Coastal landscape representing clarity and strategic thinking at Ondara Business Coach

ABOUT ondara 

Ondara exists at the intersection of financial rigor and human understanding. We are not here to sell you hustle culture or hand you a generic playbook. We are here to help founders see clearly—not just their numbers, but themselves.

Our work is grounded in pattern recognition, strategic financial thinking, and the belief that sustainable growth comes from alignment, not force.

We built Ondara because too many capable, intelligent founders were drowning in their own businesses. Not because they lacked skill or commitment, but because they had outgrown their systems, lost clarity in the noise, or were carrying weight that was not theirs to carry alone.

We provide fractional CFO services and business coaching designed to restore clarity, rebuild structure, and create movement—without burning you down in the process.

  • I had the privilege of working on a team with Summer for several months. In addition to being skilled in accounting and finance, Summer is a fantastic leader who has a gift for teaching and inspiring those around her. From the moment I joined as a new hire, she went out of her way to make me feel welcome, and to help me grow professionally. She's also just plain fun to work with! Summer would be a strong asset to any team, and I greatly enjoyed the time we spent working together.

    Karis S., CPA

  • Summer is a hard-charging, focused professional. She makes well, thought out decisions and has a knack for doing what’s best for everyone. Her past military experience has given her the confidence to always find a way to get to “Yes” even when the task seems impossible, and simultaneously the charisma to inspire those around her to get involved and make a difference in a positive way. Her dedication to the task at hand is never over-shadowed by anyone else, however, if there is someone she can learn from, her pride never stands in the way. Her goal is to continuously learn and grow as a professional and a person.

    Jon J., Logistics Manager USAF

  • I had the pleasure of working with Summer for a couple of months on an audit engagement at EY. As a new staff working with Summer, Summer was supportive in answering any questions/concerns and providing guidance in audit procedures. Her previous experience in banking and accounting was valuable to the audit. Summer has a strong work ethic and had new ideas on how to efficiently complete the audit. I learned a lot from Summer and am looking forward to seeing her business grow under her vision and leadership.

    Clara Choi, Assurance Senior, Ernst & Young

  • "What I learned wasn't just about the dollars and cents; it was about being vulnerable, hearing new perspectives, and seeing things with clarity that I couldn't see before."

    — Bill L., 12 Year Non-Profit Executive

  • I found Dope CPA (Summer Thorn) through a friend in the industry. After struggling to find a CPA that actually knew what they were talking about, and not getting charged crazy prices for no results, we are lucky to find Dope CPA!! Summer and her partners are very helpful, clear with direction and great in communication. Accounting is a difficult aspect of our complex industry, and Dope CPA has taken that burden off our shoulders with ease. I would strongly recommend them to anyone in the Cannabis industry.

    — Tommy K., Founder

  • The (Ondara + Dope CPA) team is an excellent addition to our company. The accounting services, tax service, and the knowledge they have about our field of work is unparalleled. We were blessed to find the DOPE CPA group at a time when we needed them most! They are Excellent!

    - Patricia P., Founder

  • "Thanks for recognizing that the weight of the role can be heavy. I have probably taken on way too much, because when our system worked when we were smaller, I was able to do that."

    — Non-Profit Executive Feedback

mission

Ondara helps founder-led businesses move from overwhelm to clarity, from force to flow.

We believe that most business problems are not actually about the business—they are about visibility, structure, and the founder capacity to lead from a place of alignment rather than anxiety.

Our mission is to provide the financial clarity, strategic guidance, and accountability that allow founders to make better decisions, build sustainable systems, and lead with confidence. We measure success not by growth metrics alone, but by whether the founder can sleep at night, whether the business actually supports their life, and whether they have regained agency over their own company.

Flow over force is not just our tagline—it is how we work, how we think, and what we help you build.

Meet the Founder

*

Meet the Founder *

Hi! I’m Summer,

— veteran, CPA, CFO, business coach, mother, and admittedly shitty surfer. I spent eleven years in the U.S. Air Force, where I learned discipline, how to stay calm when everything is moving fast, and how to lead through complexity. After the military, I moved into public accounting and corporate finance, working across industries from banking to cannabis to nonprofits. I learned how money actually behaves inside organizations—where it leaks, where it lies, and what it reveals about the people running them.

I founded Dope CPA in 2021 to serve cannabis businesses who were navigating an industry where compliance was murky and support was scarce. But what I found was that founders did not just need clean books—they needed interpretation, strategy, and someone who could see the patterns they could not. That is what led me to create Ondara in 2024: a place where financial strategy meets leadership coaching, where rigor meets humanity, and where founders can finally get the clarity and support they have been carrying alone for too long.

My work is simple: I help you see what is actually happening, name the real constraint (not just the symptoms), and build systems that match reality instead of fighting it. I do not do hype. I do not coddle. I tell the truth gently but directly, and I help you rebuild so your business works with you instead of against you. I have lived on both sides of complexity—the emotional and the financial—and I bring all of that experience into every engagement.

Summer Thorn, CPA and founder of Ondara Business Coach, working from home office
Work With Us
Summer Thorn, CPA and founder of Ondara Business Coach, working from home office
  • Most mornings start on my couch with coffee, and I usually don’t get ready until 10 or 11. Those are my best hours. I do my clearest thinking before the world speeds up, and I have built my business to protect that space.

