Red flag 1: unsupported cost treatment
If cost treatment cannot be traced to source records and accounting entries, the operator may not have enough visibility for advisor review.
Red flag 2: inventory and COGS do not tie out
When inventory movement and COGS entries do not reconcile, tax-readiness conversations become harder and close results are less useful.
Red flag 3: advisor questions are not organized
CPA and tax-attorney review works better when questions are documented, records are tied out, and unresolved items are prioritized.
What to do first
A diagnostic can identify the highest-priority accounting gaps before a cleanup or ongoing support engagement begins.