Speaker 1: 0:00

Ellie.

Speaker 2: 0:02

Yes, Andrew.

Speaker 1: 0:03

When does a joke become a dad joke?

Speaker 2: 0:07

When you say it.

Speaker 1: 0:09

Well, during the delivery it becomes apparent.

Speaker 3: 0:15

Good Golf.

Speaker 1: 0:17

Good. Oh, that's so good, I'm glad.

Speaker 2: 0:22

That was classic dad joke.

Speaker 1: 0:24

It is.

Speaker 2: 0:24

Because I could have seen that.

Speaker 1: 0:26

And there, it is Bam, and I know normally the dad joke is lining up to what we're talking about today but we've had a huge season that we've been talking about the future, and we started with it freaking us out, or me out, and then we talked about a whole bunch of stuff and we get into here.

Speaker 2: 0:40

We were de-freaking, it was crazy, and so we're at the end. It was a crazy time.

Speaker 1: 0:43

So, rather than talk specifically on a thing, we're going to do a bit of a rap. We're going to also not as in rhyming rap, no, you can do that.

Speaker 2: 0:50

Like an Ali G rap. Like an Ali G. Oh no, that's why I was practicing my singing before the. That's fine, no.

Speaker 1: 1:08

Yeah, We'll go to the theme tune, and either it will be the actual theme tune or it will be Ellie rapping One of the two. Anyway, well, thank you. Thank you, Ellie for your rapping Thank you for your contribution, but what a season it's been. Normally, when we gather down and we sit down about a season coming forward, we we've got. You know we've done beforehand we were talking about the evolution of your role and responsibility as a junior to senior senior partner and all those kind of things.

Speaker 1: 1:35

How to grow, how to market blah, blah blah, how to grow beers and we just felt like this, this point in time which you might be listening to in six years time, so it might be hilarious, hilarious, you'd be like oh man, that was wrong, we were crystal balling, that was so off. But we just felt like talking about the future and not the future in like immediate, but like that 10 to 20 year space was a really important conversation for us to have. Yeah, I agree.

Speaker 2: 1:56

And so we had it.

Speaker 1: 1:57

I've learned a lot, you did.

Speaker 2: 2:04

I did.

Speaker 1: 2:04

We did services where David Boyer joined us there, Excellent People Shathaya joined us.

Speaker 2: 2:10

Yeah, love her.

Speaker 1: 2:11

Business models. We had Meryl kind of jumped on Legendary. We had Jeevan from BGL come through to talk about tech, which is great. We did a special Zero episode with James Bergen and he blew our brains apart.

Speaker 2: 2:25

Professor Bergen to you, our brains apart with being future ready and prepared. Professor Bergen to you, thank you, professor.

Speaker 1: 2:29

Bergs, john Shepard joined us for Government Regulation, which was one that we were like, oh, this might be a bit dry and boring, but it was really enjoyable.

Speaker 2: 2:35

He turned it into something special, I tell you.

Speaker 1: 2:38

And then if you are listening to this in chronological order, you chronological order you would have listened to beforehand. You would have listened to the sustainability conversation with our good mate joel hannah, and what does it look? Like to talk sustainability in an accounting and business models there too so important to take that into account now.

Speaker 1: 2:52

That really is going to be the future it was so like it was a lot this year and I feel, like recording this season was one of those ones where, um, we really enjoyed elements of it and others were like, oh man, like this is getting deep, I know. And a little bit scary, I know. Because some of them I could be more positive and some of them I wasn't as positive.

Speaker 2: 3:10

But you know, what I love about this is sometimes it's literally about sitting in it, sitting in that moment and actually engaging your brain to think about what it might look like and what are we going to do. And even if none of the things come true, none of them are reality, even if what a great conversation to have had and it fired neurons in my brain in different ways. So I always go back after our podcast, andrew, and go back into my business and think what are the things that I can do in my business based upon that conversation?

Speaker 1: 3:40

Have you changed anything from the last season? Is there anything that's stuck out to you through the conversations that you've captured and you've gone like, let's go there? I'll ask this differently Give me a favourite chat and then give me something that you pulled out from a conversation that's stuck with you that you're like, oh, I really like that and maybe it's infiltrated your business or your life, your conversations. What was that?

Speaker 2: 4:01

Well, 100%, it's the tech. What was that?

Speaker 3: 4:04

Well 100%.

