What Cycle Accounting does

Cycle Accounting LLC is a privately held, founder-owned professional services firm headquartered in Maple Grove, Minnesota, founded in 2019 by Michelle Tronerud. The firm provides full-cycle accounting services for small businesses that require Controller-level expertise but cannot justify a full-time in-house Controller. Its offering spans basic bookkeeping, account reconciliations, financial statement preparation (including accrual/GAAP conversions), budgets and projections, cash flow planning, metrics and dashboards, process design and improvement, and monthly or quarterly review meetings. Engagements are delivered under either a full outsourcing or gap-filling model, with pricing customized per client and typically billed monthly.

The firm's core technology stack is built around third-party accounting platforms rather than proprietary software. Cycle Accounting primarily delivers services through QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, with Gusto used for payroll-adjacent work; the firm does not maintain its own platform, app, or API. Differentiation rests on a documented 'Full-Cycle Accounting Process' methodology, team-level QuickBooks ProAdvisor certifications (including Advanced QuickBooks Online for the founder), and the founder's CPA, MBA, and Fortune 50/public accounting credentials.

Cycle Accounting operates a sales-led, consultative go-to-market built around a 3-step process (Intro Call, Planning Session, Proposal) and a website-based lead capture funnel with structured contact forms. Customer acquisition is supplemented by CPA referrals and client testimonials. The firm targets SMB customers exclusively across a horizontal segmentation, with no enterprise contracts disclosed. As of the available data, Cycle Accounting operates as a bootstrapped LLC with 5 personnel, no external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries, serving a regional client base in Minnesota and surrounding areas.

Name

Cycle Accounting

Legal name

Cycle Accounting LLC

Website

https://cycleaccounting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cycle Accounting is a privately held Minnesota-based professional services firm that provides Controller-level and bookkeeping services to small businesses that cannot justify a full-time Controller, delivered via QuickBooks and a proprietary full-cycle accounting methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Maple Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Controller Services: Ongoing Controller-level accounting services including financial statement preparation, analysis, review meetings, and strategic consultation. Provides monthly or quarterly engagement with clients.
2. Bookkeeping Services: Basic bookkeeping services ranging from occasional support and training to regular weekly services. Can work with existing resources or take full ownership of bookkeeping.
3. Add-on Services: Additional services including budgeting, financial projections, QuickBooks training, cash flow planning, and metrics/dashboards. Provided as add-ons to core service packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cycle Accounting provides full-cycle accounting services for small businesses, pairing basic bookkeeping with Controller-level services such as financial statement preparation, account reconciliations, budgets and projections, cash flow planning, monthly or quarterly review meetings, and metrics/dashboards. Engagements are customized and delivered as either full outsourcing or gap-filling support of an existing internal accounting function.

Product overview

Cycle Accounting offers a unified suite of accounting and controller-level services for small businesses. The core offering combines basic bookkeeping with Controller-level services, delivered through interconnected service modules including Bookkeeping, Reconciliations, Budgets and Projections, Process Design & Improvement, Financial Statements, Review Meetings, and add-on services for QuickBooks Training, Cash Flow Planning, and Metrics & Dashboards. The company works with existing resources or takes full ownership for bookkeeping, presents financial reports for analysis, and assists with interpreting information for goal-setting and decision-making.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bookkeeping Services Recurring bookkeeping services for small businesses, ranging from occasional support and QuickBooks training to regular weekly service. Can either work alongside existing internal resources or take full ownership of the bookkeeping function, establishing accurate books with efficient processes and automation where possible.
• Controller Services Ongoing Controller-level accounting services for small businesses, including preparation of accurate financial statements (including accrual basis and GAAP), reconciliations, monthly or quarterly review meetings, financial analysis and interpretation, strategic consultation, and audit preparation support for companies that need Controller expertise but cannot justify a full-time hire.
• Budgets and Projections Budget preparation and financial projections service for small businesses, including support for clients who have never prepared budgets before and need help building meaningful forecasts to guide decision-making.
• QuickBooks Training QuickBooks training service for small businesses and their internal staff, delivered by Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors to help clients get the most out of their accounting software, including implementation and optimization support.
• Cash Flow Planning Cash flow management and planning service for small businesses that are having difficulty managing cash flow, supporting more informed operating decisions.
• Metrics and Dashboards Financial metrics and dashboard reporting service that translates raw accounting data into meaningful, decision-ready information for small business owners.
• Process Design and Improvement Accounting process design and improvement service for small businesses, leveraging technology and the team's QuickBooks expertise to create efficiencies and standardize workflows across the full accounting cycle.

Quantifiable outcome

• Clients gain ability to prepare budgets for the first time and convert from Cash Basis to Accrual Based Financial Statements
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• AccountingDepartment.com: Provides outsourced bookkeeping, controller, and full accounting-department services to small and growing businesses. Highly comparable service line-up (bookkeeping plus controller), SMB target market, and recurring engagement model.
• inDinero: Outsourced bookkeeping and controller-level accounting services for small and mid-sized businesses. Directly comparable to Cycle Accounting in service stack (bookkeeping plus higher-level controller work), SMB customer segment, and subscription-based delivery model.
• Pilot.com: Tech-enabled bookkeeping, accounting, and CFO services for startups and SMBs. Comparable recurring service model and SMB customer base, though Pilot serves a national market and operates at significantly larger scale with venture funding.
• 1-800Accountant: Small business accounting services spanning bookkeeping, tax, and advisory. Comparable SMB customer segment and broad service stack; differs in scale (national brand, larger team) and tax-centric positioning versus Cycle's controller focus.
• Merritt Bookkeeping: Online bookkeeping service for small businesses at flat monthly rates. Comparable SMB customer base and recurring revenue model; differs by being more transactional and less focused on Controller-level advisory work.
• Bench (formerly Bench.co): Subscription-based bookkeeping paired with software for small businesses. Closely comparable monthly recurring model and SMB target customer; differs by being a national-scale tech-enabled platform rather than a local professional services firm.
• Bookminders: Outsourced bookkeeping and controller-level services for small to mid-sized businesses using a distributed staff model. Comparable service stack and customer segment to Cycle Accounting, with similar mid-sized professional services positioning.
• Xendoo: Cloud-based bookkeeping and accounting services for small businesses on flat monthly pricing. Comparable subscription-based SMB offering and customer profile, with stronger emphasis on tech-platform integration than Cycle.

Emerging players

• Botkeeper: AI- and automation-driven bookkeeping service for SMBs and accounting firms. Comparable SMB customer segment and recurring service delivery, but differentiated by heavy automation versus Cycle's people-heavy methodology.

Broad incumbents

• KPMG Spark: Big Four-affiliated online bookkeeping and accounting service for small businesses. Comparable SMB customer segment and bookkeeping-plus-advisory service stack, but operates with significantly larger scale and brand recognition as a KPMG subsidiary.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Cycle-Accounting-LLC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cycle-accounting-llc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cycle Accounting