In February I made the bold step into the events business. After a couple of years peculating on the idea, I bit the bullet and launched the Apps4 event business, setting up our first event in Sydney in May, Apps4 Wholesalers.
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QB Connect Au 2019 – the review no-one else will write
The end of May marked the third installment of the Australian QuickBooks Connect (QB Connect) event. This was the first year Intuit took their big show to Melbourne, in fact it was the first year the event traveled away from Sydney.
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3 Accounting Tech Whales under the investor’s microscope
May is a big month for Accounting Tech investors – we get the “3 big whales” of SME accounting software all reporting within days of each other. Its the one time of year we can assess how much the “rising tide is raising all ships”.
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Winter is coming, Why May is my favourite month in Accounting Tech
For us antipodeans, May is a stark reminder that winter is coming. The introduced deciduous trees we have, have given up hope that this year, climate change means they can keep their leaves, and so our streets are littered with the dry, brown, yellow and orange cast offs of these foreigners, as the days shorten, the weather chills and we all await the next episodes of GOT.
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Not quite 19 Predictions for 2019
Over the last few years I’ve tried my hand at predicting the year in cloud accounting and related biztech ahead, publicly critiquing my efforts at the start of the following year. Call me silly, call me brave, call me whatever you like. I do it because I feel too few are willing to back up their guessing with reflection. So rather than complain about it, I do what I think others should.
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2018, how’d my predictions fare?
Predicting the future is hard.
Holding yourself publicly to account for your predictions is even harder, and probably why few people do…
Before I publish my 19 predictions for 2019, it is my tradition and want, that I review my 2018 efforts.
After a solid performance in 2017, I’m marking my 2018 edition a solid B, with comment that “the student can improve with more focus in 2019!”
Here they were and here’s how I went:
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QBConnect 2018 – the review no-one else will write
The stated theme of QBConnect 2018 was “anything is possible”. I tend not to be a believer in the life philosophy of infinite possibilities. I don’t think it possible that I could break the world 100m sprint record held by Usain Bolt in the process of winning the 100m Olympic final. At 41 I’m too old to start on this momentous life goal. I wasn’t genetically endowed with a sprinter’s body, an elongated gate nor a mass of fast twitch fibres. Aspiring to such a lofty goal would be ludicrous (at my age especially), and assured of failure. So in summing up the Negative teams argument, if I can’t aspire to break Usain’s 100m world record and win the 100m gold medal, anything is NOT actually possible…
5 things I learned at Xero AGM 2018
Last Thursday, August 16 2018, Xero held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at The Establishment Sydney. Whilst not in the league of a Xerocon as far as attendance (a factor of 100 fewer attendees) or entertainment (I remained 100% sober, even at the after “refreshments”), I have been a regular of Xero AGMs for the last few years due to the access it provides to senior management and the board, both formally during the meeting and informally before and after. Access that filled in a few gaps for me on recent announcements and showed the dynamic of the leadership of the newly, post-founder-succession company. Here are 5 takeaways I garnered from the event:
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Xero’s revolving door & FY18 results impending
There’s been quite a stir around “the industry” over the last month about the churn of key people at Xero. First there was the “succession” of founder Rod Drury, cased in rumours and innuendo, that bears not repeating.
The concern for (not many) investors (judging by the share price since Rod’s departure) was the timing.
Will the MYOB acquisition of Reckon APS suffer from the Northern Eagles Effect?
On the 16th of November it was announced that MYOB (subject to regulatory approval) had acquired the assets of Reckon’s Accountant’s Practice division for $180m. Over the past month, I’ve spoken to more people about the deal, than I care to count. Rarely at my instigation I might add. It seems everyone wants to talk about it! From people close to Reckon to big ticket clients, former staff, current staff and the average man on the street. I was even provided the opportunity of a private audience with senior MYOB execs in a no-holds-barred session in which they laid-bare their core strategies.
I’ve distilled my own thoughts, stolen some from others and now have my opinions and theory of what is to come. Here goes: