Business & Financial Advisory
Numbers you can trust, advice you can act on.
I'm Clay Zarada. I help solo founders and small businesses make sense of where things stand — management reporting, financial analysis, and cash-flow forecasting, delivered on a retainer or as a one-time review. You work with me directly. No handoffs, no account managers.
One person, start to finish
The person you talk to is the person in your books. Nothing gets passed down a chain.
You get my phone number
Not a ticket queue. Call or email and you hear back the same business day.
QuickBooks ProAdvisor
Certified in the software most small businesses already run on — or should.
Free intro call
Twenty minutes, no commitment. If I'm not the right fit, I'll tell you.
What I do
Two things, done properly.
Advisory retainer
Ongoing support so you always know where you stand. Management reporting, financial analysis, and a standing line to ask questions as they come up.
- Monthly management reporting
- Cash-flow forecasting
- Budget-vs-actual review
- Straight answers your tax preparer will thank you for
Getting current
For a financial picture that's months — or years — out of date. I sort out what happened, build a clear picture of where things stand, and hand you back numbers you can plan around.
- Prior periods analyzed and reconciled
- Errors and inconsistencies identified and fixed
- Underlying recordkeeping handled as part of the engagement
- Optional handoff into an advisory retainer
Who I work with
Small enough that it's personal.
Solo founders, freelancers, and businesses with a handful of employees. If the books are the last thing you want to be doing after a long day, you're exactly who I set this up for.
Services
Advisory, kept simple.
Two services, because two services cover what most small businesses actually need. Everything is priced per business after we talk — there's no meaningful way to quote a set of books I haven't seen.
Ongoing
Advisory retainer
Your numbers stay current month to month, so tax season is a non-event and you can answer "how are we doing?" without guessing.
- Monthly management reporting delivered on a schedule
- Financial analysis and trend review
- Cash-flow forecasting
- Budget-vs-actual review each month
- Underlying reconciliation and recordkeeping handled as part of the retainer
- Questions answered by me, directly, as they come up
One-time
Catch-up & financial analysis
Falling behind happens to almost everyone. The fix is methodical, not dramatic — and the sooner it starts, the smaller it is.
- Prior periods analyzed and reconciled
- A clear, current financial picture you can act on
- Opening balances tied out to real statements
- QuickBooks file reorganized where it's gone sideways
- A written summary of what was wrong and what I changed
- Roll straight into an advisory retainer, or don't — your call
How it works
Four steps, about a week.
Intro call
Twenty minutes. What you run, what shape the books are in, what's been going wrong.
Look at the file
I review your QuickBooks or spreadsheets and tell you plainly what the work is.
Flat quote
A number and a scope in writing before anything starts. No hourly surprises.
Get to work
Cleanup first if needed, then a steady monthly rhythm you don't have to think about.
Not sure which one you need?
That's a normal place to start. Tell me a little about the situation and I'll point you the right way.
About
Clay Zarada
I'm a business and financial advisor in Montgomery, Texas, and a certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Zarada Consulting is small on purpose: I take on the number of clients I can personally keep current, which means the person who knows your numbers is the person who picks up the phone.
Most people find me in one of two states — either their numbers have never been organized, or they were and fell behind. Neither is a problem. What matters is getting the picture honest and then keeping it that way, month after month, so that nothing about your finances is a surprise.
I work remotely with clients anywhere in the country, and I'm glad to meet in person around Conroe and Montgomery when that's easier.
Get started
Tell me about your books.
A few questions so our first call is useful instead of introductory. Nothing here commits you to anything.
Contact
Get in touch.
Calling is usually fastest. I answer my own phone during business hours and return everything else the same day.
Ready to start? The intake form asks a few more questions and saves us a step.
Legal
Terms & disclaimer.
Plain-language version: don't send sensitive information through this site, nothing here is professional advice until we've agreed to work together, and I'm not liable if that instruction gets ignored. The fuller version is below. Last updated September 6, 2026.
General information, not professional advice
Content on this site describes the services Zarada Consulting offers in general terms. It is not financial, tax, legal, or investment advice, and browsing it does not create an advisory relationship between us. That relationship begins only once we've talked and agreed on a scope of work in writing.
Not a licensed accounting, tax, legal, or investment firm
Zarada Consulting provides business and financial advisory services — management reporting, financial analysis, cash-flow forecasting, budget-vs-actual review, and related work. I am not a licensed public accounting firm, law firm, or registered investment advisor. If you need a licensed CPA, tax preparer, attorney, or investment advisor, please work with one directly; nothing on this site substitutes for that.
Don't send sensitive information through this site
The forms on this site, and email, are for general inquiries — they are not a secure channel. Please don't submit Social Security numbers, bank account or routing numbers, card numbers, passwords, or other highly sensitive personal or financial information through the intake form, the contact form, or by email. Once we've started working together, I'll set up a secure way to share documents like that. I'm not responsible for information sent through an insecure channel against this instruction.
No guarantee of results
Any examples, numbers, or outcomes mentioned on this site are illustrative, not a promise of what your results will be. Every business is different.
Site provided as-is
This website and its content are provided as-is, without warranties of any kind. I try to keep it accurate and available, but I don't guarantee it will be error-free, uninterrupted, or fully secure.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, Zarada Consulting and Clay Zarada are not liable for damages arising from your use of this website, including anything sent through its forms, except where that liability cannot legally be limited. This does not affect the terms of any signed engagement agreement, which govern actual client work.
Third-party services
Form submissions on this site are processed by Netlify, a third-party service. Their handling of that data is governed by their own terms and privacy policy, not this one.
Governing law & changes
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas. They may be updated from time to time; the version posted here is always the current one.
Questions
Call 936-900-0358 or email Clayzarada00@gmail.com.