At Acuity, we work closely with many small businesses and startups. It has been our pleasure to accompany them on their journey, be a part of the major milestones they’ve experienced, and grow and evolve with them.
But that’s not the only reason Small Business Saturday is significant to us. As founders and business owners ourselves, we know firsthand the importance of having a community and a support system when you’re building a business from the ground up. We started Acuity back in 2004, and we wouldn’t be where we are today without the help, advice, and encouragement from our colleagues, partners, mentors, and fellow entrepreneurs. We never forget what got us here today and always strive to be good members of this community.
Why Small Business Saturday Is Important
If you read our fun facts for National Small Business Week, you learned that: as of 2018, there were 30.2 million small businesses in the U.S. and that this number accounts for 99.9% of United States businesses. You also learned that From 2000 to 2017, small businesses created 8.4 million net new jobs — accounting for a significant 65.9% of net new job creation in the U.S.
Small businesses are so important to our economy and to our workforce, but the road to success isn’t easy (or even guaranteed). Small Business Saturday was created by American Express back in 2010 as a way to put the spotlight on smaller companies during the big-box craziness of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Since then, the movement has helped generate buzz for smaller-scale businesses throughout the country.
When it comes to working with small businesses, we know the challenges that these business owners face. You’re trying to …
- establish your place in the market.
- spend wisely and be budget-conscious.
- build up a strong customer base from scratch.
- constantly prove to others (and yourself) that what you offer is valuable
- make the right decisions
We don’t just provide financial services — we also often act as a sounding board for these entrepreneurs and business owners who just want to talk to someone who understands. We’ve helped our crypto clients through an ICO, where we were navigating a new frontier together. We’ve had companies come to us thinking they needed a CFO when what they really needed was a bookkeeper, so we were able to talk through their needs, and find a solution for them, and save them some money. For us, it’s all about being a trusted partner and ally to these business owners and founders who are waking up every day trying to build the business of their dreams.
How We Serve Small Businesses
The Small Business Administration sets different standards per industry but generally defines a small business as having fewer than 500 employees and less than $7.5 million in annual receipts. At Acuity, we serve these businesses at various stages of growth.
- In the Beginning – When businesses are first starting out, the business owner normally handles all of the back-office tasks.
- 10 Employees / $1 Million in Revenue – Eventually, as the business grows, you’ll need someone with more time and expertise to take over the bookkeeping and tax function. At this point, however, you likely don’t have enough work or money to justify a full-time hire. That’s where fractional services make sense. You only pay for what you need.
- 30 – 40 Employees / $3-4 Million in Revenue – Once businesses hit this mark, or once they raise funding, we usually see that their needs start to go beyond what basic bookkeeping and tax services can deliver. Once it gets to this point, we recommend something more advanced like accounting or CFO services.
- $5 Million in Revenue – This tends to be the turning point, where, for the amount of work that you’ll need, it makes sense to pay a salary for a full-time hire rather than pay hourly for outsourced work.
As you can tell, there are a lot of transitions along a small business’s journey, which is why Acuity is a natural fit. Whether you need part-time or full-time bookkeeping services, or maybe even just a cleanup to get things started, we can meet you at any step along the way. Not sure where to start? Check out our handy buyer’s guide to bookkeeping, accounting, and CFO services.
The Companies We’re Thinking of on Small Business Saturday
We’re proud to serve 400 startups in 35 states across the U.S. (and 8 different countries across the world).
At Acuity, we specialize in financial services for SaaS / technology companies, creative agencies and studios, 501c(6) organizations, and businesses with cryptocurrency, but the truth is that we’ve had the pleasure of working with all kinds of small businesses over the years. So in honor of Small Business Saturday, we’re sharing a few small business success stories from our customers:
Hear what the founder and CEO had to say about providing resources, training, and education for freelancers and digital agencies.
Jonny On It with Christian Ried
This mobile app makes connecting realtors with homeowners easier than ever. Here’s what the CEO had to say about starting the business.
As the CEO of a software development company, Scott Craig shares how the business came to be.
The Bitter Southerner with Chuck Reece
The founder and editor-in-chief talks about the publication dedicated to sharing real stories about the real south.
Entrepreneur and founder Andrew Eddy began designing mobile applications and websites in college. Here’s what he’s up to with Sequr.
Azalea Health with Baha Zeidan
We spoke with the co-founder, CEO, and leading force behind the latest technology development at Azalea Health.
Launched in 2010, CodeGuard is a website backup service run by CEO David Moeller.
Tech Square Ventures with Blake Patton
Self-professed serial entrepreneur Blake Patton describes what it’s like to help startups align with investors to build the companies of their dreams.
Learn how this CEO and entrepreneur is changing the rental management industry with a marketplace for competitive short-term rentals.
Sunrise App with Jeremy Le Van
The story behind the popular calendar app that was purchased by Microsoft for more than $100 million.
Find out how an appearance on Shark Tank changed the game for this company that makes 3D paper pop-up greeting cards.
So How Can You Participate in Small Business Saturday?
If you’re a patron, we encourage you to shop small, and support the small businesses in your community.
If you’re a business owner, we invite you to take advantage of Acuity’s accounting and financial offerings that are dedicated to serving your small business. We’ll handle the back-office tasks so that you can focus your time and attention on nurturing your business.
If you’re a current Acuity client and want to be featured in one of our customer stories, please let us know! Email your account manager today — we’d love to put the spotlight on you!
