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Karlie Lester

LedgerGurus expert

Karlie Lester

Technical Solutions Manager in Technical Services

Traces COGS and inventory errors back to the workflow that caused them

About Karlie

Karlie Lester is an Inventory Operations & Accounting Advisor at LedgerGurus who helps ecommerce brands build better inventory processes and more reliable financial reporting.

She connects what happens in day-to-day operations with what shows up in the books, helping businesses improve purchasing workflows, align inventory systems with accounting, and understand their inventory costs.

With a background in business ownership, operations management, and teaching accounting, business, and technology, Karlie brings a practical perspective to complex inventory challenges. She enjoys making complicated processes understandable and helping teams use their systems with confidence.

Her work spans inventory system selection, accounting integrations, and inventory and COGS process improvement. Outside of work, Karlie enjoys long walks, crocheting, and creative projects. She comes from a family of 10, has an identical twin sister, and spent eight years coaching cheer alongside her teaching career.

Get to know Karlie

What do you specifically know that most accountants don't?

I know how inventory moves through an ecommerce business before it ever becomes an accounting entry. Most accountants can reconcile a balance sheet account, but they may not know how purchase orders, receiving, 3PL activity, bundles, assemblies, landed costs, sales channels, inventory systems, and QuickBooks all interact.

I’m usually looking for the operational reason behind the accounting issue. If COGS is wrong, inventory is overstated, or clearing accounts are messy, the answer is often in the workflow, not just the journal entry.

What's one type of client situation you've handled that you're proud of?

I’m proud of the work I’ve done with ecommerce brands where inventory issues were not just caused by sales channels or fulfillment, but by what was happening on the purchasing side. In one situation, purchase orders, receiving, vendor bills, deposits, and landed costs were not cleanly connected, which made it hard for the accounting team to trust the inventory numbers.

I helped the team focus on the full inventory workflow, especially purchasing and three-way match, so they could better connect what was ordered, what was received, and what was billed. The result was a more practical month-end inventory and COGS process, better visibility into timing issues, and a stronger foundation for both operations and financial reporting.

What specific topic areas do you consider your wheelhouse?

My strongest areas include inventory operations process reviews for ecommerce brands, COGS process design when inventory systems and accounting don't align, and purchasing, receiving, vendor bill, and three-way match workflows. I also support inventory system selection and accounting integration, build out month-end inventory processes with reporting and validation, and handle inventory valuation, stock takes, and operational adjustment workflows.

What makes you an interesting/quirky/fun person?

I come from a large family of 10 and have an identical twin sister, so I learned early how to collaborate, communicate, and hold my own in a crowd. Outside of work, I love long walks, crocheting, and anything that lets me be creative.

I also spent eight years coaching cheer alongside my teaching career, I loved the mix of creativity, teamwork, problem-solving, and mentoring young people; which probably explains why I still enjoy helping teams build better processes today.

Areas of expertise

  • Inventory operations process review
  • COGS process design
  • Purchasing and three-way match workflows
  • Inventory system selection and integration
  • Month-end inventory close
  • Inventory valuation and stock takes
  • Landed cost accounting

Published content

Webinars

  • Webinar · On demand

    The Financial Impact of Inventory: How Inventory Shapes Your Business's Bottom Line

    Part one of the inventory series. Inventory is an operational problem that sends you a financial bill. Karlie Lester and the Finale team work through where the chaos starts: purchasing on spreadsheets, tracking that misses every outflow except sales, and selling across channels without knowing your true cost. Brittany Brown closes with the two questions clients actually ask, and an honest answer on the cash cycle for a small brand.

    Brittany Brown61 min
  • Webinar · On demand

    5 Reasons Profit Lies Hidden in Inventory (Why Profitable Brands Still Feel Cash-Poor)

    Sales are growing, the P&L says you're profitable, and cash still feels tight. Karlie from LedgerGurus and Madison Kishen from Finale walk through five places profit hides inside inventory: unexplained margin swings, landed costs that never make it into product cost, spreadsheets that quietly break, nobody owning the numbers, and no monthly check. Then a three-step fix, and how each operational action turns into a financial entry.

    Mar 25, 202659 min
  • Webinar · On demand

    COGS Calculation: Finding the best path to profitability

    Part three of the inventory accounting series. Brittany Brown, Karlie, and partners from Finale and A2X work through what belongs in COGS, what belongs in cost of sales, and why the difference decides whether your gross margin means anything. They cover the timing question of recognising COGS at sale or at shipment, the three costing methods, and where each tool fits as a business matures.

    Brittany BrownMar 19, 202569 min
  • Webinar · On demand

    Purchasing & the Three-Way Match: Effortless Purchasing, Clean Records, Seamless Reordering

    Part two of the inventory accounting series. Once you pay a vendor, you lose every bit of leverage you had. The three-way match is what gives you the confidence to release that payment: the purchase order, the receiving record, and the bill all agreeing before money moves. Brittany Brown, Karlie Lester, and the Finale team cover why the three documents usually sit with three different people, and what that costs.

    Brittany BrownMar 5, 202560 min

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