I help CPAs, accountants, and bookkeepers build single-person, 100% remote, 6-7-figure firms in the Cannabis/CBD niche with fewer than 5 clients, and fully launched in under 90 days from your bedroom.
This program helps members survive the burgeoning competition and be a leader in the niche, and is plug & play.
Program is a complete "Firm in a Box:”
1) “VIP” education in under 90 days
2) Done for you marketing system to find/price/close GREAT clients
3) Complete toolbox of over 100 workpapers, templates, and tools to serve the niche from A to Z
4) A world class community and coaching network of experts
Every year tens of thousands of Cannabis and CBD/hemp CEOs apply for licenses to start their businesses, and every year a significant number of these businesses are shut down or face crippling penalties and fines due to noncompliance related to accounting and tax rules. The truth is that IRS audits are on the rise in both industries as the government keeps a sharp eye on adherence to IRC tax codes 280E and 471 and complex accounting requirements, like seed-to-sale data reconciliation and use of cost accounting in determining Cost of Good Sold (the only way Cannabis companies can correctly maximize federal deductions).
In fact, Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting and tax requirements are so complex that “regular” accounting practices often won’t cut it. If you don’t have a grasp of cost accounting or the tools to correctly serve Cannabis and CBD/hemp businesses, you can get these clients in trouble - fast.
The only way to keep these Cannabis and CBD/hemp companies out of hot water is through proper niche-specific accounting practices. With your expertise and our comprehensive program (including our massive toolbox of workpapers, systems, templates and charts of accounts), together we can help Cannabis and CBD/hemp businesses thrive and remain audit-ready… anytime, all the time.
DOPE CFO offers the most comprehensive and top notch Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting & tax training program. Because there is little to no GAAP guidance yet for Cannabis and CBD/hemp (the Big Four are currently not involved in the industry), you will be hard pressed to find reliable accounting and tax guidelines online or through the AICPA.
Through our program, you will not only learn each aspect that is necessary to provide World Class Service to Cannabis and CBD/hemp businesses, you will also get the "plug and play" tools and workpapers (over 100 of them) to serve them easily on day one, and the unique requirements to keep them compliant.
A lack of Big Four support in the industry, and little GAAP guidance, means it’s next to impossible to find guides or tools to help you correctly serve Cannabis and CBD/hemp clients. Based on years of experience building proven systems and tools at multi-million dollar Cannabis and CBD/hemp clients, DOPE CFO offers the most comprehensive Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting and tax training program and toolbox. Through our program you will learn each aspect that is necessary to provide world class service to Cannabis and CBD/hemp businesses, with the supporting tools already built and ready for you to use immediately. Think of our program as a complete “firm in a box” toolkit, packed with everything you need to build a world class firm, as well as fulfill the unique requirements to keep your clients compliant.
Through a culmination of many years of actual Cannabis and CBD/hemp client work, industry knowledge, and discussions/review with Cannabis tax attorneys, CPAs, and Enrolled Agents, Andrew has compiled this continuously expanding program. You’ll find proven modules, systems, workpapers, and templates to guide you along every step of the way, allowing you to implement these tools on day one to help desperate Cannabis and CBD/hemp clients.
The program includes over 100 workpapers, tools, systems, and templates.
At this point there aren't any service providers in the US who have served a state-legal Cannabis company; including accountants, bookkeepers, attorneys, marketers, plumbers, realtors, electricians, etc, that have faced any legal repercussions for simply providing service to a state legal Cannabis company (and there are likely hundreds of thousands of service providers out there, and that number is growing quickly). That said, find and follow your state laws, your state accountancy board, and also review the sites below:
https://www.aicpa.org/advocacy/state/marijuana.html
Also this link and site provides timely updates around tax and cannabis:
IRS site on 230 and tax advice:
https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/circular-230-tax-professionals
Finally, the best policy is to always do world class work, follow all laws and regulations and terminate any clients immediately that you suspect are breaking the law.
Several things make good accounting valuable to Cannabis and CBD/hemp CEOs:
No, you don’t need to be a CPA to serve in Cannabis. In fact, many CPAs have chosen to not serve in this industry, meaning most Cannabis companies have bookkeepers doing the day to day books. There is a huge need for qualified (meaning educated in Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting procedures) accountants and bookkeepers to serve this industry.
Our course is designed to be a shortcut into serving the Cannabis and CBD/hemp niches for an accountant or bookkeeper who has a firm (or wants to launch one) without having to figure everything out by trial and error. We’ll outfit you with the proper tools, including:
The stakes are high for cannabis CEOs, and the fate of their business rests in having an accounting team that understands what is necessary in order to keep their business compliant so that they aren't penalized or shut down. Our goal is to provide tools and guidance to accounting professionals so that Cannabis and CBD/hemp businesses are being properly serviced and can thrive.
