When people hear that every MSI engagement begins with a 30 day assessment period at no fee, the reaction is usually some version of: what is the catch? It is a fair question to ask any firm, so here is the honest answer, and the reasoning behind it.
What actually happens in the 30 days
The engagement starts with a risk assessment, a structured conversation about how your world is wired: entities, accounts, payroll, the people involved, and where the pressure points are. Then we get into the books themselves. What we produce in that first month is a clear picture of where things stand, what needs attention first, and what working together would actually look like, delivered whether or not you continue.
You keep the work either way
That last part matters. If you decide after 30 days that we are not the right fit, the findings, the documentation, and the cleanup done in that window are yours. We do not hold work hostage, because a relationship that starts with leverage is not the kind of relationship this practice is built on.
Why we can afford to work this way
Boutique is not a style word for us, it is a capacity decision. We take on a limited number of new clients each month, so the ones we have are properly looked after. When you only take clients you expect to keep for years, giving away the first month is not a risk. It is simply the fastest honest way for both sides to find out if this is one of those relationships.
Who the 30 days are for
The assessment period exists for complicated situations: businesses with multiple entities, families carrying a special needs financial world, attorneys and CPAs whose clients need execution behind the advice. If your situation is simple, a smaller firm will serve you well and cost you less. If it is complicated, the 30 days are how you find out what properly looked after feels like, before it costs anything to know.
Start with a conversation. The risk assessment takes about an hour, and the first month speaks for itself.