Speaker 2: 4:05

It's the tech, ai. That's my choo-choo train, and so what Jeevan was talking about in relation to the data and being able to mine that data and the AI and all of the stuff that is coming, all that we actually already have and are already using it put me into this place of curiosity. What can I do at All in to push the boundaries? What can I do to bring my team on the journey? And we've definitely been using a lot more AI and using it as that first point of call. Like the first question is can we AI this? Is there any way that I can support us in that conversation? And so, absolutely, we've made changes at all in because of that, and you know, it's really sometimes about oh, I really do have to go back and put a process in place, or I've got to tell my team about that, or I've got to educate my clients about that. So I loved that episode and I've been able to definitely gain efficiencies from it and change. I like that, which is what we want, isn't it? Just one small change?

Speaker 1: 5:03

It absolutely is, absolutely change, which is what we want. Isn't it just one small change? It absolutely is, absolutely so. I um, if I think of like an episode that I really enjoyed the conversation. It was the business model episode which was hilarious, because because you were absolutely not vibing that one at all, you were like and I was frothing it. I mean, I've had, I've in terms of in terms of feedback for the episode.

Speaker 1: 5:22

that episode was one that I've had the most conversations with people around Really, and maybe it's just the type of people, the type of conversations I was having.

Speaker 2: 5:28

Like tell me what conversations.

Speaker 1: 5:29

Well they were just interested, because I think they're looking at both locally in Australia and overseas, just looking at, like, what business models do look like, and I think there's a lot of people who are running accounting businesses who are going. What does my exit plan look like and how do I be aware of what that could be in terms of a structure and how do I get myself in a position that I am ready for that kind of thing?

Speaker 2: 5:51

So I found it was really interesting. That was a huge takeaway, wasn't it?

Speaker 1: 5:54

A huge takeaway was that world's transfer of generations oh yeah, that was the services month boy, yeah, yeah yeah, like crazy crazy.

Speaker 2: 6:01

Oh yeah, that's right. Yeah, yeah, like crazy crazy, oh yeah, that's right. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I mean seriously so much gold in all of those episodes. It's just mind-boggling.

Speaker 1: 6:11

I also really enjoyed the sustainability chat with Joel. Now, this was a bit of a unique one, because this is where Ali just let me have the chat. Yeah, I know, I know, and you trusted me and Joel, which is funny because Joel and I have played in bands before. We've led youth group events before Really. We built a bamboo toothbrush social enterprise business together before.

Speaker 2: 6:34

Of course you did. We've done a lot in life.

Speaker 1: 6:36

So you trusted us and it could have gone anywhere.

Speaker 2: 6:39

Why would I not? You're a very trustworthy man, andrew. I know that, would I not? You're a very trustworthy man, andrew, I know that. And Joel is all about sustainability and he did some.

Speaker 1: 6:50

He's done some amazing stuff in his career, just so high opening, I think that space and it's something that much what was the key takeaway from that one just?

Speaker 1: 6:55

it's all it's just. I think what it is is like we look at regulation and you look at sustainability as well, as there's regulation that's forcing sustainability, that but, but practices, but there's also businesses and individuals that are pushing it back up as well. So there's pressure from both sides and, and I think the reality is, it's going to be a real thing and if you do nothing about it, you are going to find yourself left behind in terms of it all.

Speaker 2: 7:18

So I just I just found it really interesting in terms of the, the pace of change that we've experienced and and who is driving that change and how we face that, when it comes to a sustainability environment and best practice within things that are beyond just accounting, Well, if we're looking at the future without us as practitioners, potentially in the new generation coming in, it is certainly something that they value and it's a driver for them is sustainability and the environment and, you know, ethical work practices and all of those different types of things. So if we're looking at the future, accounting and what will be important, I do think that that will have, there'll be more sway, there'll be more importance and more swagger put into that than potentially what we've had in the past, and that I think is a generational thing.

Speaker 2: 8:06

Each generation that has come through in accounting would have a different flavour, a different style, and I think ours. If I'm going to put my finger on it is around purpose.

Speaker 3: 8:16

Yep.

Speaker 2: 8:16

And I'm proud of that, and I think I've just gone down a rabbit hole, but I'm proud. You love your rabbit holes.

Speaker 1: 8:22

I'm going to call him an alley hole as a generation of accountants, an a-hole. We've gone down an a-hole. I did not Right down it. You can't say that I just did An a-hole.

