Roadshow Profile series: Matt Rogers

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Xero’s epic annual NZ Roadshow has begun! We’re travelling the country through 16 locations across both islands, from Whangarei to Invercargill and several towns in between!

We’re showcasing some of our wonderful partners in the centres we pass through in our Roadshow Profile series. You can check out more of them here, and info about the Roadshow is here.

My name’s Matt Rogers. I’m a director of BM Accounting Ltd, which operates out of Hastings, Havelock North, and Waipawa. We’ve got more than 1,500 small businesses and clients on our books, across industries like the primary sector, manufacturing, construction, professional services, and retail.

Before I became a director, I spent the first few years of my job punching bank statements and focussing on compliance. I knew every three-digit code on our standard chart! And the work I did with clients was mostly reactive, and not very timely. I can’t remember ever having a conversation with any of them about what was happening in their business right then and there – we were always working with numbers stuck in the past. Now, we have access to their financials in real-time and on one ledger, which means we can be much more effective and valuable to them. I’ve been lucky enough to be using Xero since 2007. I love the single ledger focus between client and advisor but I must say, ‘Find and Recode’ was a brilliant addition to the software a couple of years back!

For me, helping clients to identify blockages and opportunities in their businesses, and working with them to act on these, is where I get most satisfaction in my job. I also really like getting to know the people behind the numbers – what drives them, what motivates them, what makes them unique, etc. I also really strive to help create more community opportunities with my clients – if I can work with growing businesses and enable them to employ more people, that brings meaningful change. It’s exciting to help facilitate this.

I’m eager to experience the future of accounting. While the ‘nuts and bolts’ of accounting may be subject to automation and technological disruption, I think the relationship and analytical side will become more and more important. Clients will expect more that their advisors can translate data into meaningful information so they can better make their decisions, and the ability to communicate and relate to clients will be important. No one wants to work with a drone!

All small businesses should remember these three words: know your why. Continually ask yourself why you are going into business and what success looks like in five years time. Knowing this gives context to all your decisions, and makes all the challenges and sleepless nights easier to navigate and overcome.

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