Andrew Van De Beek is a constant source of excitement at the illumin8 office and leads the team with encouragement and a fistful of positivity. Being firmly entrenched in Gen-Y, he’s keenly interested in new businesses and original ideas, and loves discovering emerging software and technologies that help these start-ups succeed. illumin8 We‘re more than just Accountants! We offer small business cloud accounting with a focus on automating and streamlining your systems to ensure you are spending more time growing your business.  Website - http://illumin8.com.au/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/illumin8partners/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/andrew_illumin8 and https://twitter.com/Illumin8prtnrs LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/in/andrew-van-de-beek-21a30915 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/illumin8partners/   Subscribe to Cloud Stories on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/cloud-stories-heather-smith/id908333807

Gen-Y Accountant Interested in Challenging the Flexibility 

*THE* podcast for accounting technology enthusiasts. Dive into the world of Accounting Apps with Heather Smith, a Chartered Accountant with a flair for storytelling and the engaging host of the Accounting Apps Podcast. Heather is obsessed with how effective automation and integration can produce timely clean data, to surface information for brave, fast data-informed decision making. Better data, better decisions, better business. She explores this topic with her guests, uncovering insights that offer you a competitive edge. Delve deeper into the Accounting Apps landscape and enhance your understanding. Hit that subscribe button now!

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Brilliant guests include entrepreneurs, founders, business consultants, accountants, bookkeepers, small business owners, cloud advisors, developers, cloud integrators and solution providers.

Each month guests share how they built their business and how your business or clients can use technology to be more effective and efficient. This may include exploring:

*How you can implement and integrate business tools with your online accounting software to automate processes, improve productivity, and profitability;
*How to build a business developing business apps; or
*How to build a tech stack that meets your business needs or introduce your clients to them.

If you have app overwhelm - this is an enjoyable podcast to listen to. Take it a step further and subscribe to the Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM

Contact details:
Heather Smith
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/

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Today I’m speaking with Sarah Lawrance, Founder & CEO of Hot Toast. In this episode, we talk about . . . - Sarah Lawrance shares her journey from childhood fascination with business to becoming a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) and founding her firm Hot Toast - Lawrance discusses her formative career experiences in Australia, London and fast-growth startups, and the inspiration for starting her own business - Sarah describes her role as a CFO for rapidly growing businesses, helping clients scale through advisory services, reporting, and finance team development - Sarah integrates technologies like G-Accon and SYFT to deliver data insights, and sees opportunities in AI and machine learning "I'm a big fan of G-Accon. I really love that tool. It's such a beautiful little connector that we pull lots of data out. We use it with Google Sheets. The creatives love Google Sheets, and they love zeros. So to be able to just link those two up and then kind of manipulate those into our own kind of models is a massive win for us."  - When she could not find an age appropriate soccer club, she started her own women's soccer team. The team has since expanded to over 100 members in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.- Frustrated by a lack of female board opportunities she co-founded the Global Women's Accounting Influencers community - The conversation covers mentoring the next generation, leveraging networks, and the power of community in the accounting industry   Contact details: Sarah Lawrance https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-lawrance-fcpa-83894516/ Hot Toast : https://hottoast.com.au/  Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting  X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU 

Industry Disrupting CFO Advisor Kicking Goals ⚽ | Sarah Lawrance

- Heather Smith moderates a debate between accounting software pioneer Michael Wood and tech strategist John Toon on the pros and cons of Excel vs Software - Michael argues that while Excel excels for individual tasks, software is better suited for collaboration and building efficient workflows for businesses - John counters that users, not the tools, are often to blame for Excel's downfalls, and that Excel can effectively replace basic accounting tasks for some clients  - The debate weighs the impact of tools on practice efficiency, profitability, and eventual sale value, with both sides acknowledging Excel's enduring relevance alongside advancing software - Listeners are polled on the winning side to much debate, highlighting the complexities of choosing the right tools for each accounting need Michael Wood https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwood/  https://www.translucent.io/    John Toon https://www.linkedin.com/in/johntoon/  Podcast https://digitoolsinaccrual.world/  Community https://www.digital-disruptors.com/  Beever and Struthers https://www.beeverstruthers.co.uk/  Contact details: Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting  X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU   

Today I’m debating Samuel Green, UK Partnership Account Executive of Employment Hero on AI vs the human touch in accounting at the Festival of Accountants and Bookkeepers - Smith argues the human touch is crucial for customer service and empathy while Greene emphasises AI's potential for efficiency and insights   - Both agree AI can streamline repetitive tasks but human oversight is still needed - Attendees question how AI will evolve and what to consider when choosing software - Smith encourages evaluating long-term roadmaps and support while Greene discusses AI use cases at Employment Hero - They find consensus that selective AI use can enhance but not replace the human experience in client relationships Write up from the debate AI and the case for the human touch  https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/tech/accounting-software/ai-and-the-case-for-the-human-touch    Samuel Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/samuelgreen14/ https://employmenthero.com/ Contact details: Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting  X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU 

Today I’m speaking with Adam Riches, CEO & Co-Founder of Netgain In this episode, we talk about . . . - Adam Riches discusses the new lease accounting standards IFRS 16 and ASC 842, and how Netgain helps clients navigate the complexities - Riches shares how Netgain automates lease data extraction from contracts using AI to save accountants time - The challenges of managing cash flow visibility and bank reconciliations for businesses are highlighted - How Netgain's tools like its close module help speed up the month-end close process and improve data quality - The history of accounting software development is examined, from mainframes to Excel, and how Netgain aims to continue innovating - Potential applications of AI in accounting are explored, such as automating bookkeeping tasks and catching previously overlooked errors Contact details:   Adam Riches linkedin.com/in/adam-riches-cpa Netgain: https://www.netgain.tech/  Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting  X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU   

Heather Smith shares interviews from the Festival of Accountants and Bookkeepers in Birmingham, including conversations about launching a UK version of XBert, the funding journey of a founder, updates on Sage products, and Richard Sergeant's advice for vendors. Insights cover compliance, automation, growth and more. - Interview with Will Rush  - GM(UK) for XBert discussing launching their platform in the UK - Conversation with Lucy Cohen - Co-founder and CEO of Mazuma, about starting her business and her recent funding journey (Featuring Alex Falcon Huerta) - Updates on BrightPay payroll from Donal Carr - Senior Account Executive Bright Software - Overview of Sage's offerings for accountants from Chris Downing - Director of Product Marketing | Accountants and Bookkeepers Sage - Richard Sergeant - Managing Director Principle Point shares tips for vendors working with accountants - Mark Lee Facilitator BookMarkLee.co.uk  Contact details: Accounting Apps newsletter: http://HeatherSmithAU.COM Accounting Apps Mastermind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/XeroMasterMind  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/HeatherSmithAU/  YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ANISEConsulting  X: https://twitter.com/HeatherSmithAU   

Gen-Y Accountant Interested in Challenging the Flexibility

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