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In this episode, Nat and Sarah are live on the Xerocon Denver expo floor with Angad Soin, Managing Director Australia & New Zealand and Global Chief Strategy Officer at Xero. They dive into life outside the executive chair, practical AI workflows, and what the next five years look like for accounting practices.

They kick off with quickfire questions to get to know Angad beyond his title. He shares the reality of life at home with three kids, ranks classic Aussie staples (Tim Tams first, flat whites last), and explains why he prefers working in the office kitchen area over a traditional desk. Nat also gets him to name his favourite XPAC'er, and he diplomatically picks the two of them - "those two twins" - much to Sophie's horror for not pre-vetting the questions.

The conversation turns to the firm of 2030. Angad's view is that while tech will change how the work gets done, the core purpose of accounting remains unchanged: spending time talking to clients and helping them navigate their businesses.

They move to realistic AI applications, where Angad breaks down two personal setups: a system that parses school newsletters into his calendar, and enterprise workflows that stitch together data analysis and presentation decks in minutes rather than weeks.

On market differences, he notes that Australia and New Zealand firms are often further ahead in tech adoption than the US, where scale and tax complexity allow traditional models to persist longer.

For firm owners eyeing strategy and hiring, his advice is to find hungry problem-solvers with domain knowledge over purely technical developers. On security, his stance is simple: good data governance never changes, and sensitive client information should never be fed into consumer-grade LLMs.

And Nat goes in for the scoop on the next Xerocon location….

Plus, a firm stance on fairy bread and a passionate defence of erasing office whiteboards.

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📣 Shoutouts:

Angad Soin - Managing Director ANZ & Global Chief Strategy Officer, Xero (joined Xero 2021, previously 13 years at Deloitte)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angadsoin 

Xero blog: https://blog.xero.com/author/angad-soin/ 

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own professional advice and conduct their own due diligence before acting on any information discussed.

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In this episode, Nat and Sarah are live from Xerocon Denver 2026 with Isaac Perdomo, founder of Opzer, someone they have followed on socials for years but never met in person until now. Isaac is not an accountant, he is an engineer that builds the agents, automations and apps that accounting firms actually use, and he helps them work out where technology will have the biggest impact before anyone starts building.

They kick off with the question everyone is asking. With this much noise around AI, what should accountants and bookkeepers actually pay attention to? 

The conversation moves to the firm of 2030. Isaac's take is that AI becomes the interface, and accountants will not be sitting inside Xero or QuickBooks doing the work in a few years. 

They cover the tools he reaches for, the shift away from traditional RPA towards browser extensions and desktop scripts, and what to do with sensitive client data. His answer is that it depends on volume and consequence, with a spectrum that runs from free personal accounts through to enterprise plans, embedded AI and local models, and a very simple starting point for anyone who wants to experiment locally. Sarah pushes on cost, and whether the current pricing is quietly being subsidised.

They finish on governance, which Sarah sees as an easy lift and a natural advisory conversation for the profession. Isaac's view is blunt. If you have not made a decision about which tools your team can use, your team has already made it for you, and your inaction is what is creating the risk. His starting point for an AI policy is one line. Define what tools you use, in what context, and with what data.

Plus a wandering conference mic, a lanyard cameo, a PA announcement mid answer and a promise of a build versus buy conversation another day.

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🔗 Episode links:

• Isaac Perdomo on LinkedIn 
• Opzer
• Viktor our AI coworker

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own professional advice and conduct their own due diligence before acting on any information discussed.

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In this episode, Nat and Sarah are live from Xerocon Denver 2026 with Matthew May, one of the most recognisable accountants in the US and the man behind The Tech CPA. They first met him at Xerocon Nashville when he took their microphone during Pass the Phone and told them they were doing it wrong, so this one was always going to be fun.

Matthew shares his path from public accounting to co-building Acuity with Kenji Kuramoto, twelve years there, and then joining one of the big American roll-ups. He is now part of Soren, bringing 30 firms under one banner, and he is refreshingly honest about how hard that is when a new group joins every week and every firm is at a different stage with a different tech stack. He talks through what they run (Karbon, the Microsoft stack, QuickBooks and Xero, Intacct, Bill, Ramp, Gusto and ADP) and why they deliberately never become a single ledger shop, because clients should have a choice.

