For Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
AI Explained Plainly. For Business Owners, Not Engineers.
If you have been pitched 12 AI vendors this quarter and do not know what to do, start here.
The Literacy Gap
76% of Business Owners Say They Need AI but Do Not Know Where to Start
That is the AI literacy gap. fraction-ao and PA&A close it without selling you software you cannot evaluate.
What AI Can Actually Do for Your Accounting and Finance Functions
What AI Can Actually Do for Your Accounting and Finance Functions
Categorize Transactions Automatically
AI reads bank and credit-card feeds and assigns each transaction to the right general ledger account. Thousands of lines coded in minutes, with rules that learn from your historical decisions.
An AI-fluent consultant placed by fraction-ao could lead this.
Automate Expense Reporting
AI extracts data from receipts and statements, codes each expense, routes for approval, and posts to your general ledger. Eliminate the weekly chase for missing receipts.
An AI-fluent consultant placed by fraction-ao could lead this.
Reconciliations
AI matches bank, credit card, intercompany, and sub-ledger to GL automatically. Your team only reviews exceptions instead of matching thousands of routine entries by hand.
An AI-fluent consultant placed by fraction-ao could lead this.
Audit Preparation (PBC Lists)
AI compiles your auditor Provided-by-Client list automatically, pulls supporting documentation from your stack, and surfaces likely auditor questions before they are asked. Audit season returns to a normal workweek.
An AI-fluent consultant placed by fraction-ao could lead this.
Generate Real-Time Dashboards
AI compiles board-ready financial dashboards from your GL in minutes, not days. Every executive sees the same numbers, the same way, automatically refreshed.
An AI-fluent consultant placed by fraction-ao could lead this.
Faster Monthly Reporting
AI drafts variance commentary, builds the period-over-period analysis, and assembles the board package automatically. Your controller reviews and approves instead of writing from scratch.
An AI-fluent consultant placed by fraction-ao could lead this.
AP Invoice Processing
AI captures invoices arriving via email or upload, codes them, matches to purchase orders, routes for approval, and schedules payment to capture early-pay discounts. AP becomes a working-capital lever rather than a cost center.
An AI-fluent consultant placed by fraction-ao could lead this.
AR Collections Prioritization
AI predicts which receivables will likely go past-due and ranks collection effort by probability of payment. Your DSO drops without adding headcount.
An AI-fluent consultant placed by fraction-ao could lead this.
Cash Flow Forecasting
AI builds rolling 13-week cash flow forecasts that update daily based on real transaction activity. Replace static spreadsheets with a continuously calibrated forward view.
An AI-fluent consultant placed by fraction-ao could lead this.
What It Costs
Honest Pricing Ranges
| Engagement Type | Billing | Payback |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic engagement | Hourly rate | 1 to 2 months |
| Single-process AI deployment | Hourly rate | 2 to 4 months |
| Multi-process AI roadmap | Hourly rate | 6 to 9 months |
| Fractional AI leadership | Hourly rate | Continuous |
What to Watch For
Five Red Flags When Picking an AI Vendor on Your Own
Vendor cannot show 3 SMB references in your industry.
Pricing is per-seat with mandatory year-one minimums.
Implementation is "we will figure it out together."
Vendor will not put accuracy targets in writing.
Vendor will not let your CPA review the integration.
Where to Start
A Five-Step Starting Checklist
- 01
Book a Needs Discussion. 30 minutes. Both firms on the line.
- 02
Tell us your highest-pain finance or accounting process.
- 03
We propose 1 to 3 project ideas with budget and timeline ranges.
- 04
You pick the project. We scope and place the consultant.
- 05
PA&A reviews and signs the financials. fraction-ao tunes the AI.
Plain-English FAQ
The Questions Business Owners Ask First
Fast Start
Consultants Can Begin as Soon as You Approve a Candidate
Once you interview a candidate fraction-ao has scoped to your project and you say yes, the consultant can begin immediately. In some cases, that is the next day.
Where We Work
On-Site in Austin. Local-Sourced Elsewhere. Remote Anywhere.
fraction-ao maintains on-site capacity in Austin. For clients in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and elsewhere in Texas and the United States, we source local consultants who can work on-site with you, or we place remote consultants if you prefer.