Month-end close
Give your AI assistant the right context, follow a documented close process, review proposed adjustments, and keep track of items that need attention.
AI consulting for accounting firms
Build an AI workflow your firm can run.
Learn the month-end close and reporting method we use at Island Waters. Start with one client company, build with guidance from Shawn, and keep your team in control as tools evolve.
For solo practitioners and accounting teams. Fixed guided packages suit firms of up to 10 people; larger or more complex rollouts begin with custom discovery.
Private guidance from Shawn ElliottOne representative client companyHuman review throughout the process
A clear place to start
You have the tools.
Let's build the method.
Connecting software is the beginning. The useful work is learning what to ask, how to assess the answer, and what to do next.
We choose a representative client and work through the process together. Your firm keeps responsibility for its accounting decisions and approvals.
Reporting and advisory
Build a reporting workflow, trace key figures to source reports, and turn the findings into clear, useful commentary for your client.
A process you can repeat
Practice with your own approved systems, document review steps, and learn how to apply the method to other suitable clients.
Connected to your accounting work
The method stays.
The tools can evolve.
Build around your workflow, accounting judgment, and review standards. We select and confirm the supported setup with you before the engagement.
Work with the systems behind the numbers.
Our workflows use an MCP connector, a connection between your AI assistant and the APIs of your business systems. Shawn has tested workflows across QuickBooks Online, Xero, Stripe, Ramp, and bank data through Plaid.
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
- Stripe
- Ramp
- Bank data via Plaid
Available data and actions depend on your connected accounts, permissions, subscription, and the connector's supported functions. Your firm reviews and approves accounting changes. Each engagement includes only the integrations agreed in its scope.
Guided implementation
Four working sessions.
One client company.
You carry out the setup and practice between sessions. We provide the structure, review, and guidance.
SESSION 01
Set the foundation
Confirm access, establish client context, choose a period, and define what a useful result looks like.
SESSION 02
Work through the close
Run the workflow and examine the evidence, proposed adjustments, and exceptions together.
SESSION 03
Build the reporting
Prepare the reporting output, check its figures, and review the interpretation.
SESSION 04
Run it yourself
Repeat the agreed process, explain your review steps, and leave with a practical checklist.
Plan on four working weeks, with dates agreed in advance, plus time to practice between sessions. Team engagements include an additional handoff session for your owner, implementation lead, and reviewer. Choose one QuickBooks Online or Xero company. We confirm your connector, AI assistant, and relevant integrations before you commit.
Three ways to start
Choose the guidance you need.
Learn independently when the kit is ready, build one workflow with private guidance, or scope a wider rollout. Add monthly advisory when you want continued support.
DIY Workflow Kit
$995 / year solo
$1,995 per year for one firm, up to 10 people
Planned release pricing
- Close and reporting instructions
- Client-context and review templates
- Short lessons and worked examples
- 12-month access and standard updates
- Self-paced implementation
Being developed through the pilots. Personal implementation support is a separate service. No payment is taken for the unfinished kit.
Email interest in the kitGuided Implementation
$4,500 solo
$6,500 for a firm with 2 to 10 people
Fixed fee per firm
- One client company, close and reporting
- Four private 60-minute working sessions
- Additional team handoff session for firms
- Up to two hours of review and questions between sessions
- First year of the relevant DIY kit when released
Your team implements with Shawn's guidance. Founding engagements help refine the materials; scope and start date are agreed before payment.
Discuss a founding placeCustom Engagement
Scoped to your firm
Custom pricing following paid discovery
- Multiple workflows or client companies
- Rollout planning and team training
- Specialized workflow and automation design
- Integration requirements and review steps
- Written phases, responsibilities, and completion criteria
$1,500 discovery: a 90-minute working session plus written scope, priorities, and an implementation quote. Credited toward a custom engagement signed within 30 days of the discovery session.
Discuss a custom engagementAll prices are USD. The first three signed, paid, qualified guided engagements share the founding allocation. Guided fees are paid 50% to reserve the agreed start and 50% before session three. Software subscriptions are purchased separately.
Recommended: implementation + advisory
See the full service commitment.
Choose your firm size as a starting point. Both bundles include one guided implementation followed by three months of private advisory. Complexity may require a custom scope.
Build your process. Then refine it.
