Accounting Apps Podcast

Unlocking 🔓 potential with digital transformation | Sabby Gill

Today I’m speaking with Sabby Gill, CEO of Dext  Sabby Gill was appointed as Chief Executive at Dext in October 2022. He has more than 35 years’ experience in the technology sector, spanning sales, operations, development, support and customer service. He has spent his career supporting businesses of all sizes with technology that looks to unlock their potential—both at home and in international markets, including working in the Netherlands and Dubai. Prior to joining Dext, Sabby was CEO of Thomas International, which is a leading talent assessment and psychometric provider. Prior to that Sabby was UK & Ireland Managing Director of Sage, prior to that I held senior executive leadership roles at Epicor, IGT, HP, CA Technologies, Oracle, PeopleSoft and Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC). In this episode I ask Sabby Gill: You joined Dext two months ago, what attracted you to joining the Dext empire? What do you hope to achieve with Dext over the next two years? Let’s talk about community. You’ve worked alongside the Accounting and Bookkeeping community for many years. In your introductory letter to the community you have said “I am obsessed with customer and employee engagement, and I’m excited to meet many of the partners and businesses Dext supports. If I jump into any forum and mention Dext, a lot of unhappy campers will respond ”What can the APAC region expect from DEXT over the next two years and beyond. What is the strategic focus of Partnerships within APAC? You serve on a number of boards, pushing for digital adoption: You’ve recently become the Chair of the Digital Leaders Advisory board, a community of over 180,000 professionals working to eliminate the issues that hold back UK Digital Transformation such as access to knowledge, networks and skills. What are you hoping to achieve in that role, how can UK people get involved with the Digital Leaders Advisory board, and have you got them all using Dext yet? Talk to me about the future of E-invoicing in Australia. Have you ever been involved in a company that has undergone a brand change / rename that Dext has gone through. Like before this session, I had to visit the website and find out what the official new name of Receipt Bank is - its Dext Prepare Were facing a tough economic environment, with inflation, looming global recession, what advice do you have for small businesses out there. Is there anything else you would like to share with our listeners and how can they get in touch with you? I hope you liked listening to that interview with Sabby Gill, CEO of Dext. From here, I encourage you to subscribe to the Cloud Stories podcast, join the Xero Mastermind group on Facebook for advanced conversations around the ecosystem, and 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 also encourage you to connect with me on LinkedIn. I’m Heather Smith and you've been listening to the Cloud Stories podcast..

Compliance plus Conversations equals Advisory👍 | Will Buckley

Today I’m speaking with Will Buckley, Country Manager at Xero Australia. Will was appointed Country Manager, Australia in 2022 following other leadership roles at Xero including three years as Country Manager for Canada. As Country Manager, he is responsible for supporting the small business economy in Australia and for Xero’s relationships with the Australian government, financial institutions, and advisor community. Will joined Xero in 2015 working in the Australian business, before being appointed Finance Director of the US business and driving the launch of Xero in Canada. Prior to joining Xero, he held commercial finance roles in eCommerce and FMCG. He has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney. In this episode, I ask What’s a favourite song from the 80’s? In 2013, you founded buckleybrown, a 100% cloud accounting practice for small business owners based in Sydney. I think what we all want to know is are they getting preferential Xero pricing ?!! And what have you taken from that experience into your role today? Can you share an interesting or fun memory of your time with Rod Drury? You’ve had quite an interesting career with Xero, in that you’ve moved from Australia, to the US, to Canada to New Zealand and now back to Australia again. Half of your Xero career you’ve worked for the underdog, and the other half you’ve worked for the dominant player in the market. What have you learnt from those two contrasting experiences? Do North American accountants and bookkeepers have a different approach to managing their teams and creating an engaging work environment that Australians can emulate. You're 33 years young, what do you hope to achieve in your role as Country Manager of Australia? You’ve coined the phrase “Compliance plus Conversations equals Advisory”. What's your take on compliance and where it fits in the future of the profession? I was listening to you talk, and you said something that literally stopped me in my tracks, “Your Client Relationship is your business IP”. Wow! I completely agree, for our listeners can you unpack what you mean by this statement. Beautiful is embedded in the Xero brand. Why should beautiful questioning be baked into an organisational DNA? You’ve said that you admire Jack Ma, Founder of Alibaba – for his approach to compartmentalising his career journey to be more impactful. Is this something you’ve tried to emulate? Is there anything else you would like to share with our listeners and how can they get in touch with you? I hope you liked listening to that interview with Will Buckley, Country Manager at Xero Australia. 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. Its 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.. Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http:// HeatherSmithAU.COM

An expert shares secrets 🤐to an optimised eCommerce tech stack | Kelly Gonsalves

Kelly Gonsalves Founder of Totally Booked and many more companies joined me today and we had an in depth discussion about all things eCommerce What first interested Kelly about specialising in eCommerce? What changes have Kelly has seen in the eCommerce space in the last five years? What are some tech solutions Kelly likes working with in the eCommerce space? What are some myths out there about eCommerce that need to be debunked? What has Kelly learnt from running her Etsy store called “Leading Lady Machine Works” Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http:// HeatherSmithAU.COM

Tour De #Xerocon 2022 ✈️. And the winner is … ?