Speaker 2: 8:35

But do you know what? How proud would we be, Andrew, if our generation of accountants was known as the purpose-led accountants.

Speaker 1: 8:43

You're not wrong, and that's something that I've held on to dearly, I think, through my career today is purpose and authenticity and impact, and that we see that as a legacy that gets passed on, that then the next generation of new ideas and thoughts come through, but they hopefully come with that basis of purpose and impact and then they take that somewhere else as well. It's cool.

Speaker 2: 9:05

A hundred percent. They take it and they run with it, and I think you know the future of accounting. What does it look like? Well, I think we've resolved that it will still be around, you know, and that we'll still be doing our thing. Will it look the same? No, does accounting look the same that it did 20 years ago? No, and so we talk about the things that aren't going to change. Well, what's not going to change is there'll always be accounting to its very, very core.

Speaker 2: 9:33

It was around since BC, you know like it is something that is integral in every business. It's how we function, it's how government functions, and you know that's why accounting is such a pivotal role in every organization. So that's what I absolutely love about getting to the end of this and looking at what does the future look like?

Speaker 1: 9:53

well, I know there will be accountants and I know that there will be a whole, like it's same same but different. Like we know that it's there and we know that there's a future and we know that it's positive and impactful and great. But we also know that there's a future and we know that it's positive and impactful and great, but we also know that it will be different, and that's not a bad thing.

Speaker 2: 10:10

You know what's not a bad thing? Tell me.

Speaker 1: 10:13

Our exceptional sponsors.

Speaker 2: 10:15

They are good things, good job. I'm so proud of you.

Speaker 1: 10:17

How good was that leeway into it. They are exceptional and we're going to pause for a moment so you can hear how exceptional they are. And you can hear how exceptional they are and you should also hit up, jump on our newsletter. You should tell them how great they are. And if you think that's good tech, just bloody go and use it.

Speaker 3: 10:30

Mate, Just get out and make it happen. We sent you Absolutely.

Speaker 1: 10:37

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Speaker 1: 11:08

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Speaker 2: 11:53

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Speaker 2: 12:21

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Speaker 1: 13:22

Oh they're good, aren't they? They do such great work. I couldn't seriously.

Speaker 2: 13:24

My business all in would not be the same without them, seriously, and I love the fact that they're people, aren't they? They do such great work. I couldn't, seriously.

Speaker 1: 13:27

My business all in would not be the same without them seriously, and I love the fact that they're people that we use, so like we're very selective with anybody that will let to be part of this podcast, whether that is as a sponsor or as a guest or as anything, and we want to ensure that it's people we trust, that we use and that we know. So that's a good thing.

Speaker 2: 13:44

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Speaker 1: 13:53

Now, I know you were talking about what's going to stay here, but I want to backtrack just a moment.

Speaker 2: 13:59

Yeah, go backtrack.

Speaker 1: 14:00

Like favourite moment or favourite thing that stuck out with me, that has impacted my firm and my environment. So you talked about the tech and the AI. Oh yeah, sorry yeah, the chat we had with James from Xero. It blew my head apart. It was great. I love that kind of stuff.

Speaker 1: 14:14

But he just dropped a quote which we probably all know the quote, or we've heard the quote. It's the Bill Gates quote, right, and I think it's been kind of misquoted slightly here and there, but its context it's most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in 10 and and and that has stuck with me massively for a handful of reasons. I've just hit the one year mark of running a plumbing store and so I reflect on where I thought it would be and where I am and I'm like I thought it would be way further, but at the same time it's still good. Um, I've. It's reflected in terms of a lot of conversations I've had with clients lately, in terms of like happiness and contentness and like are you content with where things are at? Oh, I thought we'd be further, I thought we'd be more.

Speaker 2: 14:56

I'm like right, where are you? Where are?

Speaker 1: 14:57

we at in our journey here. Let's be mindful of that. So I've actually found that conversation around thinking of the future and being prepared for the future that we have with j has actually infiltrated how I would advise and consult and and our clients, but also mentor and connect with um you know other people have out there as well and just just trying to reaffirm that approach of like man, you, you got a journey still like get, get four or five years into it and then see where you think, then look backwards and see where you're at and go wow a A hundred percent.

Speaker 2: 15:25

That was one of my favorite quotes. But what I love about that, as you mentioned, it's kind of like it releases the pressure valve.

