Island Waters Accounting Uses NumbersGame to Build Its Own AI Agents for Close, Reporting and CFO Advisory

Founder Shawn Elliott connected Claude to client QuickBooks Online and Xero books, cutting monthly accounting and reporting time from 10-15 hours to 1-2

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, November 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- NumbersGame (https://www.numbersgame.xyz) today highlighted how Island Waters Accounting (https://islandwaters.ai/), a finance and CFO advisory firm launched in July 2026, uses the platform to build its own AI agents on top of client books in QuickBooks Online and Xero.

Island Waters founder Shawn Elliott has more than 23 years in high-growth finance, accounting and operations. His firm serves technology, AI, SaaS, healthcare, biotech, health-tech and pharma companies, from early-stage founders to businesses with roughly $50 million in revenue. He had already used AI for branding, his website and the work of starting a business. What he could not do was bring AI into the core of client work inside QuickBooks Online and Xero.

"What I do is client accounting inside of QuickBooks Online and Xero," said Elliott, Founder and CEO of Island Waters Accounting.

Elliott connected Claude, which NumbersGame supports alongside ChatGPT and Copilot, to approved client books through NumbersGame and built a workflow around how his firm already works. It covers transaction review, month-end entries for prepaids and depreciation, custom reporting, KPI review and board decks. He then wrote the process up as a standard operating procedure for a staff accountant and turned it into a Claude skill that runs on the third calendar day of each month.

The biggest change has been reporting. Elliott asked Claude, through NumbersGame, for a 12-month report with monthly columns that collapses in Excel from general ledger line to vendor to transaction detail. It is not a standard report in either QuickBooks Online or Xero, and he says it is now a regular deliverable for his clients.

By his own estimate, Elliott's day-to-day accounting through month-end reporting dropped from roughly 10 to 15 hours per month to roughly one to two hours per month in his solo-firm workflow. He uses the recovered time on advisory work and on Island Waters AI Consulting (https://islandwaters.ai/ai-consulting/), a second business where he helps other firms adopt AI responsibly. He also shares his approach on the Island Waters AI YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@IslandWatersAI).

Review stays with the professional. Beyond QuickBooks Online and Xero, NumbersGame connects to Ramp, Bill.com, Stripe, Square, Shopify, and bank and credit card accounts. NumbersGame proposes every write to the books for human approval before it posts.

"I liken AI as a college educated intern. In accounting firms they don't let interns loose without proper oversight, neither should you," Elliott said.

"Shawn is what I hope every firm owner does with this: take your own method, hand the repetitive parts to an agent, and keep your name on the review," said Anelya Grant, Co-founder and CEO of NumbersGame. "He started a firm in July and was already delivering reporting most established firms would struggle to produce. I run AG Accounting, so I know how much that capacity matters."

Elliott's advice to other firms is to tell clients when AI is used, use an appropriate business plan with the AI provider, and build review requirements into the firm's instructions and workflows.

NumbersGame works with Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot, and plans include unlimited team seats. Firms can start a 14-day free trial at https://www.numbersgame.xyz. Read the full story of how Island Waters uses NumbersGame: https://www.numbersgame.xyz/case-study-island-waters-accounting.html

About Island Waters Accounting
Island Waters Accounting is an accounting and CFO advisory firm for companies that have outgrown DIY finance, founded by Shawn Elliott in July 2026. Services run from bookkeeping with quarterly reporting to month-end controller close, KPI and custom reporting, cash-flow management, fundraising and due diligence support, board meetings and exit preparation. Learn more at https://islandwaters.ai/.

About NumbersGame
NumbersGame lets accounting firms connect their own Claude, ChatGPT or Copilot to every client QuickBooks Online and Xero file, with human approval before any write. It was built and proven inside AG Accounting, a San Francisco accounting firm that has served more than 1,500 clients. It also connects to Ramp, Bill.com, Stripe, Square, Shopify, and bank and credit card accounts. Learn more at https://www.numbersgame.xyz.

Anelya Grant
NumbersGame
media@numbersgame.xyz
+1 415-935-0378