From The Trenches: Recent Episodes
David Boyar & Paul Meissner
In the age of FAKE NEWS, brave souls are needed to fight through the noise and give accountants in practice the support and information they deserve. David Boyar and Paul Meissner share a passion for the role Accountants play in the Australian economy.
As the engine room of the economy, small - medium businesses rely on their accountant for technical knowledge, business acumen and professional (and often personal) support. As the way accountants work (through technology) and service (through new services like Virtual CFOs) changes, we have to ask If accountants are helping their client’s, who is helping Accountants?
If you read the Accounting Industry news and listen to the industry leaders then the Accounting industry is at war. It’s a war against technology, the ATO and even UBER (apparently). The problem is that most of the leaders have never worked in practice. They are subject matter experts but can't offer the perspective of someone who had to actually have conversations with clients about implementing technology, actually moved to value pricing, actually compared technology features and how an entire team may be impacted by them. Each week in this podcast, 2 plucky Chartered Accountants will bring you the real stories ‘from the trenches’. This no holes barred, feisty, yet humorous take on the Accounting landscape will be entertaining while sending a message to the scaremongers, that the FAKE NEWS must end. By following a simple podcast formula, David and Paul will deliver rapid value straight to your earphones. With segments like ‘best and worst of the week’, ‘Fake News exposed’ and a the rapid format ‘5 questions in 5 minutes’ special guest interviews, what more could you want. This podcast won’t be for the faint hearted.
It’s a question on a lot of people’s minds these days: why choose a career in public practice? Given the trends and forces facing the industry, Dave and Paul give their three reasons why it’s [still] the place to be:
Paul - The ageing demographic - The freedom of time and place - Profitability
Dave - Changing nature of the workforce - Skill of serving multiple clients - Emerging firms giving you different careers
From The Trenches’ - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar. https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/
Not only a big week in accounting, but sport and politics as well! Join the boys as they reflect on the topics and themes in the accounting industry this week, as well as a few comments on everything from politics to social media.
As always if you have any feedback, we’d love to hear from you.
From The Trenches’ - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar.
https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/
0:57 Show Notes
Best on Ground:
Paul
Xero’s Four News in a Row Canstar Blue Customer Service Award ‘Some good news!’
Twitter Getting Rid of Fake Followers “This makes my blood boil”
Dave
Behind the IPA and Reckon Deal: Why an Association is Selling Software? https://digitalfirst.com/behind-the-ipa-and-reckon-deal-why-an-association-is-selling-software/ ‘To me, this is very interesting”.
SMSF Advisor on Limited Licencing ‘We usually give Momentum Media a lot of stick’
11:27 Worst on Ground:
Paul
Politics in Australia ‘It’s an absolute joke’
Dave
More Than a Million Workers Short Changed on Sick Leave https://www.theage.com.au/business/workplace/more-than-a-million-workers-short-changed-on-sick-leave-20180813-p4zx5v.html ‘This is out of control’
Paul presents another great episode of From The Generals, this time chatting to Alison Lendon (Deputy Commissioner, Individuals) and Adam Kendrick (Assistant Commissioner) from the ATO.
On the back of the discussions surrounding the ATO and their processes and procedures in prior episodes, they discuss the tax gap reporting from all angles. Join them as they cover the role that agencies play, the big drivers in the tax gap, the ATO’s investment of government funding in this space and the initiatives they’re introducing to try tackle the problem.
As always if you like what you hear or have any feedback, please leave a rating, review or get in touch!
From The Trenches’ - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar.
https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/
Episode 70 is here, join Dave and Paul discuss what they’re loving about BGL Corporate’s Regulatory Technology (RegTech) conference, the first of its kind.
Their best and worst on grounds cover scope creep, superannuation funds, a few concerns about Xero’s books and a discussion about how much the location of your accounting practice really matters.
From The Trenches’ - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar.
https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/
Show Notes
Best on Ground:
Paul
Does the Location of my Accounting Practice Matter? https://www.accountingtoday.com/opinion/does-the-location-of-my-accounting-practice-matter “Some interesting points raised here that you wouldn’t otherwise realise”
Dave
Avoiding The Dreaded ‘Scope Creep’ https://www.myob.com/au/blog/avoiding-dreaded-scope-creep/ ‘This has been on my radar for a while’
Worst on Ground:
Paul
Xero’s P&L: The report shows different figures? “The figures reconciling just isn’t a given any more”
Dave
How To Figure Out If Your Superannuation Fund Is Ripping You Off https://www.news.com.au/finance/superannuation/how-to-figure-out-if-your-superannuation-fund-is-ripping-you-off/news-story/1ccaf84d9ce46222060e9f9977e755ae “This is an easy worst on ground”
Welcome to the first episode of ‘Off The Leash’ with Ron Lesh, Founder and Managing Director of BGL Corporate Solutions.
