Back in the Xero Community

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Earlier today at Xerocon San Diego I shared a bit of the backstory on how I got here, and why I’m so hyped about joining the team as well as the accountants and bookkeepers across our community.

For those I haven’t yet met, I’m Tony Ward, and I came to Xero about a month ago to lead our business in the Americas. In a conversation on stage with CEO Steve Vamos, we talked about the fact that while I’m just about 30 days in, I’m not a newcomer to the platform, or the community.

A few years ago I owned a small business, and used Xero to run my business — at the insistence of my accountant. Early on, that guy made a couple of strong points. One, he let me know Xero was the best product in the marketplace. If a person can adore software, he did. And two, he told me to give up my dream of owning a gym — the ROI on workout centers was rather sketchy. I bought the gym anyway. It turned out he was right on both points. And he’s still my accountant.

I’ve worked with tech leaders from Microsoft to SurveyMonkey, Dropbox and LinkedIn, which matters only because I hope I’ve retained the best of what each company had to offer and bring that experience and perspective to Xero.

Today, it felt just right being back as part of the Xero crowd.

For us in the Americas, a couple of points:

Small businesses that work with an accountant on the Xero platform defy the data that says around half of small businesses won’t make it to five years.

But at present, only around 30 percent of small businesses in the US are getting the advice of an accountant. That gap represents a massive opportunity for all of us. I think about it as the chance to actually lift the GDP of the world by adding more small businesses to the Xero platform, and improving the lives of the people in our community along the way.

That starts with taking a few pages from the established Xero playbook. The model we refined in New Zealand, Australia and the UK is proven, and it’s repeatable. It requires the right customization for our US and Canadian customers, of course, but the fundamentals are undeniable.

We’re going to use them to become the largest geographic region for Xero — selecting the places where we’re going to grow, setting priorities and focusing on value for the community with a platform of capability, access and connection that makes every member better than they could be on their own.

We showcased a lot of that great technology in San Diego. Gusto for payroll; Stripe for payments; and we continue to open new relationships with top financial services firms, building on our connections with more than 200 banks from Wells Fargo to Capital One and BBVA in the US and CIBC in Canada.

Over the last couple of days here in San Diego, I’ve had the opportunity to thank many of you in person for the amazingly warm welcome. I’d like to use this opportunity to express the same thank you to the broader Xero community as it stands today, and welcome those who will be joining us in the days ahead.

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