If you’ve looked for local Twin Cities help with “any type of flatwork that you can imagine” or certain types of block or stone work in the past few years, you may have heard of Lowe’s Concrete & Landscaping.
The owner, Joshua Lowe, has a story that is similar to other CSI clients. He chose to work with CSI and never looked back. Josh wanted to share the story of how CSI Accounting & Payroll helped his business by:
- Managing its accounting and payroll
- Helping to regain and stay in compliance
- Minimizing the tax liability
- Allowing Joshua to spend more time in the field
Choosing CSI: “I wanted to take care of my guys.”
The owner of Lowe’s Concrete & Landscaping, Joshua Lowe, has been doing concrete for 20 years now. He started the company six years ago and currently has eight employees.
The professionals at Lowe’s put in hard work all season long. Their focus is on:
- Foundations & foundation repair
- Sidewalks, driveways, & curbs
- Steps & stoops
- Decorative concrete
- Retaining walls
- Gutters
- Basements & garages
- Landscaping
All of this is easier said than done, but they do it with a smile. That’s why Joshua wants to make sure they’re paid and get their tax forms correctly and on time. With Josh running between three to five job sites each day to ensure his employees get the materials they need, he needed an extra hand.
“I think I ran for one season without [CSI], and the pivotal moment was because I wanted to take care of my guys. I knew I wasn’t capable of doing what someone who was educated to do the accounting and the payroll could do... I couldn’t take care of my guys as well as they could take care of my guys in that aspect.”
“You can lose yourself in it pretty quick.”
When Josh first started his business, he thought he knew what he was doing. He certainly knew concrete! However, he was running into issues on the business end.
“When you get a stack of letters like this -” Joshua indicates a pile several inches tall with his hands, “- in the mail, and you gotta open every one, and you need to respond to every one… IRS, and the state, and unemployment… all of these different entities that you don’t know anything about… That’s very intimidating.”
It was stressful for him when he wanted to be in the field to support his team and his clients. Luckily, his team at CSI was able to help him get back to good standing. Joshua stated, “One of the greatest attributes to this is that [CSI handles] all of the legitimate employment… That is scary for somebody who doesn’t know what they’re doing - to fill out all that paperwork correctly.”
“If it wasn’t for CSI, I wouldn’t be doing this good. That’s for sure.”
Sam is Joshua’s accountant, and Kris is his payroll specialist. “They’re always there to answer questions. It’s never a problem. You never feel like you’re bugging them.” They will reach out if they need to talk to him, but Josh can largely focus on running his business.
Josh also loves how CSI was able to help him with his specific needs as a seasonal employer. He trusts that his team will get their checks and that the checks will clear.
“There’s a lot of aspects of running your own business that you don’t realize when you start it… The non-intimidating part of it is doing the work that you know how to do. What’s intimidating about it is the work you don’t know how to do, and that’s where you hire somebody that can do that for you.”
What’s the big picture? Joshua claims, “The only way you’re successful is being able to focus on what you’re good at. Now I can spend most of my time in the field with my guys… I can actually focus on what I was put here to do.”
“I wouldn’t change it at all.”
… And what about the price? While payroll fees don’t vary much, monthly accounting isn’t the cheapest accounting option. It should be considered only by business owners who want to receive advice and grow. According to Joshua, “You get what you pay for.”
Why is that? “Every year, they’ve paid for their service in what they do for me and my taxes, so I’m grateful.”
If you’re interested in becoming our newest success story, we hope you’ll consider giving CSI Accounting & Payroll a try! Click the button below for a free consultation.
Not ready to talk yet? That’s okay! You can learn more about the cost of monthly accounting by clicking the image below:
