Land your first high-paying client while the paycheck is still coming in
The First Client System gives you the plan and the AI tools to land your first cannabis client, in about an hour a day, without quitting your job.
The First Client System
One system to land your first cannabis client: the client acquisition system, the AI tools and the business model behind it.
One payment · Instant access · Ends Mon Nov 30 at 11:59 pm PT
Good at your job, but still uneasy about your position
I talk to accountants every week, and most of them still have a job. They're good at it, and they're paid fine.
Lately almost every one of them tells me some version of this:
"Andrew, I feel the target on my back. We lost five people in my department."
Maybe that's you. Your company brought in new software or an offshore team, and the work you used to own is getting split up and handed out. Nobody has said what it means for your role yet, and you'd rather not wait to find out.
You've probably thought about the obvious fix, which is lining up another job. But the next company is making the same moves, and a new job just puts you back in the same seat, hoping the next round of cuts skips you.
So you start picturing something of your own: a handful of owners paying you directly for the experience you already have. And then, for most people, nothing happens. They tell themselves they'll start after busy season, and a year later they're in the same job, a little more worried than before.
What stops most accountants from starting
Usually it's a few questions nobody has answered for them. Where would I even find owners who need me, and what would I say to them? How do I look like a real firm when it's just me? And when would I do any of this with a full-time job?
Left unanswered, those questions turn into beliefs that sound reasonable and keep good accountants in the same job for years. These are the four I hear most.
"I'd have to quit my job first."
You don't, and starting while you're employed is the better way. With a paycheck coming in, you can turn down the wrong client and wait for the right one. Land that client first, then decide about the job.
"I need to become an industry expert before anyone will hire me."
You don't need the deep-dive. Most of the companies you'd serve just have a bookkeeper. On day one, knowing nothing about their industry, you already bring more than that. The industry side you'll pick up as you go.
"I need my business set up and a marketing system running first."
Logos don't get you clients. Most people spend months on an LLC, a website and a sales funnel before they've talked to a single owner. Your first client comes from conversations, and the AI toolkit gets your bio and LinkedIn ready in an evening, so you can start having them this week. The LLC and the website can wait until you have a client to pay for them.
"I'd need a lot of clients to make this work."
You need one good client to change your life. That's it, one. And that's exactly why we focus on cannabis. A company doing a few million a year in this industry needs CFO-level help, and it can pay you what your job pays you.
The First Client System
Three things you need to land your first client while you're still employed
Landing your first client comes down to three things:
You need to know where to find owners and what to say to them, you need marketing that makes them take you seriously, and you need a model for what you're actually building.
The First Client System gives you all three, working together, in about an hour a day.
How To Land Your First High-Paying Cannabis Client
The course. Sold on its own for $399.
The same client acquisition system our full-program members use to land their first client, built for someone with a day job. You'll know:
- Where the cannabis owners are in your state, and which events are worth your time (some cost 10 bucks to get in)
- How to find the 5 to 10 owners you're probably already one connection away from
- How to start conversations with cannabis CEOs on LinkedIn that turn into paid work, without pitching
- What to ask at your first event, and what to say when they ask what you do
- How to turn a first conversation into a paid first project
It gives you a clear plan for your next 30 days.
AI Toolkit + Marketing Workshop
Sold on its own for $997.
Seven AI assistants, built for Claude, that take the experience you already have and position it for cannabis owners. Answer a few questions and they write your:
- Professional bio
- LinkedIn profile
- Website copy
- Social posts and outreach
What used to take a weekend takes an evening. Plus four workshop videos that walk you through it, whenever you want a hand.
The Fractional CFO Formula
My whole business model, condensed into one digital book.
The whole business in one read: why a few clients beat thirty, how to price, and how your first client turns into your second and third.
Why cannabis · 15 years in this industry
Cannabis owners need you
I know cannabis isn't for everyone, and I'm not here to change anyone's mind. If it's a hard no for you, this isn't for you. But if you're open to it, here's why I think it's one of the best places for an accountant to build a practice right now.
The owners need us
Most cannabis companies are run by people who are great at growing, making or selling a product, and they're doing it with a bookkeeper and a shoebox of questions about taxes, cash, inventory and banking. They need a CFO, and most of them have never had one.
It's real CFO work
It's cost accounting, cash forecasting, tax planning and getting a company ready for a lender or a buyer. That's work you're already good at, and here you do it for an owner who will actually listen.