Due to a series of unexpected, serendipitous events, I attended all three Xerocons. As soon as my adventure commenced, people were weirdly obsessed with which #Xerocon was the best. I was asked the same questions repeatedly, with many asking me to report back to them to let them know. It was never my intent to review and compare the three Xerocons, but there’s been so much interest in it I felt I should do something. So here it is. Who won global #TourDeXerocon? Clearly, without a doubt, the winner is me. I feel extraordinarily grateful and privileged to be in a position to attend all three Xerocons (and survive intact!). It’s a bucket list item that any Accounting tech-loving person never expects to do. I’ve connected with many fabulous people, heard many inspiring stories, built networks and nurtured relationships. I’ve been energised by being present and enjoying every moment of attending the Xerocons and the events and activities around them. Of the three Xerocons, London, NOLA, and Sydney, I can’t just pick one and say it was the best. It’s more nuanced than that. There are lots of elements that make up a Xerocon, so what I’ll do is pick different parts and rank accordingly. I recognise that much time, thought, and effort goes into producing Xerocon and surrounding events. Thank you to everyone involved, those I know and those I don’t know yet. My comments are from a place of kindness, experience, and wanting the best outcome for the community. I have given this commentary a great deal of thought, and while I’m sharing my opinion, I checked in with the community’s sentiment to ensure I was on the right track. The blog post: https://heathersmithsmallbusiness.com/2022/10/05/tour-de-xerocon/ Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter : https://heathersmithau.com/

⤴️Raising Standards, Raising Knowledge, Raising Prices in the Bookkeeping Industry | Cassandra Scott

Today I’m speaking with Cassandra Scott, the Director of Laurus Bookkeeping  Based in Brisbane Cassandra is a Registered BAS Agent, Xero Certified Advisor, Xero Platinum Partner, mentor and Director of the Australian Bookkeepers Association. She recently gave a heart warming speech about the importance of the accounting and bookkeeping community at the Brisbane Roadshow, so initially I am going to share that with you. Then after her talk, I go straight into our interview, where we talk about technology, community and leadership in the Bookkeeping Industry. Key takeaways include: The technology she uses in her practice - including the Xero Suite, Microsoft 365, the customer support software FreshDesk and XBert AI driven automated manual checks of your client files, surfacing errors, issues and risks. Successful strategies she’s adopted to introduce clients to the new workflow methods and technology solutions. Bookkeeping resources and support, including Bookkeepers in Practice (Australia) community on FaceBook and the Australian Bookkeeper Association. Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Read about how I strategically partner with Apps at https://EndorsementDisclosure.com I’ll organise to have this episode published on EarMark CPE, so if you register on the EarMark CPE App you can earn 1 hour verifiable CPE for listening to this episode.

Reinventing Forecasting & GSheets integration served with chilled Tea Leaf 🍵 Vodka| Geoff Baker

I'm Heather Smith and welcome to Cloud Stories, a podcast exploring the Accounting and Business Apps community. Stay up-to-date with the curated content I'm sharing by signing up for the Accounting Apps newsletter, available at https://HeatherSmithAU.COM  As you will be aware, I strategically partner with a number of Accounting Apps in the community and one of them is Fathom. Geoff Baker, Global Head of Customer at Fathom joined me today. Geoff has a unique and diverse background, with leadership roles in FMCG, Telco and, for the last 6 years, accounting software. He has managed multi-billion dollar budgets but is most at home in scale up companies, devising customer-centric strategies for growth and building high performing teams who love their work. Originally from the UK, Geoff lives in Brisbane, Australia with his wife, 3 daughters and two dogs. Geoff Baker is currently Global Head of Customer at Fathom. Fathom exists to give clarity and confidence to the courageous people behind every business. We help businesses worldwide manage and track their financial performance through our best-in-class app of the same name: a powerfully simple, all-in-one financial analysis, forecasting, and reporting tool. Bootstrapped in Brisbane in 2012, Fathom has grown to 80 people across our headquarters in Australia, and offices in the UK, the US, and the Philippines. We serve 70,000 customers worldwide, from small businesses to the world's biggest accounting firms. In this episode we discuss: Starting a side hustle of Australia’s first Tea Leaf Vodka out of a project while completing an MBA.  In his role as Partnership Leads at Intuit, he was focused on Building, Partnering or Buying functionality for the Australian Intuit’s solution. He shared the story of Fathom and what his current role entails The optimal scenario for accountants offering advisory services to their client base. Recent and up and coming releases within Fathom, including Reinventing forecasting, GSheets integration and Divisional Budgets I hope you enjoy this episode of Cloud Stories and I want to remind you again that I strategically partner with Fathom.

