Beyond Numbers by Xero

Georgi Rollings of Starfish Accounting and Xero’s Stuart Miller discuss the challenges ahead for Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD ITSA) and how to prepare. 

Making Tax Digital (MTD) is a UK government initiative that kicked off in 2019 with VAT-registered businesses, with the aim to improve the way that businesses submit tax returns. 

MTD for ITSA is now due to kick off from April 2024, affecting more than 4 million sole traders, landlords and business owners, with partnerships to follow in 2025. 

But how will HMRC, accountants, bookkeepers and software providers deal with the huge volume of businesses and individuals soon required to comply? What are the opportunities – and risks – for accounting firms and the self-employed? 

Georgi Rollings is the  founder and CEO at Starfish Accounting. She’s been a Xero partner since 2011 and is a current member of our Xero Partner Advisory Council – XPAC. 

Stuart Miller is Xero’s Head of Product Compliance & Industry Engagement – in other words: Xero’s very own expert on tax regulation. 

This podcast is hosted by Ash Gibson, brought to you by Xero and produced by Bird Lime Media.

Alex Falcon Huerta, CEO and founder of Soaring Falcon and Dave Gibson, CEO and co-founder of Blu Sky Chartered Accountants delve into the polarising topic of remote working.

This episode touches on employing remote or hybrid workers, being a digital nomad, navigating the challenges of managing teams across different locations and different time zones, and finding clients who are just as willing to embrace the changing workplace.

Alex Falcon Huerta is the founder of multi-award winning firm Soaring Falcon and was named Xero’s Most Valued Partner in 2017. 

Dave Gibson is the CEO and co-founder of Blu Sky Chartered Accountants, a forward-thinking and award-winning accountancy firm in North-East England. 

Join Xero’s Head of Customer and Partner Marketing, Tracy Smithers along with LinkedIn superstar and accounting firm founder, Jeri Williams, for ideas on how you can market with a difference. 

This episode touches on brand building for accounting firms, how to stand out from the crowd in the industry, and finding ways to connect with your clients through marketing. 

Jeri Williams is the founder of Smooth Accounting. Jeri created her business from scratch in her garage in 2016 which has grown into a thriving accountancy practice. She’s built a large social following across the accounting industry, utilising LinkedIn and YouTube. 

Tracy Smithers is a senior leader with 20 years of marketing experience with the likes of Westpac, a major Australasian bank, Mercury Energy and global creative agency, RAPP. She’s been at Xero for the past 18 months, leading the Brand, Customer and Partner Marketing team.

Beyond Numbers, hosted by Ash Gibson, is a platform for pacesetters within Xero's community to chat candidly about the issues and topics that crop up at work. It's about exploring the challenges and talking through the tips, tricks and insights together. It's not about educating accountants on how to do their job, but more on how to win at work. 

This special bonus episode of Beyond Numbers is recorded live from Xerocon London 2022.

Xerocon is unlike any other conference.  It's the place for leaders in online accounting; a place to meet and learn from other firms and technology partners, spend time with colleagues and generally have a great time, learning about the latest in cloud accounting technology. 

In this episode, we soak up the atmosphere of the event, get fresh reactions about new product announcements and discover why Xerocon is so special to our community of accountants and bookkeepers.

Learn more about the announcements and highlights from Xerocon London 2022

Beyond Numbers, hosted by Ash Gibson, is a platform for pacesetters within Xero's community to chat candidly about the issues and topics that crop up at work. It's about exploring the challenges and talking through the tips, tricks and insights together. It's not about educating accountants on how to do their job, but more on how to win at work. 

Lauren Harvey from Full Stop and Jonathan Bareham from Raedan discuss the changing face of accountancy. 

This episode covers  building a strong employer brand to recruit and retain talent; the stereotypes of accountancy compared to how it  actually looks today; as well as how to be a better business for the future of the industry. 

Lauren and Jonathan are both founders of award-winning small firms who really care about what they do. They are dedicated  to their clients - taking away accountancy stresses, they’re committed to making their business a great place to work for their teams, and they care about making the industry a place that people want to strive towards. 

You can find out more about Lauren and Full Stop here: https://www.fullstopaccounts.co.uk/

You can find out more about Jonathan and Raedan here: https://raedan.co.uk/

Beyond Numbers, hosted by Ash Gibson, is a platform for pacesetters within Xero's community to chat candidly about the issues and topics that crop up at work. It's about exploring the challenges and talking through the tips, tricks and insights together. It's not about educating accountants on how to do their job, but more on how to win at work.