  • I surf badly, but joyfully, and have been to Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Folly Beach SC, and San Diego to surf. I am not good at it, but that is not really the point. The wave taught me that you do not overpower the ocean. You learn how to move with it. That became the backbone of Ondara: the shift from force to flow.

  • From fuels distribution to force protection in Iraq, I learned structure, precision, and how to stay grounded when everything around you is chaotic. That foundation shows up in every part of how I work today: calm under pressure, clear systems, and a deep respect for what people carry.

  • They are grown now and building their own lives, but I still live to make them proud. Being their mother shaped how I lead, how I care, and how I think about legacy. Everything I build, I build with them in mind.

  • This is not just work for me, it’s where everything I have learned comes together. I get to help smart, capable founders see themselves clearly, rebuild what’s not working, and move forward without losing themselves in the process.

    That matters to me.

Work Experience & Education

  • 2022–Present

    The path to Ondara wasn't straight. It was Iraq, audit floors, compliance chaos, and founders who kept asking for more than just their numbers fixed.

    2025 – Ondara

    Ondara started because the question changed. Founders didn't just want bookkeeping—they wanted to understand their business. They wanted strategy that didn't require them to burn out. They needed someone who could see the pattern underneath the pressure.

    This is business coaching for people carrying real weight. Revenue. Payroll. Risk. Decisions with consequences. The work is financial strategy, operational clarity, and founder wellbeing—without the motivational noise. No hustle worship. No performative leadership. Just structure that actually holds.

    The philosophy is simple: Flow > Force. If the business only works when you're exhausted, it doesn't work.

    2022 – Dope CPA

    I started Dope CPA because cannabis businesses were being left in the dark. Compliance was a moving target. Guidance was unclear. Risk was real. And most CPAs wouldn't touch it.

    So I built something that could. Full accounting suites for CBD, hemp, and THC businesses—farms, cultivators, dispensaries, transporters. Payroll, tax prep, GAAP financials, perpetual audit trails, internal controls. The stuff that keeps you compliant when—not if—the audit comes.

    It's not a matter of if a cannabis company gets audited. It's when. We prepare them for that reality.

  • 2018–2022

    After the Air Force, I traded one kind of rigor for another. Public accounting taught me how to see what's missing—the gaps in controls, the patterns in the numbers, the places where things fall apart quietly.

    Audit work is about trust and verification. You learn to ask better questions. You learn what broken systems look like before they collapse. That training shows up everywhere now—in how I read financials, how I diagnose operational drag, how I help founders see their own blind spots.

    The skills carried forward: compliance literacy, internal control design, the ability to translate complexity without losing precision.

  • 2003–2014

    Eleven years in the U.S. Air Force. Multiple deployments. High-pressure environments where clarity wasn't optional.

    Force Protection – Joint Base Balad, Iraq (2011)

    Led security operations in a combat zone. Managed checkpoints, personnel, and real-time threat assessment. The work demanded calm under pressure, quick pattern recognition, and the ability to lead people through chaos without adding to it.

    Crisis management isn't theoretical when the stakes are immediate. You learn how to stay grounded when everything around you isn't.

    Fuels Operations – Germany, New Mexico, Florida (2003–2014)

    Managed fuel logistics, resource allocation, and supply chain operations across Europe and the U.S. Coordinated mission-critical support for military aircraft and operations. Supervised teams. Built systems that had to work the first time.

    The common thread through all of it: structure, accountability, and the ability to see what's actually happening—not what people say is happening.

    The military gave me discipline. It taught me how systems either hold or break under load. And it showed me that leadership isn't about being the loudest voice in the room.

  • Executive MBA – Quantic School of Business and Technology (2021–2022)
    Strategy. Finance. Leadership at scale.

    Bachelor of Business Administration, Accounting – Darla Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina (2016–2018)
    Foundation in financial reporting, tax, and business law.

    Certified Public Accountant (CPA) – Licensed and active
    Certified CFO – Financial leadership credential
    Blockchain Certifications – Evolution, technology concepts, and opportunities beyond crypto

  • Financial Strategy – Cash flow forecasting, KPI tracking, pricing architecture, margin analysis, investor readiness
    Business Coaching – Founder psychology, accountability systems, decision-making frameworks, sustainable leadership
    Accounting & Compliance – GAAP financials, cannabis compliance (280E), tax strategy, internal controls, audit readiness
    Leadership – Veteran-led perspective, crisis management, calm authority, team coordination
    Operational Systems – Process design, role clarity, structural diagnostics, capacity planning

  • My career doesn't look linear. Fuels lab supervisor. Iraq. Corporate auditor. Cannabis CFO. Founder of two firms.

    But every chapter taught me something that matters now.

    The Air Force gave me structure.
    Audit gave me rigor.
    Entrepreneurship gave me humility.
    Surfing gave me philosophy.

    The wave taught me this: You don't overpower the ocean. You learn how to move with it.

    That's the backbone of Ondara—the shift from force to flow.

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Let's Connect!

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If you're wondering whether Ondara is the right fit, have a question about the work, or want to talk through what you're dealing with—reach out.

No sales pressure. No scripts. Just a real conversation about whether this makes sense.

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