Get a step ahead for MTD at Xerocon

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Cheryl Price, owner of CH Accountancy & Bookkeeping Ltd – a small firm in Chelmsford – attended her first Xerocon in 2017 and says she wouldn’t miss another one.

Having set up her practice at the beginning of 2014, Cheryl now juggles running her Xero gold partner firm while being a mum to five children. Using cloud accounting, Cheryl’s proud to be able to give her two employees the flexibility to work around running their household.

Having all of their clients on Xero, CH Accountancy & Bookkeeping was one of the first Xero partners to trial Xero’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) solution. Cheryl and her team are already fired up for Xerocon London 2018 and encourage other small practices to attend to help get a step ahead of MTD.

Don’t be afraid to attend by yourself

It may feel daunting to attend Xerocon on your own, but Cheryl says not having a team around you shouldn’t stop you from attending. Many others are in the same boat. “Once you get to Xerocon there is such a sense of community and you are made to feel included”.

There are ample of opportunities to speak to different people at Xerocon. Whether that’s catching up face to face with your account manager or meeting with numerous Xero app partners who will be exhibiting their products at Xerocon.

For Cheryl, networking with fellow accountants is a real highlight of attending Xerocon. “It’s great to hear stories from practices who are ahead of me on my growth journey. Knowing that with their support, and by continuing to share experiences, I can get there too”. Cheryl adds that sharing knowledge and insights is not feeding the competition but rather building strong, working relationships.

Going to Xerocon means investing in clients

CH Accountancy & Bookkeeping will be closing its doors for two days whilst Cheryl and her team head to Xerocon. For small practices, this can be difficult due to client demands, but the response Cheryl receives from her clients is supportive.

“To manage expectations we communicate to our clients in advance that we will not be contactable for two days. Our clients actually appreciate that we were taking time out of the office to update our skills and knowledge,” she says.

Cheryl explains that attending Xerocon means they are investing in their clients. Her team strives to give clients the best service and continually want to improve to make it better for them. Going to Xerocon means they can keep up to date with product developments to help their practice and their clients stay one step ahead.

“I made changes as soon as I got back to my office after Xerocon last year. And as a result I improved efficiency and was able to give my customers a better service,” Cheryl says.

Get a step ahead of MTD at Xerocon

CH Accountancy & Bookkeeping was one of the first Xero partners to trial Xero’s MTD solution and are now ready to migrate over to the new function once its live. Cheryl says she’s excited about the prospects that MTD presents to give smaller businesses a better handle on their finances. Plus it’ll makes things easier for both the accountant and their clients to have the accounts online.

Despite the impending MTD for VAT deadline, many practices are still brushing MTD aside and say they won’t start thinking about it until the new year. The risk is leaving it too late to ensure their practice and clients will be compliant. “I think the biggest thing they fear is change. Their current model works for now and they don’t want to change it. But there is no need to be scared,” Cheryl adds.

Attending Xerocon allows you to get a step ahead of MTD. With keynote session and breakout sessions dedicated to learning about MTD and how to tackle it, firms will be well supported when the deadline kicks in in less than nine months.

If you want to get MTD-ready now before Xerocon, check out our MTD learning course where you’ll also earn the new MTD-ready badge for your firm’s advisor directory listing. Plus, equip your team with the resources they need to communicate Xero and MTD to your clients with our new practice communications toolkit.

The value you receive is well worth the money

“Attending Xerocon means that you think about things that you haven’t thought about before and you walk away with many ideas,” Cheryl says. We will soon announce our action packed agenda as well as our amazing lineup of speakers which will be sure to have something to inspire everyone.

“Xerocon is well worth its money,” Cheryl adds. – “You get an awesome swag bag and t-shirt, food is provided over both days (including barista coffee, handmade ice cream, smoothies), and not forgetting to mention free drinks and entertainment at the Xerocon party – it’s all included!”

Save £100 off Xerocon when you book now

Xerocon London 2018 is the UK’s most beautiful and innovative conference for cloud accounting leaders. Held at ExCeL on November 14-15, it’s a truly unmissable event for today’s accounting practices. Get your early-bird tickets now, with £100 off the ticket price until Friday 14 September 2018.

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