In this newsletter, I want to share something personal with you. Where we are, where we heading and what it will mean to you as one of our loyal clients.
Around four years ago, I had a meeting with Steve Cohen (the MD of Sage Pastel). Steve had a vision for accounting software to be in the cloud. At that stage, we had servers running desktop applications and we created our own cloud. Steve made the comment: “In 10 years, we want to get every accounting firm where The Beancounter already is!”
Fast forward four years and Sage One is the biggest cloud package in South Africa. The Beancounter was the first accounting firm on this package and to date we have converted 95% of our clients to the cloud. The result: quicker processing, more transparency and we converted the legacy bookkeeping system into a powerful business tool that owners can use to manage their business.
Last month, I met up with Steve again. Cloud is getting traction in the accounting industry but very few firms have made the move. We are years ahead but we can’t sit still, where are things going to be in 10 years from now? How can we move our clients forward and how can we make things easier? In our opinion: Mobility and moving to a more paperless environment. And it is these two components which we will be focusing on in the next 4 months. We are busy integrating software into Sage One and hope to have it ready before year end in February 2015. Our vision: to eliminate paper between client and accountant. Yet again, The Beancounter is shaping the future.
What will this mean to our clients? An accounting system where documents will be sent to one central repository and processed automatically into Sage One. Not only will the documents be stored online, but accounting transactions are automatically created, retention rules are set and these documents will become assessable wherever you are. Might sound technical, but the results are awesome and you will soon be able to experience this with us.
On another note, we are combining our Johannesburg and Pretoria office into one central space and 356 Rivonia Boulevard will be our new home as of November 2014. We have gone all out and created a meeting space for our clients where we can discuss figures and trends on a monthly basis and get other professionals (legal experts, marketing gurus, etc) in to help our clients grow their businesses. We are set to revolutionize the accounting industry in South Africa and it is our honour to share this with our existing clients.
And yes, we sometimes drop the ball and we are not perfect but we are working tirelessly to improve ourselves every day. I can’t guarantee perfection but I can give you my own commitment that I will personally resolve whatever goes wrong in the quickest time possible.
We are damn excited about the changes happening and we thank you for your continued and loyal support. Your success is our priority and we can’t wait to share these new benefits with you.
It’s an honour to serve you!
- Marnus Broodryk
- Managing Director
- The Beancounter
IMPORTANT DATES
- 31 October 2014 – Deadline for EMP501 reconciliations
- 31 October 2014 – VAT return (on efiling)
- 7 November 2014 – EMP201 return