If you’re wondering if you have what it takes to be a top-of-the-line, increasingly successful Cannabis accountant...spoiler alert...YOU PROBABLY ALREADY HAVE WHAT IT TAKES.

Are you responsive? Consistent? Creative? A go-getter?

Are you willing to continue learning and growing?

Yes, there are technical elements you need to succeed as a Cannabis accountant. Yes, workpapers, systems and processes, and software are all necessary, but those are all teachable.

What about the characteristics nobody talks about? The personal attributes that can lead to your greatness…

Your grit, determination, and problem solving skills. Your ability to make the system work FOR you.

These traits set you apart. These strengths will launch you into the ranks of Cannabis accountants with lucrative, thriving businesses and vast potential. There is no need to settle in as another run-of-the-mill professional, going through the motions, and never fully realizing their abilities.

Our latest podcast episode with DOPE CFO founder and CEO, Andrew Hunzicker, CPA, highlights the top five things Cannabis accountants get right.

Listen in for insights on:

📌 Cracking the code to finding clients: generating leads, or potential clients, and closing those clients is harder than it may seem (but dedicating yourself to LinkedIn and email outreach, and trying different techniques like email drip campaigns are just a few of the many ways Cannabis accountants garner top clients).

📌 Unlocking the ‘soft skills’ of success: soft skills include business management, discipline in studying new materials, time organization, and motivation to continually improve and add value to your clients (all of these skills and more could set you apart in the field, from learning a new niche to sticking with continued education to rise as an expert in Cannabis).

📌 Leveraging niche-specific tools and processes to add huge value: the value you add is only as good as the tools, systems, education, and processes you leverage to provide that top-notch service to your clients (and possessing these tools is the best way you can go above and beyond what your competition will be offering potential high-paying clients).

These tools and training, combined with your innate skills, can take your career to the next level in one of the fastest growing marketplaces in the world.

Want more great tips and insider advice on the Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting niches?  For more info on the DOPE CFO program, text DOPECFO to 345345 for our free Cannabis Accounting Guide. For more great tips and soundbites on Cannabis accounting and bookkeeping, make sure you subscribe today to our podcast.

Even if your eyes glaze over when someone mentions legal matters, Cannabis legislation affects your daily life as a Cannabis accounting professional. Cannabis law is constantly changing and legal liabilities are commonplace in this niche, from trademark lawsuits to contesting tax penalties. By understanding the current court rulings and adjusting your accounting systems to reflect up-to-date legislation, you are able to keep your clients informed, compliant, and likely out of tax court.

Paula Collins, EA, MBA, JD, understands the ins-and-outs of the Cannabis industry’s legal and accounting complexities. An accountant, legal professional, educator, and business consultant, she has more than 10 years of experience helping a wide variety of clients with tax preparation, from small nonprofits to sprawling high-net worth entities. Cannabis piqued Paula’s interest when she worked with teenagers afflicted with autism who sought THC and CBD for therapeutic purposes. Now, she combines her nonprofit and education background with her legal and accounting expertise to teach Cannabis CEOs and companies to navigate the relatively uncharted waters of this booming industry.

Paula recently joined Andrew to discuss the role a lawyer plays in the Cannabis industry, what she and every Cannabis lawyer wish Cannabis accountants would consider when serving clients in the space, and how accountants would benefit from applying a holistic approach to their clients.

Key topics covered include:

🌱 Legal liabilities run amok in Cannabis: Cannabis is the Wild West, which means legal issues pop up frequently at state and federal levels, in all aspects from real estate to marketing trademarks to banking issues; with every-changing regulations and rules, Cannabis companies need strong legal support

🌱 What every Cannabis lawyer wants you to know: Cannabis accounting should be approached holistically to address legal questions and entity issues to protect companies and CEOs, along with the bedrock of solid accounting practices (it’s not just about immaculate books and it’s not just about tax preparation; everything needs to work together to inform the business owner and stakeholders about the financial health of the business so they can survive an IRS audit)

🌱 Education is the future for sustaining the Cannabis industry: empowering Cannabis businesses strengthens the industry’s reputation, helping to grow the industry as a sound medicinal alternative and a safe recreational option

🌱 Importance of having a lawyer on your side: if you have a strong lawyer who specializes in tax preparation, you can help your client make sense of and navigate potential tax snafus, including knowing when to take cases to tax court versus district court

Sink your teeth into the legal issues often overlooked or misinterpreted by Cannabis accountants in this heartfelt and informative interview.

