Accounting Apps Podcast

The Devastating British Post Office’s 📮 Point of Sale Scandal| Tom Herbert

In this episode, Tom Herbert, technology editor at Accounting Web, shares his insights on the British Post Office scandal, which has been ongoing for decades, ruining the lives of many subpostmasters. Heather and Tom discussed the problems with the Post Office's Fujitsu Horizon point of sale system implementation, leading to unbalanced reconciliations and accusations of theft against subpostmasters. The Post Office used its prosecution powers and prosecuted 700 subpostmasters between 1989 and 2015, resulting in jail time, financial ruin, relationship breakdown, lost homes, living in cars, and sadly much much worse. The scandal is discussed from the perspective of an accountant, the POS implementation, the forensic accountant who aided in uncovering the issues, the suspense account, the high tax hitting the subpostmasters when they received any compensation. The story behind this scandal, Mr Bates vs the Post Office, was broadcast on ITV in January 2024. We talk about the importance of storytelling in bringing this story into the narrative of the general public. Contact details: Tom Herbert  Contact details: Tom Herbert https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomherbert/  AccountingWeb https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/  Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting  X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU

Accounting Industry Trends 📈 to Watch in 2024 | Tyler Caskey

Today I’m speaking with Tyler Caskey, Partner at The Bean Counters In this episode, we talk about . . . Accounting industry trends in 2024  Crafting accounting stories for clients, marketing and career coaching. AI, Automation & ChatGPT in accounting.  Remote work trends and virtual teams in the accounting industry.  Pay raises, career progression, and work-from-home impact.  The role of accountants in strategic business planning and advisory Trends in practice management software for accounting firms.  This episode is kindly sponsored by Employment Hero: The All in One HR, Payroll & Benefits Platform  https://employmenthero.com/ Translucent The Multi-Entity Accounting solution  https://www.translucent.io/  Technology Mentioned Account-Kit https://www.account-kit.com/  AirWallex https://www.airwallex.com/au  Dashboard Insights https://dashboardinsights.com/  Employment Hero https://employmenthero.com/  FYI Docs : https://fyi.app/  Handisoft : https://www.theaccessgroup.com/en-au/products/handisoft/  KarbonHQ https://karbonhq.com/  XBert https://www.xbert.io/  Xero Practice Manager https://www.xero.com/au/xero-practice-manager/  Weel https://letsweel.com/   Contact details: Tyler Caskey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylercaskey/ The Bean Counters: https://www.thebeancounters.com.au/  "The Accounting Podcast," Blake Oliver's interview with Ben Richmond, the Country Manager of Xero USA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqSYir84htg   Weel Natalie Lennon https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalielennon/  Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting  X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU

An Accountant’s Manifesto 📖: David Boyar’s Journey to Transform the Profession

The biggest kept secret in the Australian accounting industry: The acquisition of Change GPS by Access Group. This episode is kindly sponsored by Employment Hero: The All in One HR, Payroll & Benefits Platform  https://employmenthero.com/ Translucent The Multi-Entity Accounting solution  https://www.translucent.io/  In this episode - David Boyar reflects on his upbringing in his father's accounting practice and early ambitions ( he was going to be CEO of Coca Cola!) - He discusses founding an association of CFOs and lessons learned from scaling advisory work   - Boyar shares how he joined Change GPS and their aligned values (with Timothy Munro) in transforming accounting firms - Insights are provided on data analytics in accounting tech companies and marketing approaches, including wearing a suit ! - Accountants take umbrage at people who've never had an accounting practice telling them what to do. - The acquisition of Change GPS by Access Group is explained as a strategic partnership - Client experience and standardised services are highlighted as priorities for the future Contact details: L: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidboyar/  L: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothymunro/ W: https://changegps.com.au/ Roadshow: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/changegps-2988249339    Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting  X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU

🚀 Kicking Off 2024: Adventures, Insights, and Changes from Heather Smith

The big news is I'm rebranding the Cloud Stories podcast to the Accounting Apps podcast (fingers crossed) In this episode, I talk about . . . Summer adventures with family and Chester the Border Collie in Elanora and Crows Nest Catching up on admin backlog and office makeover Website update with recent photos and videos Rebranding Cloud Stories podcast to Accounting Apps podcast Introducing advertising to the newsletter and podcast Clarification on ACCA Global Council election results Embracing "StoryTeller" as the theme for the year Upcoming speaking engagements in Birmingham and Cairns Preview of the next episode with David Boyar, CEO of ChangeGPS Contact details: Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting  X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU   

