406 Consulting Group

09/21/2026

Think every load leaves full?

One trucking company did too—until the data told a different story.

One of our trucking clients hauls chips and sawdust for sawmills. The team was confident that every truck was leaving full.

But when we looked at the data, we found a more complete picture.

The company was paid by weight per load. Different wood species have different densities, so the material behind each load mattered—not just how full the trailer appeared.

That insight eventually became part of the company’s contract language.
What is one thing in your business everyone assumes is always true?

Watch the short case study:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hpd6Xhrf6iU

This is a real client outcome. Client identity, financial information, and contract language are confidential. Video visuals are representative.

One of our trucking clients hauls chips and sawdust for sawmills. T...

09/18/2026

S-Corp savings can be real—but they’re not the whole story.
Payroll costs, filing obligations, compliance, and cash flow all affect whether the numbers actually work.

Watch the short video:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K7WZaKp4Npk

09/17/2026

Thinking about an S-corp election?

Potential tax savings can be real. But they’re not the whole decision.

Payroll costs, filing obligations, compliance, and cash flow all belong in the calculation. An S corp can be a smart move for the right business—but it is not automatically right for every owner.

Watch the video, then use our LLC vs. S-Corp Calculator in the first comment to look at the full picture.

General information only. Consult a qualified tax professional regarding your specific situation.

09/03/2026

Quick gut-check: if you disappeared for two weeks — phone off — would your business run without you?

For a lot of owners, the honest answer is no. And it lands hard, because the thing you built for freedom quietly became the thing you can never leave.

Here's what I've learned in a career a little obsessed with process: businesses that scale don't run on heroes. They run on processes — repeatable ways of doing the recurring work, so quality doesn't depend on who's having a good day.

And this isn't theory. A recent client did it the right way — they hired good people, didn't cut corners, brought us in to develop the processes, and then actually adopted them. The owner went from 50+ hours a week to about 10. The business runs on autopilot. Same company. Same people. Different systems.

You don't need a Six Sigma black belt. You don't need to boil the ocean. Pick the ONE process costing you the most — for a lot of you that's invoicing — and fix just that. One clean win builds the next.

Wrote up how to think about it (Dave's Plumbing makes a few cameos): https://406consultinggroup.com/articles/processes-not-heroes

What's the one process in your business that would break first if you stepped away?

We're not just your accountant — we're the financial team behind your next stage of growth. 406 Consulting Group delivers bookkeeping, tax strategy, controller services, and fractional CFO advisory for established businesses ready to level up.

09/01/2026

Your banker may like you. They may want to see your business succeed. But when it’s time to approve a loan, they aren’t the only person making the decision—and they aren’t working for you.
The person who may ultimately determine the outcome is someone you’ll probably never meet: the commercial underwriter.

Their job isn’t to fund your growth. It’s to protect the bank by determining whether your business can repay the debt—even when things don’t go according to plan. They’re looking beyond revenue and the relationship you have with your banker. They’re evaluating cash flow, debt capacity, collateral, financial trends, and the risks your numbers may reveal.

With experience reviewing more than 300 commercial loan packages, Carrie Anderson understands how lenders evaluate those risks. She knows what happens behind the scenes, why a successful business can still receive a surprising “no,” and what underwriters see in your financials before anyone calls you back.

If your next move depends on financing, it pays to understand how the bank is reading your business—and what you can do to become the kind of borrower it wants to finance.

Read Carrie’s full breakdown: https://406consultinggroup.com/articles/whose-side-is-your-banker-on

08/20/2026

Parts 1 and 2 hit hard. A lot of you said "I know exactly who this is."

So here's what to actually do about it:

STEP 1: Document the pattern.
Not one bad day. The pattern. Every time they said yes and did nothing. Every time access was blocked. Every missed deadline. Put it in writing. Emails after every meeting with action items and deadlines.

STEP 2: Talk to your other employees privately.
Ask them directly: "Is there anything making your job harder that I should know about?" You'll hear what you've been avoiding.

STEP 3: Set clear expectations IN WRITING.
Specific deliverables. Specific deadlines. No room for "I didn't know" or "I thought you meant something else." Send it in email. Have them confirm.

STEP 4: Give it 30 days.
Not 6 months. Not "let's see how it goes." 30 days. Either the behavior changes or it doesn't.

