy alignment), opening balance sheet work, and post-close integration of the acquired entity into your monthly close and external reporting processes.
Initial SEC reporting
The transition from private to public reporting involves a fundamental shift in cadence, format, and reviewer expectations. The first few filings set the standard the SEC staff and your investors will hold you to. We help establish your initial reporting calendar, draft early-period 10-Q and 10-K filings, design your disclosure controls framework, and prepare your team for the recurring filing rhythm.
What's included
Readiness engagements vary by event type, but the underlying deliverables follow a consistent pattern.
- 1
Diagnostic assessment
A structured assessment of where you are versus where you need to be at the target event. We identify gaps in technical accounting, documentation, controls, and reporting.
- 2
Prioritized roadmap
A sequenced remediation plan with timelines, owners, and dependencies. We sequence work by impact and urgency, so your team knows what to do first and what can wait.
- 3
Hands-on execution
We don't hand you a report and walk away. We work through the technical accounting memos, control documentation, financial statement drafting, and policy work alongside your team.
- 4
Stakeholder defense
Every readiness engagement involves third parties — auditors, bankers, lawyers, SEC staff. We're available to walk them through our work and defend the positions taken.
Longer for first-year SOX (1-2 months).
Enterprise-grade confidentiality
Your transaction documents, financial statements, and pre-audit workpapers are processed securely. Our infrastructure uses encrypted enterprise API endpoints, keeps client data isolated, and explicitly prohibits your data from being used to train foundational AI models. We execute mutual NDAs prior to reviewing any documentation.