Accounting Apps Podcast

Live from Sydney Accounting and Business Expo

I had a brilliant time at the Expo. I delivered four sessions on Apps, Ai, ChatGPT & Habits and honestly was shocked at how packed they all were. Expos give me an efficient opportunity  to catch up with Sydney friends and, as it was not purely an accounting conference, but also a business conference, there were colleagues from different industries.  As well as speaking with lots of people, I attended a few sessions, and I’m not even sure how I managed it, but I recorded 8 interviews from the floor.   Bingham Archibald Presales Solutions Architect at Kodak Alaris document scanners, software, and professional services to streamline data capture workflows.   Malcolm Cameron Head of Solutions at MyTreasur-e manage and monitor their cash, payments, leases and risk activities   Chris Dodson Director Hero Blue Cloud based finance schedule creation and storage with Xero integration   Cathy Middleton Senior Licensing Manager One Music Australia Helping businesses meet their music licensing obligation.   Stan Corner CEO at AtoMate fast, simple, secure ATO document processing for accountants   Joel Hanna Customer Success and Enablement Manager (APAC) at Sustain Life   Anita Da Encarnacao Principal at Aretex re-engineer and optimises the entire accounting and bookkeeping process for multi-site businesses and franchises.   Lez Yeoh CEO of Clevero a business management system that integrates with Xero, and includes scheduling tools and a customisable dashboard. Connect with me: Accounting Apps newsletter http://HeatherSmithAU.COM LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersmithau/   

MediaPhones to Accounting Dashboards to Digital Marketplaces : The Design Journey of Xero’s Co-Founder | Philip Fierlinger

Xero co-founder Philip Fierlinger shares the story behind building one of the world's most successful accounting platforms, Xero He discusses his early inspiration from car dashboards and the gamification of bank reconciliations. Fierlinger also reveals how his latest startup Upstock is transforming the inefficient B2B food ordering process and levelling the playing field for small suppliers.    Many of our listeners will know Philip Fierlinger as one of the 5 co-founders of Xero, but let me share with you a bit of background about Philip: For over 5 years, Philip has been creating digital products and experiences that have set new standards of design, business and technology.  In 1992 a university project landed Philip an internship at General Magic where he conceptualised the “Mediaphone” a digital walkman, letting you download music anywhere, anytime. To give you some context this was 9 years before Steve Jobs introduced the iPod and 15 years before Jobs introduced the iPhone. Philip went on to create a digital agency, with his brother in 1994, doing work for Apple, the Beastie Boys, Comcast, Disney, Dreamworks, Macromedia, Palm, Sony Playstation, among many others. After moving to NZ, Philip co-founded Xero in 2006, where he was Head of Design for nearly 10 years. Philip was instrumental in Xero becoming a disruptive platform, an iconic global brand, and a market leading public company worth billions of dollars. And I suspect as he had a focus on design, he had something to do with making Xero beautiful software. Philip is currently Co-CEO of Upstock, a B2B wholesale platform that's transforming the way the foodservice industry operates. Along the way Philip has been an investor and advisor to numerous startups and scaleups including Sharesies, Milanote, Deputy, Atomic, Karbon, Chartio (sold to Atlassian) – helping with product, marketing, growth, team & culture, and investor strategy. In this episode, I talk to Philip Fierlinger Co-Ceo of UpStock.app about . . . Career journey from car design to tech entrepreneurship.  Xero’s history, developing an accounting system with a focus on bank feeds and beautiful design.  Prioritising business operations over tax compliance with real-time cash flow visibility. How a three year old inspired the innovative design of Xero Launching a foodservice marketplace, digitising B2B transactions. The business model and pricing for a B2B marketplace.  Streamlining foodservice industry operations with UpStock platform.  A platform for farmers and suppliers to connect and grow their businesses. You have been listening to the Cloud Stories podcast. I encourage you to subscribe and leave a five star review, so other people can find this podcast. From here, I suggest you join the Xero Mastermind group on Facebook for advanced conversations around the ecosystem. I suggest you  subscribe to the informative Accounting Apps newsletter which gives you a great overview of the ecosystem space. It's available at https://HeatherSmithAU.COM.  I encourage you to connect with me on LinkedIn and subscribe to the Cloud Stories podcast. I’m Heather Smith and you've been listening to the Cloud Stories podcast.

