Tips to Implement App Advisory In Your Accounting Firm - Accounting Influencers Podcast

Episode 92

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Published on:

5th Mar 2020

Tips to Implement App Advisory In Your Accounting Firm

This episode features Robert Davidson a qualified accountant with a rich background that includes playing professional poker for 4 years!

With his extensive experience in the industry, and having worked within the Big 4 firms,he started Appacus App Advisory with Matt Flanagan and David Robinson at BlueHub in 2019. Their aim is to help accountants and their clients bridge the gap of understanding between operational and financial systems, enabling them to have maximum control over the often overwhelming app spaces, allowing the to future-proof their practices.

Robert is an advocate for cloud accounting and having planned and managed the cloud rollout for a successful national accounting firm in Scotland, its safe to say we have the one of best on this episode to shed further insight!

We covered:

  • How a cloud visionary saw what was coming for cloud accounting a few years before everyone else
  • The parallels between professional poker players and professional accountants
  • Is a cloud accounting specialist the best way for firms to go?
  • The complexities accountants face in differentiating between all the different apps when advising clients
  • The skills accountants will need going forward when it comes to apps and technology

The current problems:

  • Why accounting source systems like Quickbooks, Sage and Xero might not be the most important system for a business client
  • The accounting app landscape for accountants and their clients is overwhelming - one vendor may offer 2000 updates a year
  • Many accounting firms are lagging with cloud accounting because they don't fully understand the benefits
  • Many accountants feel like they need to know 120% of everything before they give an answer
  • The mistakes accounting firms make when doing app advisory for their clients
  • The required skillset of an accountant is changing rapidly to incorporate the advance of technology

The benefits of cloud accounting:

  • Appacus is a community of forward-thinking firms to share best practice on apps and integrations
  • The technology available today is making compliance much quicker and advisory more powerful for accounting firms
  • Advisory for accountants is not management accounts and dashboards - it's the interpretation of that information
  • For accounting clients, advisory is only value if the client can understand it and it helps them make decisions
  • Accounting cloud apps can bring client engagement, sales processes and onboarding down from months and weeks to days
  • Apps are simply tools to solve pain points, provide information and help people make decisions

Big Takeaways:

  • Accountants - it's better that you go to your clients with suggestions than the other way around.
  • The worst advice about app advisory that finds its way into the accounting market
  • We are just touching the surface with app advisory - so many more are coming out!

When he’s not working, Robert loves football, walking his rescue dog Mia, travelling and meeting new friends. You can reach him here...

Robert on LinkedIn

Phone: (UK) 07535994510

Check out his website here

Email him at robert@vcd-fa.co.uk

 

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Today's shownotes created by the excellent Yolanda Masamba.

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About the Podcast

Accounting Influencers Podcast
Host Rob Brown shows accounting professionals and leaders how to be more influential, grow their personal brand and be more authoritative, relevant and high profile in their roles..
The Accounting Influencers Podcast, hosted by Rob Brown, is a must-listen for accounting professionals looking to strengthen their leadership presence, stay informed on disruptive forces in accounting and build credibility within their firms. Geared toward firm leaders, managers, partners and influencers, the show covers key topics like career development, influence, personal branding and interpreting the evolving trends impacting the accounting world. Rob brings his expertise to each episode, offering insights and guidance on how to grow your personal brand and stay strategically important in a rapidly changing profession. Whether you're aiming to influence within your firm or expand your reputation outside of it, this international podcast offers practical advice and forward-thinking insights that will keep you informed and prepared for the future.
Accounting leadership
Executive presence for accountants
Building influence in accounting
Accounting industry trends
Personal branding for accountants
Accounting firm strategy
Accounting business models
Leadership in accounting firms
Talent management in accounting
Authority in accounting profession
Career development for accountants
Accounting firm growth strategies
Influencers in accounting
Accounting firm management
Disruptive forces in accounting
Accounting leadership strategies
Accounting career success
Accounting firm decision-makers
Accounting business trends
Building credibility in accounting

About your host

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Rob Brown

Rob Brown hosts the multiple accounting podcast and chair conferences, panels and events globally for the accounting and fintech profession. He is co-founder of Accounting Influencers Roundtable (AIR) which helps vendors, experts and influencers serve the accounting and finance world. He is a dynamic speaker and accomplished expert on trust, reputation, employer brand, talent, career development, succession, gen z/generations, employee advocacy and executive presence. Rob is author of the bestselling book Build Your Reputation (Wiley) and his TEDx talk ‘The Personal Brand of You’ has been viewed 400,000 times on YouTube. He is a stroke survivor, has epilepsy, is a committed Christian and has a black belt in kickboxing. He is based in Nottingham UK, home of Robin Hood, plays chess and backgammon, loves orange chocolate and is allergic to grapefruit.