Back to Blog

Xero Tips & Tricks

A few handy general Xero tips and tricks that you might find useful. ...

Xerocon 2023

Xero sure know how to put on a show and throw a party and that's exactly what they did back in August for XEROCON Sydney 2023! There was a big focus on AI and well-bee-ing, you'll get that part once you see one of the photos below! A team of 8 from our office made their way across the ditch and these are a few takeaways they bought back. Prepare for the FutureAI is all around us and has been for a long time, (think Google searches, facial recognition in photos and predictive text). It is no...

In the Community

Each month we all contribute an amount to our social club for 'Casual Friday' in the office. This year it was decided to split our funds and donate to 5 deserving charities, as voted by our team.In line with one of our core values of Solidarity here at A4, both in the office and in the community, this yearly donation is so important to us as a team! This year we are proud to have donated our funds to the following charities;Cambridge Riding for the DisabledKarapiro School CampWaikato Rescue Heli...

In the Office

We are so happy to be saying 'Welcome Back' to Alex and Ruby who have now both officially returned to work from maternity leave. So nice to have your smiling faces back in the office! ...

Get to Know Raya

Raya grew up in the sunny Bay of Plenty, moving to the Waikato in 2009. She completed her Masters of Professional Accounting at the University of Waikato in 2021.Raya joined the A4 team in August 2023 as a junior-intermediate accountant and plans to continue working through her CA qualification. She is a current board member of the Waikato Community Broadcasting Charitable Trust and enjoys sharing her accounting knowledge with the team and supporting a great community organisation. Outside ...

Featured Partner - Sparkhouse

In today's fast-paced and ever-evolving work environments, it's easy to feel like you're constantly juggling multiple challenges, from shifting demands and high expectations to overwhelming workloads and complex compliance regulations. All this, while navigating open-plan offices filled with distractions, interruptions, and overflowing inboxes. It's no surprise that both employers and employees often find themselves grappling with stress, a sense of overwhelm and poor work-life balance...

FoMO or JoMO? Give your business decisions (and yourself) a chance to breathe

In reviews of buyer trends and marketing reports, the term FoMO often pops up. It stands for the fear of missing out. It’s the feeling that, whatever you’re doing, you’re missing out on something happening somewhere else, a product or experience you just must have.In your marketing campaigns, it’s your friend. Let customers and prospects know they’re in danger of missing out if they ignore this wonderful opportunity, service, product, discount, or promotion.But don’t let it drive you...

Featured Client - Phoenix Civil

Switching accountants can be a daunting process, but some businesses experience a major change that makes such a move necessary. Phoenix Civil, a civil engineering business with a reputation for exceptional skill and quality, found themselves in such circumstances when they relocated from Christchurch to Waikato and needed a local accountant. Because they had a decent relationship with their previous accountant, Phoenix Civil was nervous about the process of changing firms.“When we relocated t...

5 ways to overcome economic uncertainty

Economic uncertainty is an ongoing worry for any business owner.You can control your own financial management, but you don’t have any direct control over the wider macro-economy. And in the first few years of the 2020s, there have certainly been plenty of tricky ups and downs for your business to navigate.Current economic uncertainty stems from a number of factors, including:Fluctuating marketsGeopolitical tensionsPandemic recoveryThe impact of climate change.This unpredictability poses signif...

Plain English guide to cashflow

Why is cashflow so central to good financial management? Here's our plain english guide.What is cashflow?Cashflow refers to the movement of money into and out of your business over a specific period.In the most basic terms, cashflow is the process of cash moving out of the business (cash outflows), and cash coming into the business (cash inflows). The ideal scenario is to be in a ‘positive cashflow position’. This means that your inflows outweigh your outflows – i.e. that more cash is comi...

Can ChatGPT replace your marketing team?

Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll have heard about the ascendant rise of Open AI's ChatGPT and GPT-4 (plus other similar tools). These natural language processing tools have brought AI content writing to the masses – but does this mean that your content marketing team is now defunct?The short is no. For a start, great marketing has always been much more than just promotion. The traditional 4 P’s include Promotion but also, Product, Price, and Place. When these three work togethe...

Frank Risk - Environmental Risks

ENVIRONMENTAL RISKSEnvironmental & pollution liabilities present a growing concern to businesses as courts take a ‘polluter pays’ approach and evolving regulations increase responsibility.With the increased awareness of environmental considerations, individuals and companies must comply with good environmental care practices in all their operations to meet regulations, avoid prosecution and maintain their reputation with customers and the public.Regulators and courts increasingly seek to...

What’s the difference between employees and contractors? And why does it matter.

Does your business use both employees and contractors? It’s important to distinguish between them as they are paid and taxed differently.Despite what you may call the individual concerned, that description is not definitive. If the status of the worker is questioned in the Employment Court or Employment Relations Authority, for example, the Employment Relations Act 2000 requires a consideration of the ‘real nature of the relationship’.Common law tests assist in determining what that is. Th...