STEP 5: If nothing changes in 30 days, it won't change in 30 months.
Act. Have the conversation. Make the change. Your business, your other employees, and your sanity are worth more than one person's comfort zone.

THE HARD TRUTH:
If you're afraid to manage one employee — you don't have a team. You have a hostage situation.

And hostage situations don't end well for the hostage.

Your business is worth more than avoiding one uncomfortable conversation.

https://406consultinggroup.com/services

We're not just your accountant — we're the financial team behind your next stage of growth. 406 Consulting Group delivers bookkeeping, tax strategy, controller services, and fractional CFO advisory for established businesses ready to level up.

08/20/2026

The first number you check in the morning says everything about you.

Before coffee. Before email. There's one number you reach for.

Bank balance. Pipeline. Payroll. Or nothing at all.

You think it's a habit. It's a tell.

→ Bank balance — "will I run out?" Survival. And you're steering off a number that's lying to you; a good chunk of what's in there isn't yours.

→ Pipeline — "will the work keep coming?" Scarcity. You can feel the growth. You can't see the margin.

→ Payroll — "can I cover the people counting on me?" The heavy one. You carry the whole team in your gut before 7am.

→ Nothing at all — the interesting one, because it means one of two opposite things. Either you're too scared to look… or your system already told you and you don't need to.

Same habit. Opposite people.

The number you reach for isn't a routine. It's a readout of the fear running your business. And the fix for the morning knot isn't discipline — it's building something that answers the real question, so the number stops being something you flinch at and becomes something you use.

https://406consultinggroup.com/articles/first-number-you-check

08/15/2026

Part 1 hit a nerve. A lot of you said "this is my company right now."

So let's talk about what it's actually costing you.

DIRECT COSTS:
→ You hired outside help. They can't do their job because one person won't give them access. You're paying for a service you're not getting.
→ New hires quit within 6 months. Not because of you. Because of them. Average replacement cost: $15K–$25K per person.
→ You bought new software. New systems. They never got implemented because one person refused to adopt them.

HIDDEN COSTS:
→ You're making decisions based on filtered information. They control what you see.
→ Growth opportunities die because "we've always done it this way."
→ Your good employees stop bringing ideas. They know it'll get shut down.
→ YOU are spending hours every week managing around one person instead of growing your business.

THE REAL NUMBER:
A single toxic employee in a small business costs $50,000–$150,000/year. Not in salary. In everything they're blocking, breaking, and driving away.

"But I can't afford to lose them."

Can you afford to keep them?

Part 3 drops 8/20/2026: What to actually do about it — without blowing up your business.

https://406consultinggroup.com/services

08/11/2026

Every business owner knows this person.

They say all the right things in meetings. They're "loyal." They've been there forever.

But nothing changes. New systems don't get adopted. Outside help can't do their job. Good employees quietly leave.

Here are 6 warning signs your most trusted employee is actually holding your business back:

1. Says yes in every meeting. Does nothing after.

2. Controls access to information — everything goes through them.

3. Resists every new system, tool, or outside professional you bring in.

4. Comments on costs every time you invest in the business.

5. Other employees won't speak up around them.

6. You hear one thing on calls. Reality is completely different.

If you checked 3 or more — you don't have a loyal employee. You have a gatekeeper protecting their own position.

Part 2 drops 8/15/2026: What this is actually costing you in dollars.

Save this. Share it with someone who needs to hear it.

https://406consultinggroup.com/services

08/07/2026

Is your bonding capacity holding you back from the big-ticket jobs you know you can handle?

When a surety agent evaluates your firm, they aren’t just checking your bank balance: they’re assessing your command over your operations. To unlock the bonding required for high-level growth, you must provide transparency and precision.

These are the three critical reports your surety demands to see:

1. WIP Schedule (Work-in-Progress): The "commander’s map" of your finances. It identifies overbillings and underbillings, proving whether you’re truly profitable or just trading cash.

2. Aging Schedule: This reveals your discipline. A surety needs to see that your receivables are turning into cash, not sitting stagnant in a "30-60-90" trap.

3. Backlog Report: This is your future capacity. It demonstrates you have a clear pipeline and the resources to execute without overextending.

Inconsistent reporting is a silent growth killer. Don’t let weak data be the reason you lose your next major contract.

Ready to command your numbers? Comment "GROW" below and let's get your reporting bond-ready.