Smoothies over Spreadsheets: How The Hut Saved 10+ Hours a Month and Cut Banking Fees

Introduction

Company: The Hut Smoothie & Juice Bar

Contact: Ashley Bly, Founder

Founded: 2021

About The Hut

The Hut Smoothie & Juice Bar was born out of a simple mission: bring fresh, functional nutrition to local communities. Launched by Ashley Bly in 2021, The Hut started as a seasonal smoothie shack in Muskoka. With a strong customer following and brand built on good vibes and even better smoothies, it has since grown into multiple permanent locations across Muskoka and Toronto, including their latest in Uptown Yonge.

Behind the counter, the team blends nutrient-packed smoothies and juices. Behind the scenes, Ashley was juggling vendor payments, staff reimbursements, and outdated banking tools that weren’t built for modern, fast-moving businesses.

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The Problem

Transfer by transfer, Ashley was losing time and money to a system stuck in the past

As the business grew, Ashley ran into a familiar problem for local operators: fragmented financial tools that created more friction than clarity.

She was paying $1.50 for every vendor transfer, plus over $250 a year just to access the bank’s “business payment portal.” Issuing corporate cards meant branch visits and paperwork. Tracking team expenses required chasing down receipts from multiple store managers. And reconciling payments at month-end was a constant time suck.

“We were using a mix of e-transfers, spreadsheets, and scanned paper receipts. It was hard to keep a clean view of where money was going, and I was spending way too much time just trying to manage the basics.”
_{- Ashley Bly, Co-Founder of The Hut}

Adding new team members to the bank account required long wait times, and real-time visibility across store locations just wasn’t possible. It was time for a banking solution that worked the way The Hut did: fast, nimble, and team-oriented.

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The Solution

Venn brought cards, payments, and accounting together in one seamless flow

Ashley switched to Venn to simplify how money moves through the business. Everything from vendor payments to employee purchases now runs through one modern platform, no more third-party portals, fees, or delays.

Here’s how The Hut uses Venn to stay in control:

1. Real-time corporate cards with receipt capture
‍Store managers now have dedicated cards for supply runs and inventory purchases. Every transaction is tracked instantly, with receipts captured in real time. No more end-of-month surprises or paper trails.

2. Free, unlimited transfers to staff and suppliers‍
‍With Venn, Ashley eliminated the $1.50-per-transfer fee and stopped paying the $250+ annual portal fee by her old bank. Payments are fast, unlimited, and built right into the platform.

3. Permission-based team access‍
‍Ashley can set up store managers with exactly the access they need, whether it’s sending payments, reviewing spend, or approving expenses. No shared logins or bottlenecks.

4. Automating accounting integration with QuickBooks
‍Everything syncs automatically with QuickBooks, cutting hours of manual accounting work each month. Venn syncs transactions, receipts, and categorizations directly into QuickBooks in real time. There was no need for manual exports or CSV uploads, saving The Hut hours each month on reconciliation and reducing bookkeeping errors.

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The Impact

No fees, no delays, no micromanaging, just 10+ hours saved and full visibility across every store.

Since switching to Venn, The Hut has:

• Eliminated hundreds of dollars in transfer and portal fees from their previous bank
• Saved 10+ hours a month on financial admin
• Gained real-time visibility into spending across multiple stores
• Empowered staff to handle purchases without sacrificing control
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About Venn

Venn is Canadian business banking, rebuilt for modern operators. From corporate cards and unlimited transfers to built-in accounting and POS integrations, Venn helps local businesses move money faster, stay organized, and grow without the manual overhead.

Join The Hut and thousands of other businesses simplifying banking with Venn. Get started today and get back to running what matters.