Live from the Transformational TOACon ‘23 conference

A collection of interviews from TOA Global clients, staff, and partners, including a special interview with the emcee Kat Davidson, who shares some tips on public speaking. Relive your time at TOACon ‘23, or get a taste for what happened. Today I'm bringing you interviews from the TOA Global Transformational conference held at the Sheraton Mirage on the Gold Coast early November 23. I had the pleasure of attending the conference, courtesy of the hospitable TOA Global team. TOA Global specialising in providing outsourcing solutions for accounting firms. In this collection of interviews you’ll hear from TOA Global clients, staff, and partners. Even if you are not currently contemplating outsourcing, there is a lot of interesting content in this podcast, including a special interview with the emcee Kat Davidson, who shares some tips on public speaking.    Keep your finger on the pulse of the ever-evolving world of Accounting Technology. Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter at HeatherSmithAU.COM.   My friend and the CEO of TOA Global Nick Sinclair likes to run his conferences unconventionally! The audience is typically people from the Accounting Industry but interestingly the content is not accounting specific. Further to this, there’s no published agenda, so you remain curious about what will happen next! We listened to strategies for building high performance culture, body biohacking, growing sustainable businesses, systemising businesses and as you’d expect there was a dash of  motivational speakers. If this intrigues you TOACON 2024 will be at the Shangri-La Boracay 30 June - 2 July 2024.   Daniel Shaw - DFK Benjamin King Money    James Bamford - Paytron   Mark Jenkins - The Gap   Kelly Segat - TOA Global   Aly Garret - All in Advisory   Kat Davidson - Comedian, MC, Corporate Entertainer, Keynote Speaker   Geoff Gartly - Gartly Advisory   Vicki Birch - Intuit   Carl Brooks - ProSpend  (Used to be called ExpenseManager)   Carolyn O’Brien - Class   Ben Gill - LightYear Docs   Vicky Shah - Accountancy Insurance   The TOA Global team kindly hosted me to attend the conference.     This episode was sponsored by Translucent, the multi-entity accounting solution. Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Connect with me on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersmithau/

From Clutter to Clarity: Resolving Your Business’s Data Overwhelm

What are your options when your tech stack is bursting at the seams? You’re struggling to get visibility over what’s happening. You’re balancing multiple spreadsheets and you’re spending a lot of time consolidating data.    If you are trying to resolving your business's data overwhelm there are a number of options:   Spring cleans all the files, and all the data.  Merge duplicates and expunge old data, and trim down the data files.    Call in the professionals: Engage a professional cloud integrator to review your set up and advice of any efficiency opportunities.   Multi Entity Consolidation solution : I work with the Fathom team and they have a multi-entity financial reporting tool to help you compare and consolidate your organisations.   A new solution on the market that you may not have heard of is Translucent.io who I’ve recently started working with. It turns your existing single-entity accounting system into a multi-entity accounting solution. You connect your existing accounting software (Xero, QBO, etc.) and Translucent consolidates all your data to create a single financial system of record. Translucent Apps provide workflows for your muli-entity needs, such as searching for transactions at group level, creating consolidated reporting, managing intercompany transactions, live connecting your data to spreadsheets, and more apps being released every quarter.    While you may not have heard of Translucent before, it is likely that you heard of Dext, or Receipt Bank. The founder and good friend of mine, Michael Woods is the founder of Translucent.io and he’s built it as a tool he would have liked when running Receipt Bank.    A fourth option here is to migrate to an ERP solution. This is something you can potentially explore with a Cloud Integrator about or speak with a software consulting specialist. As you start to move into this area, you really want to engage an experienced specialist who can give you an unbiased assessment of your options to help you know what is possible, and suggest options to future proof your business.   Each option has a different price point, and it's important to understand the scoping, implementation, training, maintenance and ongoing costs involved. Likewise make an assessment of how many hours a solution will save you once implemented, and will it enable your business to scale.  You can get CPE for this and other episodes of the Cloud Stories podcast. Simply download the EarMarkCPE App, and answer a few questions correctly about this podcast, and they email you a certificate of CPE. Connect with Heather Smith https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersmithau/  Accounting Apps newsletter https://heathersmithsmallbusiness.com/newsletter/