If you want to learn more about Paula’s ongoing efforts to champion the success of Cannabis CEOs and companies, check out her LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulacollinsnyc/.

Want more great tips and insider advice on the Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting niches?  For more info on the DOPE CFO program, text DOPECFO to 345345 for our free Cannabis Accounting Guide. For more great tips and soundbites on Cannabis accounting and bookkeeping, make sure you subscribe today to our podcast.

Cannabis is a rapidly growing industry, but many accounting professionals put on the brakes when approached by Cannabis companies who are interested in their services. Some accountants avoid Cannabis because of the complexities of tax codes and tight regulations, but most shy away from the industry because they’re worried the federally illegal status will damage their professional reputation.

Our latest podcast with DOPE CFO founder Andrew Hunzicker, CPA delves into debunking the stigmas associated with Cannabis. You’ll learn how to leverage these common concerns to build a competitive edge in the niche once you understand the processes and requirements behind Cannabis accounting.

Want more great tips and insider advice on the Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting niches?  For more info on the DOPE CFO program, text DOPECFO to 345345 for our free Cannabis Accounting Guide. For more great tips and soundbites on Cannabis accounting and bookkeeping, make sure you subscribe today to our podcast.

Breaking into Cannabis accounting doesn’t come with an age limit. Even if you’ve been in the same CFO position for several decades, it’s never too late to dive into the Cannabis industry if it calls to you. If you’ve been on the fence about getting started in this quickly growing niche but are worried that you’re too old or have been stuck in the same rut for too long, know that you’re not alone. Many people get started in this space late in life, and end up doing really well for themselves..

Just ask Tom.

Tom sat down with Andrew recently to talk about why he made his career change late in life, why he’s never looking back, and why he’s looking forward to the day Cannabis becomes federally legal,

Highlights of Tom’s story include:

Changing your life and choosing a new track knows no expiration date! Be inspired by Tom’s story to find your own path and stake your own claim in the green rush. If you want to learn more about Tom’s individual story, check out his website at www.hawbakercpa.com.

Want more great tips and insider advice on the Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting niches?  For more info on the DOPE CFO program, text DOPECFO to 345345 for our free Cannabis Accounting Guide. For more great tips and soundbites on Cannabis accounting and bookkeeping, make sure you subscribe today to our podcast.

Before you can ever set highly valuable services in place for Cannabis clients--even before the cleanup phase--you need a solid onboarding process. And no effective onboarding process is complete without the Prepared By Client (PBC) checklist.

And you shouldn’t build up a client’s accounting system and processes without the PBC. This document helps you avoid finding leases three months in that you didn’t know existed, or incorrectly prepared tax returns.

A proper PBC will save you hours of back-tracking and will pack your services with added value from the very beginning.

Key aspects of the PBC he’ll discuss include:

Want more great tips and insider advice on the Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting niches?  For more info on the DOPE CFO program, text DOPECFO to 345345 for our free Cannabis Accounting Guide. For more great tips and soundbites on Cannabis accounting and bookkeeping, make sure you subscribe today to our podcast.

Federal legalization of Cannabis will likely change your role as an accountant. Will those changes bolster your success -- or make it harder to get a foothold in the industry? Listen in for our predictions.

With the November election just a couple months away, states like Maine, Arizona, and South Dakota are awaiting results on their medicinal and recreational use initiatives. As more states legalize Cannabis every year, the entire Cannabis industry (including accounting professionals) is waiting in earnest as the nation gets one step closer to federal legalization.

In a timely podcast, DOPE CFO founder Andrew Hunzicker, CPA, quickly breaks down his predictions of where the industry is headed once it hits federal legalization and how the demand for niche-specific accountants will likely only rise.

Points he covers include:

Want more great tips and insider advice on the Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting niches?  For more info on the DOPE CFO program, text DOPECFO to 345345 for our free Cannabis Accounting Guide. For more great tips and soundbites on Cannabis accounting and bookkeeping, make sure you subscribe today to our podcast.

Do you have cost accounting nailed down for Cannabis accounting? Can you confidently say you know how to track each plant, work in progress statuses, and inventory count to properly allocate costs to COGS?

Are you reducing tax liability properly for your clients… or are you unwittingly costing them extra money by taking too few deductions or being the reason they rack up penalties?

To be the champion of correct accounting and compliance for your clients, you need great tools, and one of the best tools is the flower calendar (the only one of its kind in the industry!).

