We spend a lot of time on this podcast talking about the importance of moving into new service offerings, trying new technologies, AI, and other innovations, but today we wanted to take a step back and consider the basics. After all, if you don’t get the basics right, should you really be thinking about more advanced or complex strategies?

As we reach the end of the tax year in South Africa, we wanted to revisit some of the most important basic things businesses should have in place to help their clients.

We are joined by Damian Baker, Head of Cloud Accounting at Outsourced CFO - OCFO for short. OCFO provides integrity and professional excellence in financial consulting for ambitious SMEs. Their aim is to help clients rethink, automate and scale their companies in the pursuit of business eminence.

Today we are joined by the Founder and CEO of RTA, Fanie Meades. Fanie has helped countless business owners navigate their numbers through difficult times. We discuss the following:

• A bit about Fanie's journey and how he maintains a positive attitude
• Understanding client needs
• Maintaining client relationships
• Key observations or advice Fanie can provide to clients
• The role of technology in assisting clients
• The skills future accountants will need to build to facilitate strong client relationships

You can find out more about RTA here:https://rta.co.za/

Today, we are speaking to Chris Giannopoulos, a Product Engineer at Syft Analytics, about his experience of moving from data science to working in the product team at an accounting software company.

Some of the topics we cover include:

• The advantages of studying data science
• The experience of moving into product engineering
• The power of collaborating in product engineering - from working with Customer Success to improving the product roadmap alongside Design and the Development team
• How accountants can consider improving their services following similar principles to product engineering
• The fine balancing act of developing a product to meet customer needs and expectations
• The importance of soft skills & Excel skills in the workplace
• The power of saying Yes as a new employee
• The influence of AI on work

As mentioned, Syft Campus has a free Excel course here: campus.syftanalytics.com/p/excel-and-google-sheets-basics-course-outline

In this episode, we discuss the importance of embracing change as a small business. We are joined by Celeste Summerton, CEO of the Business Boutique.

Some of the topics we cover include:

• How small businesses can prepare for change
• What role tech can play in helping small businesses stay competitive
• Some of the challenges of managing change and managing risks
• How to manage cash flow effectively during periods of change
• How to stay agile and adaptable as a business owner
• And more!

You can find out more about Celeste and her firm at https://thebusinessboutique.co.za/

In this episode, we speak to Graham Shapiro, Founder of Myccountant, about New Year's resolutions for small businesses ranging from finding the right tech to solve common problems to implementing attainable goals. Some of the topics discussed include: - The importance of understanding how you generate income - The difference between income and cash flow - Planning your cash flow - The hard work involved in running a successful business

- Goal-setting for business success - Dealing with setbacks

The book Graham mentioned is The Gold Mine Effect: Crack the Secrets of High Performance by Rasmus Ankerson

In this episode, we speak to Jim Leeves, Co-Founder and Head of Numbers at Shapes, about design thinking and how this can be used by accountants and businesses more broadly. Some of the topics we cover include: - The role of design thinking and how to apply it - Collaborating across the disciplines of accounting and marketing - The intersection between marketing and accounting - The importance of doing a pre-mortem (as opposed to a post-mortem) on your business

- Success stories and lessons learned - The future of advisory - Why you shouldn't "stay in your lane" - How to bring delight into business

Jim also mentions the following books, if you're interested in checking them out:

- The Design thinking Playbook by Michael Lerwick, Patrick Link and Larry Leifer

- The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni

Happy new year to all our listeners! Today, we are looking at the hidden power of administration in accounting practices. Our guest speaker is Susan van der Valk, a Partner at MGI Bass Gordon and Xero's MVP of the Year 2024.

We'll cover topics including:

• Core admin and management skills
• Balancing admin responsibilities with high-level strategic goals
• The role of team and culture
• Why admin tasks are overlooked - and why they shouldn't be
• The evolution of admin in the tech-driven future
• Non-negotiable admin tools
• Continued admin problems in the future
• And some rapid fire questions to end with!

In this episode, we are joined by Bongi Mokoena, a Senior Manager at Sage who has over 10 years of experience in software and SaaS sales. We discuss Bongi's personal and career journey as a woman in tech, what the landscape looks like for women in the field, especially in South Africa, and how tech and innovation impact opportunities for the future.

We also consider the role of mentorship in leading the way for women in management positions in the future and consider what the future of tech - and women in tech and data analytics - might look like.