Scaling a Boho Bridal Gown Business with NetSuite | Sarah Rynja

Discover how Grace Loves Lace transformed their bridal gown business with a strategic NetSuite implementation. Learn insights on scaling operations and enhancing efficiency in the fashion industry. Today I’m speaking with Sarah Rynja, Global Systems Manager of Grace Loves Lace In this episode, we talk about . . . - The NetSuite implementation she has been involved with at Grace Loves Lace. The business was founded in Burleigh Heads, Australia to provide luxury boho-style wedding dresses without structure or boning - They have gained global recognition through their unique dress styles and having the #1 most pinned wedding dress on Pinterest - Grace Loves Lace manufactures all their custom-made dresses locally in Australia - They implemented NetSuite to help scale their growing operations across stores in multiple countries   - Key NetSuite features like WMS, dashboards, and OneWorld help with inventory, order tracking, financials, and multi-country operations - Sarahs Tips for optimally using NetSuite included leveraging dashboards operationally and getting involved in the NetSuite user community Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http://HeatherSmithAU.COM  

Trends, Triggers, and Transformation: How NetSuite Helps Australian Businesses Grow| Scott Wiltshire

Explore how NetSuite empowers Australian businesses to thrive. Scott Wiltshire delves into the transformative impact of NetSuite solutions on local SMEs, offering insights and success stories for business growth in Australia. Today I’m speaking with Scott Wiltshire, Vice President & GM, Oracle NetSuite ANZ In this episode, we talk about . . . 1. NetSuite was born in the cloud 25 years ago and customers are always working on the same version.  2. NetSuite's architecture and vision have remained consistent under Founder and EVP Evan Goldberg. 3. NetSuite provides two major upgrades and 300 minor updates each year. 4. Triggers for considering NetSuite include  - Outgrowing existing accounting software  - Having more than one person on the finance team - Having a manual or time-consuming financial close or consolidation process  - Struggling to get real-time visibility into the business to provide actionable insights - Not being able to provide accurate reporting to management or the board - Having to correct reported numbers multiple times - Needing real-time visibility 5. The NetSuite solution can start small and scale with consumption-based pricing. 6. NetSuite is introducing more flexible user licensing.  7. Key trends impacting Australian businesses include cloud adoption, AI, and embracing leading practices over customisation. Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http://HeatherSmithAU.COM  

From Pioneers to Partners: A 20 Years Journey with NetSuite | Don McLean

Explore the 20-year evolution of NetSuite partnerships through Don McLean's insights, highlighting key milestones and the future of cloud ERP solutions. Today I’m speaking with Don McLean, CEO of PKF Digital, who shares insights and experiences from his 20 year journey with NetSuite.  In this episode, we talk about . . . 1. Don McLean's background and history with NetSuite over 20 years 2. The benefits of NetSuite's multi-tenant architecture and how it cuts costs 3. How NetSuite enhances business productivity through integration and visibility 4. Triggers for when a small business should consider an ERP solution like NetSuite 5. The partnership between PKF and NetSuite and how they work with customers 6. A case study of how NetSuite improved Thermomix's profits and efficiencies 7. Topics discussed at Suiteworld 2022 like AI, benchmarking, and productivity tools   8. Don McLean's key learnings around NetSuite's investments and applications of AI This is part of a series of interviews from SuiteWorld 2023. Many thanks to Oracle who kindly hosted me to attend SuiteWorld 2023 in Las Vegas. Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Connect with Don McLean here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donaldjmclean/ Connect with Heather Smith here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersmithau/