We love the way Ron goes about his work, very much fitting in with the ‘trenches’ mould in the way he tackles the big issues, has an informed opinion and never afraid to have a tough conversation. Paul and Dave are joined by Ron as they discuss leadership in accounting, the changing face of the profession and recruiting the next generation.
Off The Leash with Ron Lesh, brought to you by BGL Corporate Solutions.
Investing in ourselves is investing in our clients.
Join Dave and Paul as they discuss what accountants can do to challenge themselves and get out of their comfort zone.
It’s ALWAYS a big week in accounting, but this week especially so. Join Dave and Paul for another packed episode discussing Xero’s acquisition, accounting polls, the rise and rise of social media and a couple of the Big 4 doing some interesting things.
The in-depth topic is one on everyone’s lips: the future of work. Tune in to hear them discuss what makes a firm prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.
From The Trenches’ - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar.
https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/
Show Notes
1:09 Best on Ground:
Paul
ATO Raids: ‘This Was Really Interesting’
GBUHQ Poll http://www.gbuhq.com/poll ‘The good, bad and the ugly’
Dave
Xero Buys Hubdoc for $94m It Its Biggest Ever Deal https://www.afr.com/technology/xero-buys-hubdoc-for-94m-in-its-biggest-ever-deal-20180801-h13eud ‘Bombshell news!’
15:37 Worst on Ground:
Paul
Mansplaining Explained In One Chart http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20180727-mansplaining-explained-in-one-chart ‘LinkedIn becoming Twitter?!’
Dave
EY Relocates Diggers and Dealers Event in Kalgoorlie To Skip Skimpies https://thewest.com.au/business/mining/professional-services-firm-ey-relocates-diggers-and-dealers-event-in-kalgoorlie-to-skip-skimpies-ng-b88917361z ‘They love their clients, but only so far’
What KPMG Partner Darren Scammell, Retired at 53, Did Next https://www.afr.com/business/accounting/what-kpmg-partner-darren-scammell-retired-at-53-did-next-20180727-h138o9 ‘Seems baffling to me’
23:41 In Depth Topic:
The future is work is incredibly vital to grasp however you are, but particularly for the accounting industry. Dave and Paul have done extensive reading and have experienced for themselves what it takes to prepare for the future, and unpack what they feel are the three components for success in ‘preparing your firm for the future’:
• Sales and Marketing: Top Line Growth • Technology: How You Do Your Work • Technical Knowledge: Core Offerings That You Sell
They discuss the intersection of these three elements and ask the question: what if you only have two of them? If you resonate with what you hear and think your firm could be one for the future, head to Intuit’s ‘Firm of the Future’ competition at: intuit.promo.eprize.com/firmofthefuture2018/
What can we say about this episode (aside from this is absolutely essential listening).
It was a big day at the ATO with the raids on tax agents relating to ‘phoenxing’ and work-related expenses, so accountant/podcaster/investigative journalist Paul Meissner sits down with Tim Roach, Assistant Commissioner at the ATO, who has been generous to give up his time to come in to the trenches.
Tune in to hear about everything from tackling the black economy, to what this means for tax agents to the processes and procedures in cases such as these. Don’t miss it.
From The Trenches’ - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar.
https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/
Paul is joined by Cameron Poolman, CEO at OnDeck Capital Australia to chat about the role of FinTech in small business lending, the growth in the space and what it means for Australia.
Here’s a summary of the questions posed to him:
- How does FinTech fit into the small business lending space?
- What do you see as the regulatory movements and changes?
- How do you view the impact of regulation in the future?
From The Trenches’ - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar.
https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/
Paul sits down with Shelley Cable, who is a Senior Consultant in PwC’s Indigenous Consulting arm. That’s just the start though: Shelley is co-chair of the CPA Young Professionals’ Committee, has presented to the United Nations and is a former Miss NAIDOC for Perth.
She is also a keynote speaker at the World Congress of Accountants (WCOA) 2018 in Sydney, check out her WCOA speaker profile at wcoa2018.sydney/speaker/shelley-cable-asa/.
She discusses the scope and challenges involved with her role at PwC, the impact of investment the importance of education and the balance between human rights and business ventures in the indigenous community.
Find out more about Shelley on her website at shelleycable.com
From The Trenches’ - Real Life in the Accounting Industry presented by Paul Meissner and David Boyar.
https://www.fromthetrenches.com.au/