The AI conversation is the heart of the episode. Matthew describes the Blockbuster risk facing firms right now, where AI is used to become the best possible version of the old model instead of rethinking what clients actually want. He explains why US data fragmentation, 50 states, sales taxes and messy bank feeds, keeps America a step behind Australia on automation, and how the real challenge is taking a bespoke AI win on one client and turning it into something you can roll out across thousands.

They close on the accounting firm of 2030, with Matthew comparing the moment to New York taxis when rideshare arrived. Taxis are still around, but the rideshare market grew to many times the size of the original one. The firms that thrive will be the ones who use better data to reimagine what they offer, not just do the same work faster. He also makes the case for why the profession stays relevant, because it is one of the kindest and most trusted there is, with one warning for anyone who would rather not talk to people.

And because nothing at Xerocon goes to plan, you also get a full SD card, a camera dying mid-answer, a phone call from Matthew's mum, an Australian slang test that goes badly (chuck a sickie, servo, knackered, shoey), Denver bin sorting, burnt American coffee and the story of the contraband Xero shoes. We left it all in.

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🔗 Episode links: Matthew May on LinkedIn 

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own professional advice and conduct their own due diligence before acting on any information discussed.

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In this episode, Nat and Sarah reflect on a decade in business and get honest about the clients they've fired, the tech they've ditched, and the revenue they've walked away from to build better firms.

They kick off with the current market, noting more leads than ever but also more tyre kickers and ghosting. Re-engagement season brought some clients dropping to quarterly and a few filtering out from the early "say yes to everyone" days.

The core of the episode is about boundaries. Sarah shares the hard lesson of stepping back from a major client she loved, realising she'd become an in-house outsourced CFO rather than building a scalable practice. Nat talks about keeping mobile access to roughly 10% of clients and training everyone else to go through the team. They explore why women in the industry tend to struggle more with saying no, and how they're now learning from male peers who've scaled bigger with fewer hours.

On firing clients, they discuss balancing AML obligations and risk management with supporting businesses doing it tough. Red flags for new clients include bashing their previous accountant, multiple accountants in two years, and slow onboarding. Tech that didn't last includes My Firms App, Futurly dashboards, and Modano.

Tea time covers a call-out against negative competitor advertising, a reminder not to adopt AI without measuring real ROI, renaming their Viktor bots, and whether recruiters charging 30% of salary is justified given the talent crisis. 

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🔗 Episode links:

• Grant Thornton

📣 Shout Outs:

• Shannon Smit
• Steph Hinds
• Jarvis Archer

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own professional advice and conduct their own due diligence before acting on any information discussed.

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Proudly brought to you by Ignition who we both love and use in our businesses to automate proposals and streamline invoicing.

In this episode, Nat and Sarah get honest about holidays and burnout, comparing their mid-year breaks, debating whether the laptop should come on holiday, and sharing tips for actually switching off (even when you have no self-control).

They also let slip a big announcement: two new businesses are launching off the back of the CPA AI Build Day. An AI training and events series touring Australia, and an online AI community for accountants and bookkeepers who want practical, ROI-focused learning. Waitlist link below.

The industry update is a packed one. The KPMG inquiry and Treasury's push to break up the Big Four, Jim Chalmers' questionable business creation stats, concerns around the government eyeing super as a "national asset," and the trust distribution consultation paper. Plus CPA's upcoming educational tour to help practitioners navigate the changes.

Tea time covers the Xero CEO's share sale ahead of the AGM, Xero's ultimatum to 5,000 underperforming staff, and the cautionary tale of AI-native firm Squeeze. A reminder that the firms winning right now are balancing tech with the human element. 

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☕️ Send us your accounting industry tea and how you are using AI in your firm - [email protected]u  or DM on socials.