Really, it comes down to two things.
1) Are you looking to get your first Cannabis or CBD/Hemp accounting or tax client? If so, we have modules that you can jump right into on day one that will guide you through the process of finding and landing your first Cannabis accounting client. No need to finish the education and training module first; dive right into landing your first client on day one, as well!
2) Ready to service your Cannabis and/or CBD/hemp accounting client? Great! We help you understand how to provide world-class service, as well as give you the downloadable tools that you can use immediately on day one to serve these clients. Everything from properly on-boarding your Cannabis/CBD/hemp client, setting up a perpetual data room, month-end tie-outs, day-to-day bookkeeping, etc. This program is meant to be DIY and plug and play, so you can go through the different modules at your own pace. Our hope is that you'll be proficient in providing Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting services within 90 days, which is totally possible if you invest on average at least an hour a day into learning and implementing the materials.
Yes, you are able to provide services to Cannabis and CBD/Hemp companies remotely. The most important part is following the regulations in the links above, as well as the state laws where the Cannabis company resides as well as your own state laws. Also if you are a CPA or Enrolled Agent or other certification, make sure to check with your State Accountancy board and/or whatever agency regulates any license you have.
There are many varied sub-niches, which can be very complicated to serve effectively. These sub-niches include farming, processing, manufacture, labs, distribution and retail, and many times all of those will fall under the same company. On top of that, there is a lack of Big 4 industry guides or training, no GAAP guidance, and almost no tools or workpapers outside of our program, making it extremely difficult to serve these clients well and maximizing your time! From banking to transportation of goods; from seed to sale; from payroll to paying bills, there are challenges that most businesses do not have to deal with that hinder day-to-day operations. Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting professionals need to be aware of these challenges and must be able to help their clients navigate and find solutions so that they can properly operate their business.
Larger accounting firms at this point in time are not heavily involved in Cannabis and CBD/hemp, meaning these multi-million dollar operations must find smaller firms that are willing to help them with their accounting.
Accounting in and of itself is a challenge because software is truly lacking and doesn't cater to the specific needs of Cannabis businesses. Quickbooks and other accounting software don’t have a chart of accounts tailored to Cannabis entities for example. Additionally, most set up complex multi-entity structures, use cost and consolidated accounting, and have complex inter-company transactions.
To serve them well, a bookkeeper or accountant needs to understand these industries, Cannabis, CBD/hemp, the state/federal issues, and have good work papers, systems, and tools. In addition, there are even more industry issues such as lack of banking, complex software, state seed to sale tracking, cash management issues, investor reporting, GAAP accounting and inventory management that will affect Cannabis and CBD/hemp business operations.
It turns out this is a very difficult question to answer, most cultivation CEOs have no idea the answer to this, and knowing the answer to this provides better tax deductions, as well as competitive advantage, over most CEOs who don’t know this cost.
Cost of inventory includes raw materials, Work in Process (WIP), and Finished Goods (FG). In cannabis, you start with a raw material which is a seed or a clone, and the cost of this raw material is often $0 (or very little). From there, many clients have a process that is 4-6 months to get this seed to actual sale including growing, replanting, flowering, watering, light issues, harvesting, drying, curing, lab testing, and finally ready for sale.
Over this 180-day period, significant costs get added to this plant including direct and indirect labor, nutrients, soil, water, electricity, security, and much more. And each strain produces a different yield per plant, so each reporting period, you need to know for every plant: % complete, estimated yield, costs to allocate, and how much is in finished goods. Getting this “cost per pound” is a complex issue, and most have no idea how to do it correctly. Our program has a Cannabis and CBD tailored chart of accounts, as well as simple cost accounting work papers that can do this correctly and provide big value to the CEO.
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“I wanted to share a HUGE victory! A new client signed on today for a full Accounting and Finance solution. I am so thankful for this program. My mindset and confidence has improved tremendously since I joined! Thank you, Andrew..!”
Lola W.
Colorado’s Cannabis Accountants
“I am 3/4 done with the program and feel like the investment was one of the BEST I have ever made. The materials, calls and group are phenomenal!”
Erin R., MBA
Alice and Fran LLC
Thank you for referring us to Crystal! After working with her for just a few weeks, it became clear to me that all of our other bookkeepers (we had 4 in 2 years!) had done the bare minimum amount of work and never had our books up-to-date. Crystal identified some errors and I feel much better knowing someone QUALIFIED is looking out for us.
Nick C.
Precision Alchemy
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