Automated Accounting Services, LLC

09/02/2026

Falling revenue and falling demand are not the same thing, and right now that distinction matters a lot in cannabis.

U.S. cannabis sales declined in 2025 for the first time. But consumers aren't buying less. Prices have compressed as markets mature and competition increases, and that changes what the right response looks like entirely.

This MJBizDaily breakdown has some really interesting insights -- give it a read if you have a few minutes. (If not, bookmark it and come backlater) Link to the article in the comments.

09/01/2026

Leadership, to me, isn’t a title or a position—it’s about influence. And influence is powerful when it’s used to drive meaningful change.

For me, that’s looked like:
🔹 Speaking out about the need for inclusive hiring practices.
🔹 Mentoring women and underrepresented professionals so they see their potential—and have the tools to reach it.
🔹 Calling out bias and discrimination when it shows up, even when it’s uncomfortable.

The truth is, you can’t move an industry forward from the sidelines. Real progress requires raising your voice, taking a stand, and backing it up with action.

08/27/2026

Accounting was never really about tedious work, but it took up the bulk of the time.

Reconciliations, receipt chases, midnight cleanups, etc. Accounting firms spent decades doing work that, honestly, should have been automated a long time ago. What's changing now is that it finally is ... across the board.

What that frees up is the part that actually matters, and the part that we've focused on for years as early adopters of automation in accounting. Sitting with a business owner and helping them understand what their numbers are telling them is the kind of relationship that used to feel out of reach for smaller businesses until they saw what we could do.

It's not out of reach for anyone anymore, and it should be your baseline expectation.

This is a good read if you're a business owner who's ever wanted more from your accounting relationship. Link to the articles in the comments.

08/26/2026

Most business owners don't think about fraud prevention until something goes wrong. By then, the conversation is a lot harder.

What this CPA Journal piece gets right is that the most effective protections aren't complicated systems. They're cultural habits: no single person with unchecked access to finances, employees who feel safe reporting concerns, controls that actually get reviewed.

We talk about this with clients more than you'd expect. The businesses that are most protected built these habits early -- whether they're big or small.

Worth a read. And if you want to read more - in the comments, I'll share an article I wrote about red flags and an actual issue we found for a new client.

08/25/2026

A client once came to me convinced he was profitable, and technically, he was. Just not anywhere near the margin he thought he was hitting.

True profitability isn’t a single fix; it’s a balanced approach built on strategic pricing, disciplined overhead management, and continuous financial oversight.

For him, that meant recalibrating pricing, tightening overhead, and getting honest about what growth would actually do to his numbers.

I broke down the exact steps we used to get him to the margin he wanted.

Helping a Small Family-Owned Business Break Through to Real Profitability by Monique Swansen | Jan 14, 2025 | Business | 0 comments When the owner of a family-owned business came to us, he shared something we hear a lot: “I think I’m making money, but I don’t know for sure. Is my pricing set u...

08/20/2026

If your financial processes only work because someone remembers to do them, that's not a workflow; that's a risk.

I see this with SMB owners: systems that depend on memory instead of structure.

This post walks through what a real financial workflow looks like and where outsourcing it tends to pay for itself.

Financial Workflows 101: Why You Need To Automate Workflows Today by Monique Swansen | Feb 2, 2021 | Accounting Tips & Tricks | 0 comments Your finances are one of the biggest factors that influence the direction of your business. To reduce the risk of human error, save time, costs, and overhead, yo...

08/19/2026

Cannabis has always been more than THC, and the science is finally catching up to what a lot of consumers have been discovering on their own.

A new study out of the University of South Florida found that sleep benefits from cannabis aren't primarily driven by THC content. CBD and CBN, two compounds that have long played second fiddle in the marketing conversation, showed the strongest and most consistent evidence for improving sleep.

For anyone in or around the cannabis industry, this is the kind of research that shapes where the market goes next... and what ends up on your shelves. Link to the articles in the comments.

08/18/2026

Technical skills get you in the room. Trust is what keeps you there.

This piece from The CPA Journal stuck with me because it's honest about something the profession doesn't always say out loud.

Being good at the numbers is the baseline. What clients actually need is someone who will tell them the truth, especially when it's uncomfortable.

That's the standard I hold myself (and my team) to. And it's the one every business owner deserves from their accounting partner.

There are moments in a profession when technical expertise alone is not enough. This is one of those moments. Across the not-for-profit sector,

08/13/2026

I didn't build a firm that's 70% women by accident.

Flexibility isn't a perk here. It's how we work. And a new Inc. piece on senior-level women in the workplace confirms what I've seen firsthand: the companies where women actually stay and thrive are the ones that build around real human needs, not around the assumption that everyone operates the same way.

Worth a read for any business owner who wants to build that kind of culture, link in the comments.

08/12/2026

Profit and cash are two different stories, and your P&L only tells one of them.

Owner draws, loan principal, inventory, prepaid expenses all pull cash out the door without ever touching that report.

If you've stared at a "profitable" month wondering where the money went, this breaks down the five places it's hiding.

https://automatedaccountingsvc.com/why-am-i-seeing-profit-but-have-no-cash-in-my-bank-account/