Speaker 3: 15:31

It does.

Speaker 2: 15:32

We put so much pressure on ourselves to deliver day after day after day, but what that allows us to do is to not put too much pressure on ourselves in the short term, but to still have something to push us into the future.

Speaker 1: 15:46

I mean I like a bit of pressure. You know it creates diamonds or it creates good food in a pressure cooker environment, but like if you're in under pressure for too long.

Speaker 2: 15:56

It's not so good.

Speaker 1: 15:57

It's not so good, it's not so good.

Speaker 2: 16:00

It's like running a sprint race for a marathon. I don't know why I'm speaking.

Speaker 1: 16:06

Italian I was going was gonna say ali is rapping and using very bad accents today, which I'm losing the plot. She's losing the plot. We have had some exceptional guests. Now, we did mention them beforehand, but I did want to make sure I give a very big thank you for them giving up their time, um, to contribute to this. I know that, uh, we, we know that, like, um, having guests on a podcast is a challenging thing to coordinate, but I also know that when you're a guest on one to find the right amount of time and the right amount of focus and contribute value back.

Speaker 1: 16:33

So we are so exceptionally grateful that you all Heather, david, shay, meryl James, john and Joel thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and I look forward to seeing more of the good that you do within our accounting community within your own specialisations and spaces that you do that in.

Speaker 2: 16:49

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 16:51

Did you have a favourite guest, Ellie? No, you're not allowed to say that.

Speaker 2: 16:55

It's like picking your own favourites. I was going to trick you into it.

Speaker 1: 16:58

You'd be like, oh, I reckon Meryl was. I'd be like Sir Reverend, I was sucked.

Speaker 2: 17:02

No you can't say that Some of them are some good mates. So you know, they know who they are. No, I'm just kidding.

Speaker 1: 17:08

My favourite contributor for the season was Ali Garrett. I thought that Ali brought a lot of passion particularly when there was AI involved and when there was not AI involved she might have snoozed off a bit here and there.

Speaker 2: 17:21

You're my favourite on the business structures. For sure You're seeing your little eyes light up talking about something that you love so much. I love that it is. But it's good that we like different things, andrew, because we bring different flavours and different spice right. We do the diversity of life, my friend. The diversity of life.

Speaker 1: 17:40

And I think what's also that we've learnt through this whole conversation and I know we did an episode on people, but throughout all of it you've talked about the fundamentals of accounting. What we do is that constant. I think people are also the constant people are here for good. I did a presentation in overseas and on this kind of stuff and I'm excited to hopefully one day soon bring it to our Aussie mates here as well.

Speaker 1: 18:00

Like we are here for good, like there is longevity within the humans around us in terms of what we do with our skill set, and I think that just means that that is a constant that we can always rely on. Yeah, I agree we have good people around us that are here for good and that want to do good. Man, watch out, it's just, it's a crazy world and you know what?

Speaker 2: 18:18

Our community is so special, it lights me up, it lights my fire, like I get so excited when I go to events or get to connect with our community and other industries don't have as connected a community would you believe. And so I'm grateful and I'm lucky and I'm a big believer and I said all the time, in community over competition, I will take community any day of the week. I will give away every piece of IP for free if it helps somebody in the community, and there are so many people like that in our community. And so you're right, andrew, that is something that isn't going to change and that we are here together and accounting attracts a certain type, right, and it's a type I love.

Speaker 1: 19:04

And then every now, and then people like me sneak through the cracks. Do you know what?

Speaker 2: 19:10

I think there's still care and kindness and wanting to help, I think, at the core of our community, and that's why I think we become accountants. Yeah, we like the numbers, but it's so much more than that.

Speaker 1: 19:21

Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 19:21

And that's something that won't change.

Speaker 1: 19:23

A few other thank yous. Since we're doing an actual wrap episode, which we've never done before, I want to make sure.

Speaker 3: 19:28

I thank the other people involved.

Speaker 1: 19:29

So obviously, our amazing sponsors, which you heard a few of them beforehand, but FYI, bgl, toa, global Fuse Sign Practice and Pixels, ato, smart Docs and Seamless SMSF Thank you so much for supporting the conversations we have. Thank you for being generous with your resources and with your time and for encouraging good quality conversations. I want to thank you and also want to thank David Easton, who produces the audio and stuff like that. So, david, feel free to insert a thank you if you want.

