BUILD / FOR / REALMARCUS BENNETT · WORKSHOP 017
Your practice desk

From the first entry
to the first ten clients.

Learn the work. Build the offer. Test the capacity.
One continuous case, with room to get things wrong and try again.

Cedar Lane Design

Fictional practice data · September 2026 · USD
Simplified accrual accounting

No real accountsNo messages sentWorks offline
Draft entries stay in this page only. Download your drafts before closing or refreshing.
Follow one transaction

A sale. Then a payment.

Invoice C001: $2,000 for design work earned this month. Post the invoice, then apply its payment. See why the same sale belongs in revenue once.

Ready to record the invoice.
Service revenue · C001 only
$0
Accounts receivable$0
Cash received$0
This isolates C001. The Reports tab includes the complete month.
What happened economically?

Four transactions. Four different stories.

Choose the other account affected. Each transaction also changes checking.

Choose an account for each item, then check your reasoning.
Statement ending
$6,580
Opening balance: $2,000
Selected cleared balance
$2,000
Opening + selected activity
Statement minus cleared
$4,580
Match the statement lines

Find the difference.

Check only items shown on this month's statement. Check 101 has not cleared. The bank fee is missing from the starting books.

ClearedItemAmount
Answer key · complete corrected month

Two reports. Different questions.

Profit & loss · September

Trace $4,000 revenue to invoices

C001 · completed identity design · $2,000 · paid
C002 · completed website design · $1,500 · paid
C003 · completed illustration · $500 · unpaid

Download invoice register
Earned service revenue$4,000
Rent$800
Software$60
Consumed supplies$140
Contractor service$120
Bank fee$20
Total expenses$1,140
Profit$2,860

Balance sheet · September 30

Inspect $500 accounts receivable

C003 · $500 earned illustration work. Unpaid at September 30. This is part of the $4,000 revenue, not an additional sale.

Checking, after recorded check & fee$6,460
Savings$600
Accounts receivable$500
Total assets$7,560
Loan liability$2,000
Owner equity$5,560
Liabilities + equity$7,560

Why checking differs from profit

$2,000 opening + $3,500 customer receipts + $1,000 contribution + $2,000 loan − $1,140 recorded expense payments − $300 draw − $600 transfer = $6,460 checking.

$2,000 opening equity + $1,000 contribution + $2,860 profit − $300 draw = $5,560 equity.

Expense payments include the recorded $120 check that is still outstanding. Revenue includes the unpaid $500 invoice.
Planning assumptions · replace with your own

Price the scope. Then test the calendar.

Monthly service model

Includes a planning value for owner time. This is not accounting profit or take-home pay. Historical cleanup is scoped separately.

Capacity at ten clients

Define what you will deliver

Your one-page offer

Service planning draft; not an engagement agreement.
One thoughtful next step

Prospect & message draft

No sending function. Respect opt-outs and applicable outreach rules.

Example planning counts: 40 contacts → 12 replies → 6 calls → 3 proposals → 1 client. Hypothetical, not a benchmark.
Fictional client · interactive practice

One monthly close. Visible evidence.

Cedar Lane · September

Mark supporting work complete, then record a practice review before marking delivery.

Pending · supporting work needed

A specific document request

Practice status only. No client message is sent.

Example service rhythm

Documents by the 5th → questions by the 8th → target reports by the 15th, subject to the agreed scope and complete information.

Your workshop files

Account and report explorer Document preparation exercise Worked offer example

Original fictional practice records and editable CSV templates. Open CSVs in your preferred spreadsheet app.

Bank statementPractice booksInvoicesTransaction answersProspect trackerClose checklistExercise guide & answers

First-month outputs

1Practice case + learning plan
2Offer + business setup checklist
3Thoughtful prospect list + discovery rehearsal
4Refined offer + onboarding, when ready

Primary references

Intuit sample-company guide

Intuit ProAdvisor certification

SBA business launch guidance

IRS Publication 583

FTC small-business cybersecurity

Checked October 10, 2026. Verify current details for your jurisdiction and chosen product.