In this episode, we discuss a topic that's on every business leader's mind: creating high-performing revenue teams. We don't just talking about hitting targets, but about building sustainable, thriving teams that deliver consistent results without burning out. Some of the topics we cover include:Building a successful teamTreating your revenue team like a sports teamThe importance of attitudeAnd to help us in this discussion, we have Matt Lowry, the Chief Revenue Officer at ApprovalMax.

Rapid-fire recommendations

Software: Spotify

Book: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Podcast: The Revenue Leadership Podcast with Kyle Norton

Piece of advice: Treat your revenue team/s like a sports team

Key takeaway: It's all about customer centricity. Review your CI calls and review your processes, asking yourself if they are truly customer-centric.

Web: https://www.syftanalytics.comEmail: [email protected]

We've all felt the pervasive hype around AI. Now that the initial excitement has settled, it's time to tackle more critical questions, such as AI's exponential growth means for us as individuals, communities, and society? In this episode, we’ll investigate some of these questions alongside an expert in AI and machine learning - Prof. Benjamin Rosman from the School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand.

In this episode we consider the following topics:

Rapid-fire recommendations

In this episode, we explore a critical shift in the business world. While data is abundant, the real power lies in transforming raw numbers into compelling narratives and clear strategic direction. We're witnessing the rise of a new kind of leader: the 'Data Whisperer.' These are the individuals who can take complex financial figures and make them speak, guiding businesses toward smarter decisions and sustained growth.

Join us as we chat with Gavin Simpson, CEO and Founder of Cloud Finance & Accounting in Edinburgh, UK. We'll delve into how forward-thinking finance leaders are becoming "data whisperers," equipped with the tools and mindset to understand complex financial information and communicate its story clearly across the organization. 

Rapid-fire recommendations

• Software: Fireflies Notetaker

• Book: The Almanac of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness 

• Podcast: The Tim Ferriss Show

• Key takeaway: How can I get the numbers of my business to tell me a story of the past, but, more importantly, of the future?

Today we are joined by Michele Hili, the Finance Solutions Team Lead at Scope Solutions, to discuss how accountants and business owners can find powerful technological solutions to their business challenges.

We consider the role of app stacks and how apps work together, the potential of AI and how it's changing the space, and why it's important to remain open to change and innovation as an accountant or business leader.

Rapid-fire recommendations

• Book: Ikigai by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia

• Key takeaway: Watch Light & Magic on Disney+ to learn about implementing technological innovations.
  

Our guest today is Mkuzo Kuwani, the co-founder of ComGrow, a Zambian fintech startup that’s digitizing Africa’s most trusted community finance systems, namely savings groups, village banks, tontines, and chamas. ComGrow’s argument is that these groups have always worked; they’re just making them better. 

We discuss:

• What community finance is all about
• How community finance could be digitized and why this has great potential
• Enhancement vs. reinvention in tech

Jo Wood and Zoe Whitman are the powerhouse duo behind The 6 Figure Bookkeeper. As international speakers, best-selling authors, and hosts of an industry-leading podcast, they’re on a mission to transform the way bookkeepers grow their businesses.

They also co-founded Hey Monika, an AI-powered software that gives aspiring bookkeepers practical, confidence-boosting experience with real tools and real-world tasks - bridging the gap between training and doing.

In this episode, we discuss some of the ways in which bookkeepers can grow their practices by offering value-added services, aided by the right tech.

Rapid-Fire Recommendations:

• Software: Zapier & Xero
• Book: Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins & Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business by Gino Wickman
• Most valuable lesson they've learned about building a business: Know when your energy is high and plan your business around this and around what you value in your life.
• Key takeaways: Build the business that you want. Keep the focus on why you’re doing it and what you want it to do for you. And know that you’re valuable.

In this episode, we speak to Jana Lamprecht, a CA(SA) and Programme Director of Chartered Accountancy at the University of the Free State, in South Africa. Jana has been lecturing at the University of the Free State since 2002, initially focused on auditing and assurance. Prior to that, she completed her articles at PwC. In November 2024, she was promoted to her current position as Programme Director. 

We speak about the ways in which accounting students and accountants can embrace automation tools, such as Power Automate, to level up their work. From the importance of learning digital skills to the impact of automation on the wider industry, this podcast covers it all.

Rapid-Fire Recommendations

• Book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
• Biggest lesson Jana has learned when teaching accounting: The only constant is change.
• Key takeaway: For accountants and future accounts - embrace automation. You need to be able to future-ready yourself. It is not just about saving time on tasks like invoicing and data entry; it's about unlocking your potential to solve problems, analyze data, and to be able to connect with your clients like you have never done before.

Today, we’re diving into one of the biggest opportunities for accounting firms looking to scale: ditching bulky, expensive ERP systems and building a lean, integrated tech stack in the cloud.

Our guest, David Tuck, is the Co-Founder and CEO of Mayday. He is joining us today to unpack how accounting firms can save money, boost efficiency, and stay agile by choosing the right combination of apps - and how to avoid the common traps along the way.

If you’ve ever wondered whether your tech stack is helping or holding you back, this episode is for you.

Rapid-fire recommendations:

• Tech that's great: Xero
• Tech that's overhyped: AI as the next generation of accounting. AI will sustain the industry, not disrupt it.
• Key takeaway: As a small and medium business, it’s not just possible to scale with Xero and its ecosystem but it enables you to build a superior quality system as well.

In this special episode of the podcast, we speak to two professionals who work together, hand in glove, to executive changes through businesses. We consider the growing partnership between HR and Change Management, what this means for organizations and what business leaders can apply to changes in their own organizations.

Our guests are Eve McKenzie, GM Change Management at Xero, and Tina Karia, People Experience Business Partner at Xero.

Some of the topics covered include:

• The real meaning of change management and the practicalities involved.
• The long impact of change.
• The interaction between HR and change management.
• The pitfalls of change management and how to avoid them.
• How to deal with resistance to change.
• Measuring the success of a change management initiative.
• The Three S Model applied at Xero: Simple, Safe, Structure.

Rapid-Fire Recommendations

• Software: ChatGPT & Gemini; Slack; Miro

• Book: Neuroscience for Organizational Change: An Evidence-based Practical Guide to Managing Change by Hilary Scarlett

• Podcast: The Diary of a CEO

• Valuable lesson about building a business: Your culture is your business. You can have the best strategy in the world, but if your people don’t feel connected or feel empowered, it won’t work. 

  The secret currency of an organization is your relationships.

This week, we're peaking behind the curtain to find out about the unorthodox career path of one of our regular host on the podcast - Jodilee Manuel.

Jodilee Manuel is a Chartered Accountant who is the Head of Product at Syft Analytics. She is committed to finding ways to innovate and improve Syft features to serve customers in their business endeavors. She is passionate about business, accounting, and education. Jodilee also loves developing content and features to help business owners make better business decisions and to help accounting students grow their knowledge and digital acumen.

Jodilee also won SAICA’s Top 35 Under 35 Game Changer award in 2023 for the amazing work she’s done at Syft!

We dive into some of the most interesting parts of Jodilee's career journey along with what she's learned along the way.