Wrap up of 2023

2023 has been a brilliant technicolour year for me, and I’m delighted to end it on yet another high, hitting 20 000 podcast episode downloads during the year. As an accountant I do like a nice round number.  Thank you to the many listeners, especially those who hit the subscribe button. Thank you to the many guests who graciously share their time with me on the Cloud Stories podcast over the last year.  Thank you to the conference organisers for providing me with the opportunity to meet fascinating individuals and enabling me to share knowledge with our accounting & bookkeeping community. The Cloud Stories Wrap of 2023 is as an opportunity to answer the following questions:   Which accounting technologies saw the most significant advancements this year? What were the top 5 most popular episodes of 20 How did the podcast evolve over the past year? What were the biggest challenges faced in podcasting about accounting technology in 2023? What feedback from listeners surprised you the most? What was the most unexpected topic or guest you had in 2023? What was the most controversial topic discussed on the podcast?  How do you plan to evolve the podcast in the coming year? What advice would you give to someone starting a podcast in the accounting technology niche? How did you celebrate reaching 20,000 downloads? What are your goals for the podcast in 2024?   Wishing you all health and happiness as we head into 2024. Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Connect with Heather Smith here https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersmithau/ 

Exploring Chat GPT in Accounting

Heather Smith delves into the transformative role of ChatGPT in the accounting sector. The discussion begins with an early adopter's perspective, highlighting the initial challenges and the evolving capabilities of ChatGPT. She explores its practical applications in tasks like email drafting and webinar planning, emphasising its ability to add creativity and efficiency to mundane tasks. The podcast then shifts focus to customise ChatGPT for more personalised and precise outputs. This includes tailoring the AI to align with specific language preferences, such as UK English, and ensuring the responses are concise and fit the intended audience's needs. Emphasis is placed on the tool's ability to mirror an individual's style and branding, making it a versatile asset in professional communications.   In the final segment, she discusses the importance of critically assessing AI outputs, acknowledging ChatGPT's limitations such as its tendency to "hallucinate" or provide incorrect information, and the inherent biases in AI based on its training data. This part of the conversation underscores the need for a responsible approach to using AI, balancing its remarkable benefits with an awareness of its pitfalls. Overall, the podcast offers a comprehensive look at ChatGPT’s role in accounting, providing listeners with insights into how this AI tool can be a game-changer in the industry while also cautioning them to use it judiciously. Then there is a surprise twist!! Connect with Heather Smith here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersmithau/  Subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter here http://HeatherSmithAU.COM   

Solving the Multi-Entity Problem: The Story Behind Translucent | Michael Wood

Michael Wood truly lives and breathes the title entrepreneur. Currently he’s Founder & CEO of Translucent. His LinkedIn profile reveals he’s also the founder of 4 other companies. The company that you’re likely to know him from is Receipt Bank. Michael was the original co-founder and was there till April 2021, when it was acquired by private equity group HgCapital. Please be aware I strategically partner with Translucent. I was an early adopter of Receipt Bank, and also am an early adopter of Translucent. I’m sure you will find this interview enlightening! In this episode, we talk about . . . Michael’s journey from pursuing a Bachelor of Science in zoology to founding a marketing and growth consultancy firm, Tweed London. The origins and evolution of Receipt Bank, a digital receipt management platform.  The impact of Xero's API on the accounting industry.  Michael discusses how his experience at Receipt Bank led to the launch of Translucent, a solution for multi-entity businesses to manage their accounting setup. How Translucent is using a compound startup approach to build multiple apps within one platform, aiming to launch four apps per year. Michael explains that Translucent is like a data warehouse, providing a single source of truth for users to easily search and find data across all their entities. Michael discusses upcoming features for their financial management platform, including bank consolidation and intercompany loans. The future of accounting, globalisation, and the need for a more unified toolset. Michael shares his views on the future of accounting and technology industry through 2030, emphasising the value of data and its journey towards maximisation. Michael highlights the increasing importance of data in the industry, and how firms and finance departments will need to surf the technology wave to keep up. Michael Wood : https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwood/ Translucent : https://translucent.app/  Heather Smith : https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersmithau/  If you enjoyed this podcast please share it with someone else who you think would benefit from it. For in-depth discussions about the ecosystem, do join the Xero Mastermind group on Facebook. I recommend subscribing to the Accounting Apps newsletter for a comprehensive insight into the ecosystem space, accessible at HeatherSmithAU.COM. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and subscribe to the Cloud Stories podcast. I'm Heather Smith, and this has been the Cloud Stories 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/