And That’s A Wrap
This photo was taken at the 2024 #TaxTwitterRetreat, hanging out with some buddies, and I thought it was cute good-bye pic :-}
Live events are the bomb, and I can’t recommend enough attending some!
Change is hard. Not changing will be harder.
This is my final weekly email to you, and my last regular blog post. I may show up in your inbox sporadically, but certainly not weekly.
I have been blogging regularly since 2018, and have been sending weekly emails since 2021. I am keeping my Facebook Group, The Workflow Wateringhole, alive for the foreseeable future, and I am active on LinkedIn, so I will be musing in those spots for a while.
I will also be hanging about these five great interactive communities. I can not stress enough how life-changing being a part of communities is!
Automation Town hosted by Chad Davis
Future Firm hosted byRyan Lazanis
Realize hosted byJason Staats (I host a few sessions in there, and can be booked for consultations)
Right networks (I host a few sessions in there, and can be booked for consultations)
I subscribe to a few interesting newsletters in our space; here are five for you to check out.
The 15-Hour Accountant by Erica Goode (building a lifestyle firm)
The Bookkeeping Sidehustle by Kate Johnson (building a bookkeeping firm)
The CAS Cache by Luke Templin (adding advisory services to your firm)
Leaders Online by Katie Thomas (marketing for firms)
The Net Effect by Tailor Hartman (growing your accounting firm)
Put on proper pants, hop on some mode of transportation and go be with other accounting and fintech people. It will transform your business and possibly your life. Live events changed everything for me. Whether it is a small, local, affordable event or one that is far-flung (depending on where you live), and spendy (I have never regretted the investment), carve out the time to hang out in real life with people who are ahead of you, running alongside you or who are in need of a lift.
Here are two x five (in keeping with my theme of five) North American events for you to noodle on.
AICPA Engage - big, spendy, Las Vegas
Intuit Connect - big, spendy, Las Vegas
Scaling New Heights - big, spendy, Orlando
Accountex Canada - medium, low investment, Toronto
Bridging The Gap - medium, sort of spendy, TBA
CPB Ingnite - medium, sort of spendy, Montreal
Digital CPA - medium, sort of spendy, San Diego
Xerocon - medium, sort of spendy, Denver
Tax Retreat - small, low investment, San Antonio
Jason on Firms - small, low investment, 2025 hit up a bunch of cities
I have been in the accounting technology space since 2012, when QBO and Xero came to Canada. I adopted Hubdoc, Receipt Bank (Dext) and Plooto soon after. Then along came so much other exciting technology like my form builder, my online scheduler, my password manager app, RightTool, and my workflow apps.
For workflow, I started with 17Hats (thank you to my friend Tania Franolic for showing me the way), and I will be eternally grateful for how it streamlined my firm. And then, when Financial Cents came along, I was over the moon with how I could manage my work and collaborate with my team and our clients.
Those early days of cloud accounting technology were at times messy (as all new ways are!), yet heady and exciting. As an eager adopter, I had the opportunity to get to know my tech partners well and was fortunate enough to work with them for over a dozen years now. Advocating, marketing, product development, speaking & teaching, and writing - I got to have my hand in so much of it. The tech changed my clients’ lives and my business, and I will be grateful for the opportunities I had to shape and shout about it from the rooftops. To all the founders, I salute you - it is not for the faint of ego, heart, or wallet to bring your life-changing products to market. I hope my having a voice has created calm and freedom in accounting work for many others.
There are now so many great advocates in accounting; people who are eager, exciting, and passionate, that it’s time for me to leave the party on a high note. I would rather exit with grace than be hustled out the door in disgrace, and that time is now.
I am looking forward to spending more time doing what gives me joy: bookkeeping. I will be more focused on my sweet little firm, Accounting For Accountants, freeing owners from the time & pressure of doing their firm’s books. Along with cleanups/catchups for their clients. So if you need these services, I’m your gal.
It’s been a ride. Thank you for being a subscriber to my emails and blogs. I appreciate you.
PS: I am also winding down my template sales. My store will be live until April 2026, so if you have been thinking about grabbing some, the time is now.