With this tool, specially designed by DOPE CFO founder Andrew Hunzicker, CPA, you can streamline Cannabis accounting processes and make it way easier to do the following:

Want more great tips and insider advice on the Cannabis and CBD/hemp accounting niches?  For more info on the DOPE CFO program, text DOPECFO to 345345 for our free Cannabis Accounting Guide. For more great tips and soundbites on Cannabis accounting and bookkeeping, make sure you subscribe today to our podcast.

The American economy is still shaking off the effects of coronavirus and the recession. If you struggled to keep your accounting clients or were furloughed during the last few months, you never want to worry about losing work again. Never again do you want to be left wondering if you can pay your mortgage or feed your family.

You’ve heard from the experts that the best way to boost your revenue is by finding a niche. And after the ‘Rona’ madness, you’re looking for a strong niche to carry you through the best and worst of times... even during a recession.

Even in the face of a nationwide pandemic, Cannabis has proven to thrive. You could maintain enough work with good clients to keep yourself busy almost all year round (and not just during the rush of tax season), bringing you enough revenue to ride the inevitable waves of the economy. But how do you even begin to learn the ins and outs of Cannabis accounting, or get clients that will justify the transition from general accounting to learning highly-specialized processes for this booming niche?

Ken Mierzwinski, CPA, had heard about the Cannabis industry’s exponential growth in the last few years. Once DOPE CFO founder Andrew Hunzicker reached out to him about getting started in Cannabis, just around the time COVID-19 first hit, Ken knew jumping into Cannabis was a matter of survival. His well-timed leap into the industry would allow him to keep paying his bills while his other non-Canna clients were on hold.

Ken recently sat down with Andrew for an interview for the DOPE CFO podcast to talk about his transition from one business to the other. He tells the story of how he kept his first non-Cannabis business afloat (even while his clients were on hold) because his ONE Cannabis client (that he landed in just two months) helped him pay the bills. He wasn’t confident at first that he could quickly get his Cannabis client in time to save his income during the pandemic. However, as soon as he dove into the DOPE CFO materials, he was talking to clients within one week.

In this podcast, you’ll hear Ken talk about:

Want to get on the fast track to learning Cannabis accounting? Check out our DOPE CFO program by visiting dopecfo.com. For more great tips and soundbites on Cannabis accounting and bookkeeping, make sure you subscribe today to our podcast.

Cannabis accounting may be a great niche to dig into, but you may not get too far in your new practice if you don’t know how to land the right clients who can pay you what you’re worth for your services..

When it comes to client acquisition in the Cannabis industry, there are a few tried-and-true methods that make Cannabis CEOs and operators willing to stop trying their hand at DIY accounting internally and hire you to get their books in order, so that they are in compliance with state regulations.

Adam Remis, MSIM, CPA, CISA had more than 25 years of experience in accounting, taxes, and CFO roles. He knew how to land clients, but he didn’t know how to close  Cannabis CEOs as clients -- a demographic usually uninformed of the importance of highly-trained accountants amid varied and complicated regulations in their relatively uncharted niche.

He didn’t have a plan at first to reach out to clients, let alone ask for monthly retainers. However, once he learned a handful of acquisition tips and discovered what was most effective, he was pushing out engagement letters, one after another.

Adam sat down with us recently to talk about at least 3 different client acquisition methods he used in the last few months to bring in substantial monthly retainers from clients who fully value the expert services he brings to their companies.

In this podcast, you’ll learn about:

For more great tips and soundbites on Cannabis accounting and bookkeeping, make sure you subscribe today to our podcast. For more info on the DOPE CFO program, text DOPECFO to 345345 for our free Cannabis Accounting Guide.

Capital raise is almost always inevitable for Cannabis or hemp/CBD business startups. At some point your company or your client’s company is going to need to raise capital -- and you’re going to need to know how to confidently guide them through the process.

Capital may still be tight for startups in 2020, but Cannabis and hemp/CBD businesses may soon have access to new capital options from angel investors, hedge funds, private equity, Big Pharma, and other sources. When this outpouring of investment sources begins to rush in, you want to be ready.

Listen in as DOPE CFO founder Andrew Hunzicker, CPA talks about the 5 keys it takes to unlock the interests of investors and increase the likelihood of winning their commitments.

Key points Andrew addresses include:

As an accountant, you can add immense value to your clients by knowing how to prepare a business for raising capital. If you’re an owner or operator of Cannabis  or hemp/CBD business, knowing the steps involved in raising capital puts you ahead of the curve. For more tips and advice on Cannabis/CBD accounting trends and concepts, make sure you subscribe to our podcast. Fore more information on our program, check out our website at dopecfo.com.