One Fee, Three Experts: The Team of 3 Strategy
One fixed monthly fee gets you a CFO-level advisor, a controller, and a staff accountant on your books
Quick answer
Buss CPA's Team of 3 model pairs a CFO-level advisor, a controller, and a staff accountant with every client account for one fixed monthly fee. This structure gives businesses in Hartford, SD access to strategic planning, financial oversight, and daily bookkeeping without the cost or risk of a single full-time hire.
Hiring one bookkeeper or one accountant rarely covers everything a growing business needs. A single employee might be strong with data entry but shaky on tax strategy, or comfortable running payroll but unable to read a balance sheet the way a CFO would. Buss CPA built the Team of 3 model to close that gap: one fixed monthly fee, three specialists, and none of the overhead that comes with a new hire.
Instead of stretching one person across accounting, financial strategy, and tax compliance, you get a three people working on your books at the same time. Each brings a different skill set to the table, and together they cover more ground than most businesses could staff internally. It's an outsourced accounting team of 3 built around how finance departments work for businesses in the greater Sioux Falls area. Explore the full outsourced accounting service this model runs on.
Meet Your Three-Person Support System
CFO-Level Strategist
This role handles cash flow forecasting, budgeting, entity structure decisions, and the strategy conversations that usually only happen at companies large enough to employ a full-time CFO. They review your numbers monthly and flag risks or opportunities before they turn into problems.
Controller
The controller manages the structure behind your financials: month-end close, higher-level account reconciliations, and the accuracy checks that make sure your statements hold up to scrutiny from a lender, investor, or the IRS. They're the quality-control layer between daily entries and strategic decisions.
Staff Accountant
This person handles transactions day to day: accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll processing, and data entry into your accounting software. Clean, current books mean the controller and CFO-level advisor are always working from accurate numbers, not last month's guesswork.
Why Three Is Better Than One
A single in-house accountant is a single point of failure. When they're on vacation, out sick, or leave for another job, your financial visibility goes with them. The Team of 3 model removes that risk by design.
Faster response times: with three people already familiar with your account, questions get answered without waiting on one person's calendar.
Built-in redundancy: if your controller is out for a week, the CFO-level advisor and staff accountant already know your business and keep things moving.
Broader expertise: strategy, accuracy, and daily execution each get a dedicated set of eyes instead of one person's strengths and blind spots.
Continuity of service: turnover at Buss CPA doesn't mean starting over. Two other team members already know your books, your industry, and your history.
Building Real, Lasting Client Relationships
Three people working on your account consistently get to know your business better than one overworked hire ever could. Your CFO-level advisor understands where you're trying to take the company. Your controller understands how your revenue and expenses actually flow. Your staff accountant knows the vendors, the recurring transactions, the small details that would slip past someone spread too thin.
That familiarity compounds over time. After a few quarters, your Team of 3 isn't just processing numbers, they're noticing patterns: a vendor's prices creeping up, a slow season arriving earlier than usual, an entity structure that no longer fits your revenue. Construction, agriculture, and automotive clients each carry their own quirks, and Buss CPA's industries pages break down how those show up in the numbers.
Cost Comparison: Team of 3 vs. Full-Time Hire
A single controller-level hire typically runs $55,000 to $75,000 a year in base salary before benefits, payroll taxes, software costs, and the 60 to 90 days it takes to replace them if they leave. The Team of 3 model replaces that entire cost structure with one predictable monthly fee.
| Cost Factor | Full-Time In-House Hire | Buss CPA Team of 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Base compensation | $55,000–$75,000/year for one controller-level hire | Fixed monthly fee, no salary negotiation |
| Payroll taxes and benefits | Adds roughly 20–30% on top of salary | Included, no added payroll burden |
| Turnover risk | Full re-hire and training cycle, often 60–90 days | Continuity maintained by the other two team members |
| Skill coverage | One person's strengths and gaps | CFO-level strategy, controller oversight, and daily bookkeeping in one fee |
| Technology and software | Separate cost for accounting platforms | Included as part of the outsourced accounting service |
Get Started With Your Team of 3
Every business runs differently, and the mix of strategy, oversight, and daily bookkeeping your business needs isn't the same as the shop down the road. Buss CPA builds the Team of 3 model around your industry, whether that's construction, agriculture, an attorney's practice, or a family office, and sets it up with secure digital workflows and real-time online access to your numbers from day one.
If you're ready to see what a CFO-level advisor, a controller, and a staff accountant could do for your business for one fixed fee, schedule a consultation and Buss CPA will walk through what your Team of 3 would look like.
Why clients trust us
- Fixed monthly fee outsourced accounting model covering CFO, controller, and staff accountant roles
- Secure digital workflows with real-time online access to financial data
- Serves construction, agriculture, automotive, attorney, engineer, and family office clients
- Based in Hartford, SD, serving the greater Sioux Falls area