Murjanat Dambatta, 26
Dambatta does lease accounting and also works closely with the financial planning and analysis team at Fire & Flower (Photograph by Erin Leydon)
Last year, I was working for a senior-care company doing financial reporting. I wanted to stay in accounting, but I didn’t want to only do financial reporting. One day, I saw an opening for a senior financial analyst at the cannabis retail company Fire & Flower. I’m not a cannabis user myself, but I was interested in the job. I wanted to gain experience in public company reporting. So I applied and got the position.
The finance department at Fire & Flower is only about 10 people. Because our team is small, I get to do a bit of everything. I’ve become an expert in subjects like shatter, wax, dried flower, pre-rolls, base oil and edibles. I do lease accounting, and I also work closely with the financial planning and analysis team. Fire & Flower is a publicly traded company, so I get to work in management discussion and analysis as well. The company is rapidly expanding, so I’ve even had the opportunity to do some acquisition accounting.
At my job, no two days are the same. I love how complex the accounting issues are. We have 79 retail stores, so I can see how everything comes together. Or there might be a huge acquisition, and I’ll get to do the accounting for that. The other day, when I went out grocery shopping, I came across one of our stores. I got super excited because I’d recently set up the lease schedule for that location. There was a lineup at the entrance and I thought to myself, “The money those customers are about to spend is eventually going to end up in the financial statements that I analyze.”
“A lot of people think accounting is a boring job. But I’m definitely not bored at work.”
The nice thing about working for a new company is that we don’t have to worry about transitioning outdated legacy systems into newer ones. This is the first company I’ve worked at that uses cloud-based storage, which makes it so easy to collaborate with my teammates. I can access the cloud from my phone, so I don’t even have to go to my desk to share a document with a team member. I think more accounting firms will be using cloud storage in the future.
I’m still fairly new to cannabis and I’m enjoying the ride. I think I’ll stay for a while. But there are so many fast-paced, exciting industries that need accountants; industries that will keep you on your toes and solving different problems. I’d love to work in AI and tech, crypto or even virtual reality.
For fresh graduates, I’d recommend not jumping into industry right away. Allow yourself to go through the audit route, to cook, to marinate and to get your hours done because it will expose you to different companies and open a lot of doors. Once you’re at a senior level, you can get out and try different industries. A lot of people get too comfortable—they’re scared to take a risk and step outside that box. But what if you find your passion somewhere else? If you hate it, then you can always go back to the firm.
I’m excited to see how the cannabis industry will change and grow over the years. When COVID-19 hit, cannabis was deemed an essential product and stores stayed open. To me, that’s proof that it is essential and here to stay. A lot of people think accounting is a boring job. But I’m definitely not bored at work.
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