What we learned at QuickBooks Connect 2019
From November 6-8, 2019, AbacusNext joined hundreds of accountants, entrepreneurs, small business owners, and fellow sponsors at QuickBooks Connect in San Jose, California. The annual event is designed to bring professionals together in order to share insights and skills that can help them better run their businesses.
This year’s gathering began with inspiring opening keynote speeches by Ariege Misherghi, Intuit’s global accountant segment leader, and author and business trends expert Michael McQueen. Misherghi focused heavily on AI and how it is scaling to help businesses meet the demands of the future and democratizing access to accounting experts. McQueen focused on future trends and helping businesses prepare now for what’s next. Key points included how to avoid disruption, emerging trends in technology and transparency, and what qualities are making successful brands ready for the future. On day two, Intuit CEO Sasan Goodarzi emphasized the importance of rising above defeat and writing your own story through perseverance in the morning keynote.
Throughout the conference, panels offered inspiring insights from speakers like Jennifer Hyman and Ashton Kutcher. Jennifer Hyman, CEO and co-founder of Rent the Runway, talked about how her successful company was borne out of a lightbulb moment after seeing the extent of waste inherent in the fashion industry. She built a “closet in the cloud,” starting with a long-term vision and using transparency to build brand loyalty.
Our key takeaways
Several overarching themes resonated with our team throughout the conference. First, we were reminded that firms must learn how to scale if they want to successfully meet the demands of the future. The current product direction for QuickBooks aligns with AbacusNext’s OfficeTools accounting practice management solution – we’re helping firms automate their practice, allowing them to spend less time on finding errors and doing administrative work, and instead focus on bringing added value to their clients.
Just as Ariege Misherghi gave credit during the keynote speech to accountants for helping to shape QuickBooks Online into what it is today, AbacusNext recognizes that our clients have been integral to helping shape the development of our new cloud product. We also echo Michael McQueen’s sentiment that trust is an important commodity. We take the trust between accountants and clients very seriously and understand that it’s an essential part of successfully doing business.
AbacusNext was honored to meet with many of our clients over the course of this year’s QuickBooks Connect conference. In addition to offering demos of our new cloud-based practice management solution, we welcomed the chance to gather valuable feedback, answer client questions, and troubleshoot specific pain points. All of these interactions were just another step in building those trusting relationships we value so much.
We look forward to continuing to connect with our clients and others in the industry, and are excited to see what’s in store for next year’s QuickBooks Connect.