Accounting

Does your job pass the “Sunday Night Test?”

Historically, Sunday nights haven’t been good to me. You see, I’m a Buffalo Bills fan. Born in March of 1994, I narrowly missed four straight Super Bowl runs (and defeats — but now I long for even the defeats). My lifelong fanhood has inspired plenty of snarky comments over the years, in which I insist that I’d surely be considered for several positions if only I showed up to open tryouts. I’ve never pulled the trigger on that career change, and I’ve also never stopped cheering them on each and every Sunday. I’m from Western New York; it’s what we do.

Alex Pukos, Customer Support

When the clock runs out around 4:00 pm, it doesn’t just mean that the football game is over. It also unofficially marks the end of the weekend. I’ve had my fun and now it’s time to turn my attention to the week ahead. I’m not thinking about the Saturday evening outing with my wife and friends. I’m not thinking about taking my dog on a hike at our local waterfall. I’m not thinking about the Bills, win or loss. I’m thinking about Monday…

That’s when I subconsciously administer the Sunday Night Test.

The Sunday Night Test is that gut feeling about the impending week.

When I was in high school or college, I didn’t hate my classes. But you can bet that I dreaded Monday mornings. I was NOT looking forward to waking up early and heading to classes. I was NOT eager to get back to the grind of doing homework, studying, and taking test after test. Those periods of my life failed the Sunday Night Test.

My first job out of college was at a non-profit. My tenure there was a tremendous experience. I met some influential coworkers that I consider lifelong friends. I was introduced to some members of my community that continue to impact my personal life today. The mission of the organization was one close to my heart. But… it failed the Sunday Night Test, too. I never truly enjoyed the day-to-day responsibilities of the job. I never was jazzed about the way we did things. I never longed for another missed dinner as I worked my third late night that week. The work we did was important, but it still wasn’t rewarding and I rarely looked forward to it. I knew I needed something that passed the Sunday Night Test.

I complained about my job enough at home that my wife passed along those frustrations to her coworkers. As luck would have it, her colleague’s husband had recently started a new job at FloQast. She put me in touch with Brent.

Right off the bat, something jumped out about Brent; he genuinely enjoyed his job. We got coffee at Starbucks. Then we met up again at church. The conversation continued over some delicious tacos. I knew I was looking for a change. But Brent convinced me that I wasn’t just looking for a change. I was looking for this change. FloQast passed the Sunday Night Test for him.

I have been at FloQast for almost a year now. I can honestly say, without hesitation, that there has yet to be a Monday that I dreaded. The reasons are plenty. The stereotypical startup perks are a part of it. I sure do love playing ping pong in our dedicated game room, grabbing a snack from our stocked kitchen, or taking advantage of a flexible work schedule when life happens. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t salivating over stock options. Free lunch every Friday allows the foodie in me to explore some amazing local cuisine.

Those are all great, but it’s so much more than that. Most importantly, I love what we do. I love how we do it. And I love the people that I get to tackle it with each day. I’m always learning and getting exposed to new technology. There are endless opportunities to interact with other departments and get cross-trained. I’m trusted to take on new responsibilities as we scale and improve. Hard work is recognized publicly AND privately. Coworkers around me also enjoy what they do, and they’re insanely knowledgeable about their craft. Excellence inspires excellence.

Long before I accepted the job offer, I had a gut feeling that FloQast would pass the Sunday Night Test. But I did wonder about “purpose.” Like I mentioned, I came from a non-profit where I was doing charitable work. Would I feel the same fulfillment working at a for-profit software company? Even if I loved my day-to-day job, would I selfishly wonder about the importance of the work I was doing?

Those questions have been answered. I can unequivocally say that the work I do matters.

It’s important. And here’s why: The Sunday Night Test. You see, at FloQast we make close management software. Our founders and many current employees have held accounting roles. They’ve worked at CPA firms, or in corporate finance, or at Big Four audit firms. Through these experiences, they’ve become all too familiar with the nightmare known as the month-end close. That’s why they designed the software you see today. FloQast was built by accountants, for accountants, to make their lives better.

After implementing our software, most clients close their books three or four days faster each month. Some see an even greater reduction than that! Think of all the time that buys back. Consider all the dreaded report meetings that are eliminated by FloQast’s added visibility. Add up all the late nights that FloQast prevents.

I have sat through those late-night meetings, and I have missed those family dinners. I hope we allow a staff accountant in California to get home for dinner with his kids on day three of the close. I imagine an accounting manager in Colorado skipping a work-through day on Saturday because her quarter-end close is already wrapped up. I calculate countless billable hours that we save a company on their next audit and imagine that the money instead gets invested back into their own internal growth.

All those things add up to this: FloQast helps accountants everywhere pass their own Sunday Night Test.

We aim to help close the books faster and more accurately. No doubt, reducing or even eliminating the pain points associated with the month-end close pays dividends in the lives of our clients. And if they’re a Bills fan like me, they still need all the help they can get on Sunday nights.