Xero announced 400,000 subscribers 11/12/2014.
174 days later, on 3/6/2015, they announced 500,000 subscribers.
119 days after that, as at 30/09/2015, Xero announced 593,000 subscribers in their half year results.
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Getting SaaSy Part II
Assessment of listed (International) AuNZ SMB Accounting Tech
In Part I of Getting SaaSy, I assessed the ASX and NZSE listed SMB accounting tech players competing in the Australian and New Zealand market. For purposes of comparison and relevance, in this installment I’ve assessed the two major international players Intuit and Sage, plus, by popular demand I’ve had a look at Netsuite, whilst not really targeting AuNZ SMBs, they are the longest standing accounting tech SaaS cloud player in the world.
Getting SaaSy Part I
As part of my ongoing mission to contribute to the thinking on the SMB Accounting tech industry for the broader market, I thought I would sit down and provide some analysis and commentary on the relevant, listed players in AuNZ. I start with the ASX and NZSE players MYOB ($MYO), Xero ($XRO), Reckon ($RKN) and JCurve ($JCS) and will publish part 2 next week, for the major international listed entities operating in AuNZ Intuit ($INTU), Netsuite ($N) and Sage ($SGE).
How did we get here?
Understanding where Accounting Tech has been, to foresee the future
At the recent MYOB Incite, apart from playing semantics around “Disruption vs Transformation”, CEO Tim Reed espoused the line: “Today Defines Tomorrow”. I’d go a step further: I am a firm believer in understanding the past to navigate the future. In this article, I’m going to review from whence we came, so that I can shine a light on where I believe the accounting tech industry is at, and where we are heading.
Why Accounting tech is taking over the world
And why the likes of Intuit, Sage, Xero and MYOB are investing so much to make it happen
A couple of recent interactions have led me to believe that the broader market doesn’t fully appreciate the potential for the accounting technology industry. My intention over a series of articles, is to highlight my view of where the industry is headed and why I and many others are so excited to be part of what is unfolding.
Xero’s Q3 numbers don’t add up
I’ve been analysing the recent “Appendix 4C Quarterly Cash Flow Report” from Xero. No matter how I slice and dice the reported revenue number, compared with the last couple of years, this recent number just doesn’t fit.
In summary:
- Q3 (NZ Fin. Year, October-December) revenue was announced at $52.607m
- That’s $4.416m (9%) up on Q2
I Reckon an announcement is pending
In October, after a sudden rise in its share price (from hovering around $1.90 to highs of around $2.50) and rumours of a trade sale doing the rounds, Reckon confirmed it had engaged Macquarie Capital to help it “consider its strategic options“.
As rumours have continued to circulate on deals being done with both MYOB and Sage, the share price has stayed around $2.40.
If I were a betting man, and I am, I would be betting an announcement by Reckon is looming.
The countdown is on for MYOB
As part of the relisting of MYOB on the ASX, Bain Capital retained 57.7% majority shareholding with the following clause:
If the share price doesn’t increase by 20% in Mar 2016 (20 day Volume Weighted Average Price after the FY15 results are announced), Bain can’t sell down until Sept 2016 (after the announcement of the 1H16 results). At that point they can sell down completely if they choose.
Value Adding with Technology
Pricing Power Podcast 72
Recently I joined Steve Major on his Pricing Power Podcast to discuss my thoughts on Value Adding with Technology.
Steve and I could have spoken for hours, as we talked through our congruent views on the accounting industry and the role technology has to play in transforming the value being delivered.
16 Predictions for 2016
Am I the only one to dream of what tagline I’d like below my name in my next TV appearance?
To-date, the best I’ve received from my 15 minutes of fame have been: “Matt Paff, Big Brother Applicant” and “Matt Paff, Carry Over Champion” (from a brief appearance on Burgo’s Catchphrase).
I’m not quite happy that this is how Australian TV will remember me, so I catch myself occasionally slipping into a jealous daydream whenever certain taglines appear below people’s names in the shows I am watching.
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