Live from the Accounting & Finance Show Asia

Join Alex and I as we walk around the floor of the Accounting and Finance Show Asia. We speak with: Namrata Goyal - Regional Manager Grab for Business  Julian Sng - Head of Marketing & Communications - Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA) David Hanna - Co-Founder & CEO Finmo Darius Fong - Automation Evangelist at Blue Sheets Kevin Fitzgerald - MD Asia Employment Hero Koren Wines - MD Asia Xero Zac Hayes CFO & Captain of the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel Vikash Bengani - Cofounder and CFO Carbon Balance Erik Ingvoldstad - Co-Founder and CEO Careera   AFShowAsia

Elevating the Impact of Advisory Services | Ash Brown

Today I’m speaking with Ash Brown, the Founder & CEO of Empiraa. Ash Brown, a former leader with 15 years of experience in SME management. Frustrated with the disconnect between business planning and execution, Ash created a solution to help businesses align their plans in a simple and effective way. With a strong belief that work should feel good, Ash is committed to making business simpler. Company Profile    Empiraa is a business planning and execution tool that takes business planning out of decks and spreadsheets and creates actions around them that your whole team can work on together. Unlike project management tools, which are good for single tasks and projects, Empiraa actually creates vision in your business as you can see what is and isn't working across the business. This is how Empiraa helps you feel good about business. In this episode, we talk about . . . Adapting to new situations and building resilience.  Career transitions and the development of a business plan execution platform  Using Empiraa to streamline business operations.  Leveraging AI in business growth and development.  Using an accounting platform to provide coaching and advisory services.  Fundraising and product development for a tech startup.  Productivity tech tools.  Empiraa Demo links Empiraa/Zapier https://empiraa.storylane.io/share/zzyfn0sdoiuv Empiraa/Partners Zapier https://empiraa.storylane.io/share/d86qplkgmkgt Empiraa Partner Portal https://empiraa.storylane.io/share/mtkbiuxoujcn Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http:// HeatherSmithAU.COM Read more at https://heathersmithsmallbusiness.com/blog/ From here, I suggest you join the Xero Mastermind group on Facebook for advanced conversations around the ecosystem. I suggest you  subscribe to the informative Accounting Apps newsletter which gives you a great overview of the ecosystem space.  I encourage you to connect with me on LinkedIn and subscribe to the Cloud Stories podcast.

The Tanda Story: From University Bar to Brisbane Skyline | Alex Ghiculescu

Today I’m speaking with Alex Ghiculescu, co-founder of both Tanda and Workforce.com. Alex is known for blogging and has a Substack newsletter where he shares stories from his 10+ years of building Tanda. Additionally, through Keen Strategies, Alex invests in B2B SaaS companies offering early-stage investments alongside technical and operational experience. In 2012 he received a distinction Bachelor of Business and Information Technology, Software Engineering from QUT (Queensland University of Technology). Tanda is an Australian Payroll, Rostering, and HR software designed for businesses that employ hourly workers. The company is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, and also operates internationally as Workforce.com. Tanda offers an all-in-one solution that includes time & attendance, workforce scheduling, payroll integration, and reporting tools. In case you’ve not realised, Tanda stands for Time and Attendance. You can read the shownotes at https://heathersmithsmallbusiness.com/blog/ From here, I suggest you join the Xero Mastermind group on Facebook for advanced conversations around the ecosystem. I suggest you  subscribe to the informative Accounting Apps newsletter which gives you a great overview of the ecosystem space.  I encourage you to connect with me on LinkedIn and subscribe to the Cloud Stories podcast.