Speaker 1: 19:56

You're welcome to talk for a minute about your future, as well as Nathan Weatherhead, who looks after our social media and does a bunch of our posting there too.

Speaker 2: 20:05

So thank you for the two of you, jack and Amy, as well, on our SOB podcast for the tech episodes. They are absolutely amazing and some of the stuff they've been putting out I have found so useful. So get on to that, please do. It's really actually like a checklist-y action type thing. There's so much gold that you can take from that. There's so many actions that you can take from that. There's so many actions that you can take from that episode and they are amazing people. So get onto that one as well, if you haven't heard that podcast.

Speaker 1: 20:33

Absolutely. Now let's bring it home, ellie. I've got things to do, you've got things to do. Let's be real.

Speaker 2: 20:42

But what I wanted to end on, you don't want to spend all day with me.

Speaker 1: 20:46

No, you don't want to spend all day with me. No, I'd love to. What I would love to end on, what I'd love to leave, is my passing comments to you and to our community. We started with the phrase the future freaks me out, and I think for a lot of people, the future can be very scary and daunting, regardless of where you're at in your career and what you do.

Speaker 2: 20:57

I think, looking deeply into the future, there's a lot of unknown and, and you might sit there and be absolutely freaked out.

Speaker 1: 21:11

Still, after listening to some of our conversations, you might be fearful of your job, of your business community. Who knows what that is. I want to encourage you that, firstly, you're not alone. Like, don't think that's a weird thing for you to be afraid or scared of that kind of stuff. I want to encourage you, at the same time, that there are plenty of people out there that, uh, that would journey along with you, who might be going through the same fears and love to share and support each other, but also other people who might have some answers to questions you have so massively encourage you to reach out to your community, whether that's ali or myself or the rest of your community absolutely find a tribe, find a good bunch of people and, um, that future that freaks you out might be the future that builds you up and rises you and create something crazy and new for which is cool absolutely, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 21:46

And can I just add my little bit and say that we have an opportunity to have a mindset and see this as an opportunity, that the future has many opportunities that we can kind of grab by the hands. And so the the defreak part is looking at the mindset of how we're looking at the future. Are we looking at it in a positive mindset or a negative mindset? And I believe we choose the mindset that we can take forward and that's the part that we can control. So, out of all of the things that we cannot control, how we choose to see it is what we can control. And so if we see it as an opportunity, if we see it as a positive thing, we can control. And so if we see it as an opportunity, if we see it as a positive thing, I think it'll take us a long way in moving forward and taking us to the right place and where we need to be.

Speaker 1: 22:32

Amazing. We'll end the season on that. Thank you, friends, for journeying along with us. Thank you, reach out to us on the socials, hit us up directly or publicly. However you'd like to Jump on our newsletter, check out our website, all of the random stuff. We have another season that will be coming eventually. Soon, we're going to go bury ourselves away and think about what that might be and I'm excited to see what kind of conversations and what kind of adventures we go on again.

Speaker 2: 22:58

There's so many more to come and we love you guys, so stay safe, have fun and be cool.

Speaker 1: 23:05

Are you going to rap again? Just to finish this out, Ali.

Speaker 2: 23:08

Rap, rap, rap. No, no, no, no, no Please don't yeah baby, thank you, bye, everybody, bye, bye.

Speaker 3: 23:24

Wasn't that a fun adventure, my friends. Thank you you so much, so incredibly much, for hanging out with us today. Ali, you've been amazing. Andrew, you've been all right. How good is it to be able to have adventures together it so is, and you know what.

Speaker 2: 23:38

Keep following us. We are all over the socials at accounting adventures. Check us out on the website. Give us a bit of a like. You know how much we love that stuff.

Speaker 3: 23:48

The best thing about the adventure is the people that we do it with. So thank you so much for listening, thank you so much for hanging out with us, and please bring all the ideas, keep them coming. We can't wait to share more cool adventures with you.

Speaker 2: 24:00

We love you guys. I'm a rapper you know what I mean and I do. That's not rap, is it?

Speaker 1: 24:14

it's more pop, but I'm a pop fan I really hope that david keeps that and puts that in as the theme tune, and then you all get to listen to that.

Speaker 2: 24:21

So, david, no, we need the theme tune.

Speaker 1: 24:23

I give you full authority to put that in, david. Uh, very good.