$9,000 service total
$4,500 guided implementation
+ $4,500 for three months of advisory
$2,250 to reserve the start, $2,250 before session three, then $1,500 per month for three months after implementation.
Discuss the solo bundleGive your team a shared method.
$11,000 service total
$6,500 guided implementation
+ $4,500 for three months of advisory
$3,250 to reserve the start, $3,250 before session three, then $1,500 per month for three months after implementation.
Discuss the team bundleWhat to budget: these are founding service totals, not an all-inclusive software price or an upfront payment. Allow approximately four working weeks for implementation, followed by three months of advisory. We identify the required software and its separate costs before you commit. Firms with 11 or more people, multiple companies, or broader integration needs begin with custom discovery.
Optional ongoing guidance
Private AI Advisory
$1,500 per month
Available after implementation or a readiness review. Two private 60-minute calls, plus up to 60 minutes combined for preparation, review, and asynchronous questions each month.
The initial term is three months. After that, continue monthly at $1,500 with 30 days' cancellation notice. Advisory is available separately or as part of a recommended bundle.
- Three hours total per billing period, with one designated question submitter.
- Coaching, output review, and guided troubleshooting. Your team carries out the changes.
- Initial response within two business days, Monday to Friday. No emergency coverage.
- Unused time expires at renewal. Additional work requires a separate agreement.
- Software incidents follow the provider's support process.
Your guide
Shawn Elliott
Accounting experience, applied to the way your firm works.
Shawn Elliott is the Founder & CEO of Island Waters Accounting LLC, a fractional CFO and client advisory firm for founders in AI, SaaS, Technology, Healthcare, Biotech, Health Tech, Pharmacy, and Pharma.
Our consulting brings the close and reporting method used in the practice into your firm, with a focus on context, evidence, and human review.
The workflows are still being refined. We will work from actual demonstrations, document what happens in your pilot, and measure improvements before making claims about results.
Before we begin
A few practical questions.
The fit call is where we confirm the right starting point for your firm.
Who is this for?
Solo practitioners and accounting teams that want a repeatable AI-assisted close and reporting process. Fixed guided packages cover firms of up to 10 people. Larger firms and more complex needs start with custom discovery. Every engagement needs a designated implementation lead.
Will you build everything for us?
You and your team carry out the setup and accounting work. Shawn teaches, reviews outputs, and guides troubleshooting. The initial scope covers one representative client company and the agreed close and reporting workflows.
What is different about the founding pilots?
The first three engagements receive the published founding prices. The materials are developed and refined alongside the private sessions, and we ask for structured feedback. We agree your written scope and completion checklist before you commit.
What counts as completing the implementation?
You have worked through the close and reporting process for an agreed period, documented exceptions and review decisions, checked the key figures, and repeated the process using the instructions. Your firm retains responsibility for accounting judgments and final approvals.
Can we use this across all our clients?
The initial guided engagement covers one client company. You receive a method for applying the process to other suitable clients. Multiple-company rollout, specialized design, and additional workflows belong in a custom engagement.
Are we tied to one AI tool or connector?
The service teaches the workflow and review method. We confirm a supported tool configuration for your engagement. Changes to providers or migrations are evaluated and scoped before implementation; future tools are not a promised feature.
How does custom discovery work?
After a fit call, discovery costs $1,500 and includes a 90-minute working session, written priorities and scope, and an implementation quote. The fee is credited toward a custom engagement signed within 30 days of the discovery session. Discovery does not commit you to the implementation.
Do the bundles include software or outsourced accounting?
No. Bundles combine guided implementation and three months of follow-on advisory. Your team builds and runs the process. AI, connector, accounting, and other software costs are separate and identified before you commit.
Do we have to buy monthly advisory?
No. It is optional after implementation. If you choose it, the initial term is three months, followed by monthly renewal with 30 days' cancellation notice. Your fee includes the defined calls and review allowance.
Is the DIY kit available now?
It is in development. The first pilots will help test and refine the lessons and instructions before release. You can email your interest to receive a release update; this page does not take payment for the unfinished kit.
Do you guarantee time savings or accuracy?
We agree a practical implementation objective and document the work. Time savings and consistency depend on your books, setup, and review process. We measure what happens instead of promising an untested result.
Let's choose your first workflow.
Tell us what you've tried, where you're getting stuck, and which client company would make a useful starting point.
Book a 15-minute fit callPrefer email? hello@islandwaters.ai