Automated Accounting Services, LLC

10/14/2026

Here's something most cannabis retailers don't think about until it's too late: not all holidays perform the same, and treating them like they do is an expensive assumption.

This MJBizDaily piece is grounded in real sales data across multiple state markets. The takeaway: the retailers who win on holidays are the ones who know their own numbers well enough to make specific decisions, not generic ones.

A smart operational read heading into Q4. Link to the article in the comments.

10/13/2026

Corporate is quietly removing the ladder while telling you to own your career.

That line from this Forbes piece stopped me. Because it explains something I've been watching happen for years: women aren't opting out of ambition. They're redirecting it into businesses they actually control.

Women now own more than 40% of all U.S. businesses. The momentum is real and it's worth understanding why.

Link to the article in the comments.

10/08/2026

More women are entering entrepreneurship than ever. The biggest choke point isn't ambition, and it isn't even funding — it's the back-office weight that falls almost entirely on the founder's shoulders.

This month's female entrepreneurship trends report puts it plainly: bookkeeping, taxes, admin, and operations are consuming time that should be going into growth.

I encourage you to read this piece if you feel like you are buried in operations right now.

Link to the article in the comments.

10/07/2026

"Be kind to yourself" is advice that sounds nice and means nothing without a plan. So let me be more specific about what I actually mean, and what I've tried to build into the culture of my firm.

Burnout doesn't announce itself. It shows up as resentment toward clients you used to love, irritability with people who don't deserve it, and a creeping sense that no matter how much you do, it's never enough. If that sounds familiar, the solution isn't a vacation. It's a structural one.

Here's what I've learned: you cannot outwork a values misalignment. If your firm expects constant availability and you're building a life that needs flexibility, no amount of productivity hacks will fix that gap. The answer is either to change the environment or build a new one.

For leaders specifically, your team is watching how you work. If you send emails at midnight, they'll feel obligated to respond. If you openly protect your time and theirs, you give them permission to do the same. Culture isn't what you write in a handbook. It's what people see you do on a Tuesday at 6pm.

Preventing burnout is a leadership decision. Addressing it once it's already there requires honesty about what's sustainable, what needs to change, and whether the environment you're in is actually built to support the work and the life you want.

10/06/2026

The maturity of the cannabis industry shows up in unexpected places. This is one of them.

Cannabis brands are borrowing seasonal drop strategies directly from traditional consumer packaged goods — limited runs, fall flavors, holiday collections — to create urgency and shelf freshness without the risk of permanent SKU bloat.

It's a smart play and a sign that the most successful cannabis operators are thinking like real retailers now.

Link to the article in the comments.

10/05/2026

Last week marked Candee’s two-year anniversary with our team.

Please join us in celebrating everything she brings to the team and to serving our clients.

10/01/2026

After enough years working with small and mid-sized businesses, one thing stands out.

Your numbers are always telling you something: a pattern, a margin dip, a process that quietly stopped working.

The hard part isn't the noticing; it's knowing what the pattern actually means for the decision in front of you.

I dig into stuff like this regularly in my newsletter, Your Numbers Are Talking, if you want more of it.

Your Numbers ARE Talking by Monique Swansen | Apr 6, 2026 | Accounting Tips & Tricks | 0 comments Do You Know the Story They’re Telling? If there’s one thing I’ve learned working with small and mid-sized businesses, it’s this: Your numbers are always talking. But most business owners don’t...

09/30/2026

The messy human stuff is what actually makes a firm work.

This piece by Liz Farr from The Woodard Report lays out the six pillars she found in every high-performing accounting firm after 150 conversations with industry thought leaders. None of them are about software or AI. They're about clarity, trust, communication, and having the right people around you.

It resonated because it describes exactly what we've been building at Automated Accounting Services from day one.

Build a resilient accounting firm with six pillars focused on leadership, processes, culture, trust, communication, and accountability.

09/29/2026

The Journal of Accountancy started a column dedicated strictly to small firm issues.

At Automated Accounting Services, our day-to-day work focuses on agility and quick turnarounds for our clients, which feels completely different from big-firm operations.

It is great to see the industry highlight small business accounting realities.

Worth bookmarking if you run a firm or work with one.

Looking for another resource? Check out my twice-monthly column here on LinkedIn - Your Numbers Are Talking (link in first comment)

09/24/2026

Women are starting companies in higher numbers, but even more importantly, they are changing how business operations are designed from the ground up.

This piece from the Women's Entrepreneur Network caught my eye because it views this as a permanent shift in entrepreneurship.

Building a sustainable business takes a clear perspective on culture, flexibility, and daily operations.

It's great to see that more people are recognizing the different ways female founders approach problem-solving and how it diverges from "traditional" approaches.

You'll find the link in the first comment.