My Personal Xero Journey

I officially signed on as a Xero partner 12th March 2011

After being in the industry for many years after university, building a practice and honing my craft - I decided to try Xero and see what all the 'noise' was about.

By 20th Jan 2013 I was a Xero Silver Partner - at the time that meant I had 20 clients using Xero.Mostly these clients were existing clients using other software that was all desktop based. I had built a business around compliance and all my systems catered to desktop software and on site client relationships. 1 to 1.

Xero cured a few pain points right from the get go. Here are the top 2 ....

1. Transfer of data files - using Cloud and single ledger means we are ALWAYS on the same page as the client and the accountant.In our practice - 'file confusion' was a noun. It was a living breathing thing where we had to check who had the 'live' file - did the accountant send us a back up to restore ? We developed whole check lists and systems around not getting this wrong. BAM - with Xero this was a non issue !

2. Accessibility - I could use my MAC, upgrade office PC's without upgrading software, use my i phone, ipad and even the Xero app - I was in techie heaven. I could streamline the office workflow making us more efficient - saving the client money and scaling the practice.

16th of September 2014 was a pivotal point in my journey - I became a Xero Gold Partner - as a book keeper/BAS Agent we 'touch' the clients by minimum quarterly (some more so!) so it can be more difficult than an Accounting practice to service more clients - ours is generally not an annual engagement. Scaling a book keeping practice can seem like a mountain.

At the time I was underwhelmed - I just got on with the job.Over time I began to realise the commitment I had made to clients, to my team , to Xero and to myself and the growth I had endured.Xero was now an intrinsic part of my practice, my clients and my life. I no longer said "Xero with an X"!

Clients were coming to me asking for Xero. I had passed the 'conversion bubble'. I didn't sell, I didn't have to . The conversation turned from 'which solution' to 'how we were going to best leverage Xero for their business". In my usual day to day networking with peers in the industry I didn't realise I no longer talked about Xero - It was in my core, an innate part of my business self that I no longer noticed any other tool. Xero was the logical choice for my clients and we all knew it.It was a testament to Xero

Xero build beautiful software - it just works. I look back at how we used to train clients, process data and liaise with Accountants so much so I see incredible growth and opportunity.

Over this journey I have been able to surround myself with an awesome team and assist small business owners in their own journey. Xero is an integral part of this story.

The Future ? As Xero continues on their trajectory of building a great product - I see increased opportunities for my team and I to reach more businesses and establish our craft as book keepers and BAS Agents to truly make a difference in the business world.

PS Im still a Xero Gold Partner - Platinum is in the distance !