Don’t sell your time⏰, make them subscribe to your mind | Kelly Gonsalves

Today I’m speaking with Kelly Gonsalves, Founder & Chief Visionary of Totally Booked New York, Totally SEO, Ideation: Think Forward, & Leading Lady Machine Works In this episode, we talk about . . . After successfully co-founding three companies, Kelly shares advice for future co-founders. What is SEO? When accountants and bookkeepers should engage professional SEO support Transforming the accounting world through agreeing on the standardisation of what good books should look like The tech stack for an etsy store How working as a bartender and waiter lays a foundation for delivering excellent customer service (and always tip well when you are in a culture that relies on tipping!)  Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http://HeatherSmithAU.COM

Remembering a special colleague who had a positive impact on the accounting community

I’m very sorry if you’re hearing of his passing from me. I still can’t believe he is no longer with us. Today's episode is about remembering a special friend and colleague. It was not a complete conference event until you saw his smile that would light up a room and had one of his huge bear hugs. He always had time for a chat, a laugh, to share thoughtful insights or guidance. I recently attended the eco-system event at the Xero HQ in Melbourne. With a swarm of people in branded T-Shirts, I kept seeing him out of the corner of my eye. I’d turn to smile at him, and tearfully remember that I’m not going to see him again. I’ve realised that it’s unlikely we’re all going to be together in a room, to raise a glass to comfort each other, and share our stories and happy memories of a wonderful human. So I reached out to his friends and colleagues and asked them to share with me some favourite memories of him, so we can smile and laugh and remember him together wherever we are in this digitally connected but remote world. Please keep sharing stories about him and if you need it, I’m sending you a virtual hug.

📺Start Up TV: WeCrashed, The Dropout and real stories from the Accounting eco-system.

Accounting Innovation and Technology Buzz | May 22 Special Guest: Trent McLaren Head of Strategic Channels at DiviPay. In this episode we discuss: Using DiviPay to pay (and easily cancel) subscriptions (notably those trial subs).   A discussion around Futrli acquisition by Sage, and what it means in the reporting space.  Data Dear will no longer be available to Xero users, here are your options.  WeCrashed and The DropOut A discussion around the price increase from Ignition (formally Practice Ignition).  New feature from XBert Client Analytic Report which helps you quote for new clients. Upcoming conferences 20-24 June 22 https://tropicalinnovationfestival.com.au/  From the Trenches June 20/21 https://summit.fromthetrenches.com.au  10th June CA ANZ Future Focused Accounting Conference (I’m the host for two days) https://events.charteredaccountantsanz.com/event/ea5db209-8042-4fb7-84dc-f92382dd27a6/summary  Xerocon 2022 London 20&21 July  New Orleans 24&25 August  Sydney 7&8 Sept 2022  15 Jun – Digital Practice Summit Asia 2022 Virtual https://www.terrapinn.com/virtual/digital-practice-summit/index.stm  Read how I strategically Partner with Apps 👉 http://EndorsementDisclosure.com Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http://HeatherSmithAU.com/

☎️Accounting Innovation and Technology Buzz | Mar 22

Accounting Innovation and Technology Buzz | Mar 22 In this episode, we: Congratulate Trent on joining From The Trenches as their CEO. Trent also wonders what he will do with his PI tattoo, now that they've rebranded to Ignition. Ask the question is Oh My Fraud with Greg Kyte and Caleb Newquist the only accounting podcast you can play in the car with your family listening in? Talk about the upcoming conferences, including Accounting & Business Expo 28 & 29 April Sydney, Sydney Xerocon, and Accountex 2023 News from DiviPay including a comprehensive new whitepaper for CFOs look to automation to improve team satisfaction. Unpack Xero’s State of the Australian Accounting & Bookkeeping industry report New releases from G-Accon and BGL AND Touch on an article ‘Are Niche Apps The Way Of The Future? By Michael Astreiko, CEO of Synder I’m currently working with the Team at DiviPay to help them connect with the Accounting and Bookkeeping community. If you want to read about the way I work with Accounting Apps, please visit http://endorsementdisclosure.com You can always see my strategic partners, as they are clearly labelled in pink on the headers of all of my social media platforms. I hope you like listening to The Buzz. Reach out to Trent or I and let us know what you thought, and it would really help us if you share the podcast with someone who would find it useful. Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http:// HeatherSmithAU.COM