🔗 Episode links:

• Small Business Accountants & Advisers Brain Trust, Australia Facebook group
• Our new business waitlist
• Accountants Daily Article - Nearly 70% in ‘double taxation’ consultation paper
• Squeeze Accounting

📣 Shoutouts:

• Chris Wheatley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-wheatley-fca-29398533/ 
• Beau Gaudron: https://www.linkedin.com/in/beaugaudron/ 
• Anita De Encarnacao: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-da-encarnacao-35457b20/ 
• Kayur Patel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayur-patel-nz/
• Heather Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathersmithau/ 
• Robyn Jacobson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyntax/

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own professional advice and conduct their own due diligence before acting on any information discussed.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Proudly brought to you by Ignition who we both love and use in our businesses to automate proposals and streamline invoicing.

In this episode, Nat and Sarah are counting down to Xerocon Denver 2026 and taking you through everything they're excited about, who they want to talk to, and why international conferences are worth every cent.

They kick off by looking back at Xerocon Nashville two years ago - the connections made, the things learned, and how relationships built at that conference have continued to pay dividends (including being able to refer clients to US-based accountants when tariffs hit). The takeaway is clear: international conferences break the echo chamber and open up opportunities you just don't get at home.

Nat and Sarah are returning as roving reporters and will be recording interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and a podcast episode on the ground. If you're going, they want to hear from you - send them your questions and let them know if you'll be there.

For attendees, the tips are simple but important - have a plan and a checklist (Nat's specialty), wear comfortable shoes, stay hydrated, get to the gym in the morning (they're doing it this time), and whatever you do, don't skip the wrap party at Mile High Station. You will always find a friend on the dance floor.

Be sure to be following along on socials when they hit the road early August for Xerocon Denver.

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☕️ Send us your accounting industry tea and how you are using AI in your firm - [email protected] or DM on socials.

🔗 Episode links:

• Xerocon Denver 2026 agenda and tickets
• Joma Blue app (conference companion app)
• 
  

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own professional advice and conduct their own due diligence before acting on any information discussed.

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In this episode, Nat and Sarah do a round of the grounds on the Australian accounting industry - and there is a lot to unpack.

First up, the Australian Accounting Awards. Natalie took out Thought Leader of the Year 2026, making it back-to-back wins with Sarah's 2025 title. They reflect on what the night meant, the incredible energy in the room, and a few process notes they've fed back to Accountants Daily around how finalists are notified. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners - including Davey Mack and the brilliant Amanda from Amanda Loves to Audit who took out the Academic Award.

Then it's straight into the industry headlines. The Senate Economics Legislation Committee held a two-day public hearing on the budget with 150 published submissions. Nat and Sarah break down the concerns around the rushed timeline (11 days of consultation compared to two-plus years for the GST and Henry Review), the nine unwritten ministerial instruments, and CPA Australia's cost estimates coming in at three to six times higher than Treasury's figures. They highlight Derek Francis (former NSW Parliamentary Budget Office chief economist) appearing on the Karl Stefanovic podcast to call out wrong assumptions in the budget modelling - and they're both seeing a pause in client confidence with businesses holding off on capital investment until the dust settles.

The Bendel case gets a deep dive. The High Court ruled 5-2 that unpaid present entitlements (UPEs) are not loans under Division 7A, overturning the ATO's position held since 2009. Nat and Sarah discuss what this means in practice, the Part IVA considerations that remain, and the professional indemnity questions Robyn Jacobson raised in her AFR article. Shout out to Robyn Jacobson and Tracy Dunn for their incredible work breaking down complex tax law for practitioners.

The political landscape gets a mention too - One Nation's rise in the polls, Pauline Hanson as the preferred PM, and Barnaby Joyce's appointment as One Nation's Treasury spokesperson.

On the tech front, Intuit cut 17% of its global workforce (around 3,000 jobs) and has effectively exited the Australian market. Xero has its AGM coming in August with stock under pressure and the Melio acquisition in play. Carbon launched Kai - its AI agent, note taker, and MCP server - and Nat and Sarah are loving it. And Ignition announced its expansion into AML compliance ahead of the 1 July deadline, which feels like a natural extension for firms already using it for engagements.

The episode wraps with a look at how Nat and Sarah are using Viktor, their AI coworker in Slack, to automate workflows across Carbon, Xero, and client channels - and tea time delivers a spicy discussion about Jason Statz's LinkedIn post on accountants promoting paid software, transparency around creator incentives, and the importance of aligning with products you genuinely believe in. 

