1. Cash does not match the story
Sales may look strong while the bank balance keeps feeling tight. That mismatch needs a records-based review, not a guess.
2. POS, inventory, and books disagree
If system reports cannot be reconciled, margin and COGS conversations become harder than they need to be.
3. Reconciliations are stale
Old unreconciled activity can hide duplicates, miscoding, missing deposits, and vendor or tax-payment questions.
4. COGS is inconsistent
In cannabis, inventory and cost support deserve careful documentation and advisor coordination.
5. The close keeps changing
If numbers change after leaders have already made decisions, the close process needs stabilization.
6. Tax-readiness questions pile up
Questions for the CPA or tax attorney should be organized with cleaner records and better support.
7. No one knows what to fix first
That is the point of a diagnostic: prioritize the highest-impact cleanup path before starting a larger engagement.