Questions before getting started?

Start with the records you already have: a Square sales export, a sales spreadsheet, or expense receipts and notes. You do not need to organize your whole business first. Request access, then begin with the records behind a question you want to answer, such as what a market earned or what a batch costs.

Start with a period you can reasonably account for. More history gives you more context for comparing markets, spotting changes in sales, and understanding whether customers return. A few recent events can be a useful starting point, but a short history will not tell you much about seasonal patterns or long-term trends.

Prep Imports help organize rough spreadsheets, and Napkin Imports turn receipts, PDFs, images, and expense notes into structured records. Missing information still matters: missing costs can make estimated profit look too high, and missing customer details limit repeat-buyer analysis. Check imported records against what you have; CottageOps cannot reconstruct transactions you never recorded.

CottageOps supports Square sales file imports. Export your sales from Square and import the file into CottageOps to create connected sales, products, locations, and events. This is a file-import workflow; it does not mean your Square account is automatically connected or continuously synced.

You can bring sales records in through CSV files and spreadsheets, including records of cash sales or sales made outside Square. Those sales need to be recorded first. CottageOps helps you analyze the records you provide; it does not process the payment or automatically collect transactions from other payment services.

CottageOps is business analytics and decision-support software. It helps you understand sales, costs, products, customers, and markets. It does not replace formal bookkeeping, accounting software, tax preparation, or tax filing.

Keep the tools you use for bookkeeping, tax records, and other accounting work. Spreadsheets can still be useful records and inputs for CottageOps. Your records tell you what happened; CottageOps helps you understand what it means for your products, markets, costs, and pricing.

COGS & Batch Economics connects ingredient costs, packaging, labor, and batch yield to show batch cost and cost per unit. You can use those figures to review estimated batch profit and direct margin. Those product-level figures are not your total business profit: broader operating expenses still need to be considered.

Companion lets you ask plain-English questions about the sales, costs, products, customers, and markets already recorded in CottageOps. It helps explain patterns and what may deserve a closer look. AI-assisted imports also help turn rough records into structured data. The usefulness of an explanation depends on the information available.

You make the decisions. CottageOps provides analysis and recommendations to help you weigh options, such as reviewing a price or returning to a market. Treat those suggestions as input alongside your experience, production capacity, and knowledge of your customers.

No. AI can misinterpret information, miss context, or give an incorrect explanation. Check important conclusions against your records, especially when deciding on pricing or spending. If an answer seems surprising, review the underlying numbers and whether the data is complete before acting on it.

Yes. You retain ownership of your business data. CottageOps processes it to provide the service; uploading your records does not transfer ownership to CottageOps.

Yes. You can export your business data. If you need help with an export or want to request deletion, contact support@cottageops.com.

CottageOps is built for cottage food operators, farmers market vendors, and small food businesses that want to understand their products, markets, customers, and costs. It is designed around the records and decisions that come with making food in small batches and selling it.

Yes. Even a few markets raise practical questions: which ones are worth returning to, which products sell, and whether your prices cover direct product costs. Recording that information early gives you something concrete to compare as you go. With fewer sales or events, treat patterns as early signals rather than firm conclusions.

CottageOps does not replace your point-of-sale system, formal bookkeeping, accounting software, or tax preparation and filing. Keep using those systems for their jobs. CottageOps uses business records to help you understand performance and consider your next decisions.

Your first month is free. After that, CottageOps is $5 per month, with everything included. You can cancel anytime.

Yes. Your first month is free once you get access. CottageOps is currently invite-only: request access, and we will reach out as onboarding opens.

No. You can request access and start your free month without a credit card.