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☕️ Send us your accounting industry tea and how you are using AI in your firm - [email protected]  or DM on socials.

🔗 Episode links:

• Karl Stefanovic podcast featuring Derek Francis on budget assumptions 
• Robyn Jacobson AFR article on the Bendel case and Div 7A
• CPA Australia - Jenny Wong's commentary on the budget
• Karbon Kai announcement
• Ignition AML compliance
• Viktor

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own professional advice and conduct their own due diligence before acting on any information discussed.

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Proudly brought to you by Ignition who we both love and use in our businesses to automate proposals and streamline invoicing.

This episode is a love letter to the accounting profession. In a season full of stress and pressure, Nat and Sarah take a step back to celebrate the incredible impact accountants have on their clients and communities.

They share powerful stories from their own practices, from helping a tradie client who almost lost everything turn his business around and start saving for an investment property, to supporting an overwhelmed business owner through an SBR that completely transformed their financial position.

The episode also features stories from the wider accounting community. Highlights include Nathan Rigney helping save marriages through financial stress relief, Christopher Dodson's client with 23 years of outstanding tax who became "a different man" after getting up to date, Justine Vorick receiving flowers from a grateful client (in a mop bucket, no less), and Clayton Wood in regional Albury helping a family go from no money for groceries to saving for a house deposit and commercial building purchase.

The conversation also dives into AI tools the hosts are loving right now Nat walks through her meeting notes workflow using Vinyl for transcription, Granola for meetings that don't allow bots, and WhisperFlow for voice-to-text on the go, plus a look at how AI can automate client action items straight into Karbon.

Tea time serves up a spicy industry story about award criteria and a reminder that not all growth metrics tell the full story.

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🔗 Episode links

• Vinyl - AI meeting transcription (shout out to Trent McLaren)
• Granola - background meeting notes
• WhisperFlow - voice-to-text app

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own professional advice and conduct their own due diligence before acting on any information discussed.

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Proudly brought to you by Ignition who we both love and use in our businesses to automate proposals and streamline invoicing.

In this episode, Nat and Sarah tackle an issue close to every accountant's heart - mental health in accounting - especially during the pressure cooker of EOFY season.

They open up about what's been keeping them busy: Natalie's nomination for Thought Leader of the Year at the Australian Accounting Awards, Sarah's CPA AI Build Day pilot event, onboarding new clients and team members, and gearing up for tax planning season.

The conversation gets real as they explore the unique mental health challenges facing accountants - from the emotional weight of client crises, to managing perfectionism and imposter syndrome, to the always-on nature of working from home. They share personal strategies that help them stay grounded, including the 5am gym club, setting boundaries with work hours, prioritising sleep, and building routines that create separation between work and life.

The episode wraps with a tea time reminder to be kind - after hearing about an accountant who blasted another via email over Xero file mistakes. Pick up the phone, sleep on that angry email, and remember we're all in this together.

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☕️ Send us your accounting industry tea and how you are using AI in your firm - hello@accountantsafterhours or DM on socials.

🔗 Episode links:

• New Access for Small Business Owners coaching program
• CAANZ - 6 sessions with a psych
• Small Business Accountants & Advisers Brain Trust, Australia Facebook Group 

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own professional advice and conduct their own due diligence before acting on any information discussed.

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Proudly brought to you by Ignition who we both love and use in our businesses to automate proposals and streamline invoicing.

In a rapidly changing industry, your growth strategy can't just be "do good work and hope for referrals". This episode explores how to build a multi-pronged marketing strategy for 2026 and beyond.. 

Natalie discusses her shift from 100% online visibility to a mix of social media and local networking, while Sarah shares her "North Star" of building an AI-native firm. They cover the hidden costs of referrals that aren't the right fit, the dangers of buying growth through messy firm acquisitions, and the power of simple consistency over perfection..

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☕️ Send us your accounting industry tea and how you are using AI in your firm - hello@accountantsafterhours or DM on socials.

🔗 Episode links:

• Nat's iconic Tiktok bathtub video

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DISCLAIMER: This podcast is general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own professional advice and conduct their own due diligence before acting on any information discussed.

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