It's growing up fast
In April, state-licensed medical cannabis moved to Schedule III. Adult-use is still working its way through. Over the next 12 to 18 months I expect a lot of new capital, a lot of startups and a lot of mergers, and every one of those needs clean books.
Support keeps growing
Eight out of ten Americans want access to medical cannabis. I use a tincture for my arthritis. My wife used it when she had cancer. Chances are someone in your family uses it for something.
The work
What you'd actually do as a cannabis CFO
You're the owner's financial right hand, on a monthly retainer.
- Build the cash forecast so they don't run out of money
- Get the books and the cost accounting right, so the tax return can actually be filed
- Plan taxes with the owner instead of reacting at year end
- Get them ready for a loan, an investor or a sale
- Sit in on the big decisions: new location, new product line, hiring
Most of our members do this for a handful of clients, from wherever they want to work, and it's the kind of work they actually enjoy.
Is this for you?
This is for you if
- You're an accountant, CPA, EA, controller or CFO, and you still have a job
- You're open to working with cannabis businesses
- You want to land one client before you decide anything bigger
- You can give it about an hour a day
This isn't for you if
- You're looking for a guarantee before you start
- You want someone else to find clients for you. You'll be the one having the conversations. This shows you how.
Member stories
People who started where you are
Results vary. These are individual member experiences and depend on effort, background and market.
How I'd start
Your first step, not your last
This is how I'd start if I were you.
Get the system. Give it about an hour a day. Land your first client while the paycheck keeps coming in. Once the money's coming in and you want help serving that client and growing from there, the full DOPE CFO program is there for the next step.
[If Andrew approves the credit: and the $299 counts toward the program if you join in December.]
Black Friday, through Mon Nov 30
Everything you need to land your first cannabis client
- Find and land your first client: the client acquisition systemHow To Land Your First High-Paying Cannabis Client · $399
- Look like a firm from day one: AI assistants for your bio, LinkedIn and websiteAI Toolkit + Marketing Workshop · $997
- The business model: how to price, and how client 1 turns into 2 and 3The Fractional CFO Formula, digital · $7
On Tuesday, December 1, it comes down.
Questions
Why cannabis?
The owners need financial help, most of them don't have a CFO, and the work is real CFO work at real fees. It's also one of the easiest industries to get into: there are organizations and events in almost every city, and owners love to talk about their business. If cannabis is a hard no for you, that's fine, this just isn't the right fit.
What does a cannabis CFO do?
You're the owner's financial right hand on a monthly retainer: cash forecasts, clean books and cost accounting, tax planning, getting ready for lenders and buyers, and a seat at the table for the big decisions. And you can do it all remotely, with a few clients rather than dozens.
What certifications do I need?
None. There's no cannabis certification, and you don't need a CPA license for CFO work. Our members are enrolled agents, degreed accountants, controllers, CFOs and people with an MBA, and maybe 70 or 80 of about 400 are CPAs. What owners care about is whether you can fix their numbers.
I don't know anything about cannabis. Is that a problem?
No. You don't need to know the strains. You need the high-level picture, and the course gives you that. When I started at PwC I didn't know everything either, because somebody behind me did know the answer. That's what the full program's network is for, when you get there.
My state isn't legal. Can I still do this?
Yes. Your first client is more than likely not in your home state. We have more members in Texas than anywhere else, and Ray built his practice from Wisconsin.
How much time does it take?
About an hour a day. Most of that goes to meeting people and following up, which is where the first client comes from.
Do I have to quit my job?
No. The whole system is built around keeping it while you land your first client. Plenty of members keep it quiet at work until they're ready.
I hate selling. Will I have to pitch people?
You only need a handful of clients, so there's no funnel and no cold pitching. You meet owners, ask about their business, and at some point they ask what you do. You tell them you run a cannabis accounting, tax and CFO firm. That's the pitch.
I already pay for ChatGPT or Gemini. Do I need Claude?
The assistants are built for Claude, and they also work in ChatGPT or Gemini, so you can use the one you already have.
How do I get access?
Right after checkout you'll get a login to your DOPE CFO library with all three inside.
What if it's not for me?
[Refund policy, Andrew]
Is this the full DOPE CFO program?
No, this is the first step. The full program is for when you're ready to build the firm, with coaching, the network and the systems to serve clients at a CFO level. If you want to talk about it, you can book a call with my team any time.
You don't need to quit anything to find out if this works for you
Give it about an hour a day, go meet some cannabis owners, and land one client. The First Client System is $299 until Monday, November 30 at 11:59 pm PT.
Get the First Client System for $299 →