Payroll Update

IR Kilometre Rate for business use of vehiclesIncreased for 2023 Income YearIf you use these KM rates to reimburse employees, make sure you are using the current rates – two-tier rates start at 95c per kilometre.https://www.ird.govt.nz/income-tax/income-tax-for-businesses-and-organisations/types-of-business-expenses/claiming-vehicle-expenses/kilometre-rates-2022-2023Parental LeaveParental Leave payment increase on 1 July 2023On 1st July 2023, the maximum weekly rate of parental leave payments ...

Featured Client - The Forest ECE

Situated only 10 minutes from town, nestled in the Te Miro native bush and perched on the banks of the Waitakaruru stream is The Forest ECE - A unique early learning opportunity for children from aged 3 to 6 at our ECE, and from 5 and up for our one-day-school that runs on Wednesdays and Fridays.   Our kaiako (teachers) are trained not only as ECE teachers but also in Forest teaching and learning, and the combination of the two is the key to hands-on, authentic, one of a kind learning ...

Have you got a plan for growth in your business?

Growth doesn’t need to mean more risk, more hours and more headaches.It may be as simple as identifying where the opportunities for growth are in your business and industry. Once you've done this you can establish what you and your team are going to have to do in order to maximise these opportunities, and how you will navigate the likely obstacles.Here are a couple of tips to get you thinking about growth:Do an audit to document your growth over time. Analyse all the information you have to un...

Featured Partner - FuseSign

As a business we have recently decided to move to a streamlined easy-to-use electronic signing platform via FuseSign. One of our highest priorities is getting documentation out to our clients as quickly and securely as possible and with FuseSign we can achieve both of these effortlessly while providing you with the best experience possible.What does this mean for you? Within FuseSign we have set you up with your contact details including your mobile number. Mobile numbers are important in the Fu...

Get to Know Beth

How long have you worked at Accounted4, and what is your favourite thing about working here?I’ve worked at Accounted4 for 6 months now, in Jamie and Grant’s team, and up until recently was the office newbie. Not only am I learning heaps – particularly about farm accounting –but I am also loving the positive and supportive culture here at A4.   Why accounting?You could say that accounting runs in the family as my brother is also an accountant, and my grandad worked as a tax...

In the Community

Accounted4 is excited to present an interactive training session as part of the Cambridge Business Chamber Lunch N Learn Digital Series. Wednesday 16th August 202312 - 1.30pmOnyx Function RoomPresented by Katie and Ann-Marie from A4, this 'Get More out of Xero' training session will cover a range of topics, beyond the basics.If this sounds like something you might be interested in, follow the link below to register for the event.https://cambridgechamberconz.chambermaster.com/events/details/...

In the Office

Shared morning tea celebrations are well embedded into our office culture here at A4. We love occasions that deserve special attention and what better way to celebrate the King's Birthday than with tea, sweets and sausage rolls! Thank you to our social club for the regal morning tea, fit for a King (and of course an office full of accounting professionals and administrators). ...

Time to upgrade to New Reports in Xero

Are you still using older versions of Xero Reports?Xero has had two versions of their reports for a while — the older version and their ‘new’ reports. As of 31th July they will not longer be maintaining and providing technical support for the older versions. These will be retired on 31 July 2023 at 6am NZST.This means you’ll need to upgrade, if you haven't already. Note: You will need to do your month-end reporting for July 2023 in new reports.What’s going to happen on 31 Jul...

How humour can increase your bottom line

You want to be taken seriously as a business, right? But did you know that many customers and consumers actually want you to give them a laugh as well? 91% of people globally prefer brands to be funny, but 95% of business leaders fear using humour in consumer interactions.So, how do you overcome the worry about using humour in your sales and marketing? And what are the benefits of a brand that uses humour in an effective way?5 ways that humour improves your customer experienceBeing funny in a bu...

What's the difference between statutory and management accounts?

As a business owner, you know you need to produce accounts – that’s a given. But do you know the difference between statutory accounts and management accounts?Your statutory and management accounts have two very separate purposes, and producing both kinds is good practice for any business that wants a handle on its numbers.Let’s take a look at the key differences and why you need these specific kinds of accounting.1. What are statutory accounts?Statutory accounts are a legal requirement fo...

Cambridge Business Chamber Digital Series - Get More out of Xero with A4

Accounted4 is excited to present an interactive training session as part of the Cambridge Business Chamber Lunch N Learn Digital Series. Wednesday 16th August 202312 - 1.30pmOnyx Function RoomPresented by Katie and Ann-Marie from A4, this 'Get More out of Xero' training session will cover a range of topics, beyond the basics.If this sounds like something you might be interested in, follow the link below to register for the event.https://cambridgechamberconz.chambermaster.com/events/details/...

Targeting a specific audience with your product – and why this adds value

A business has to solve a need for an existing audience. If you don't know who that customer is, or what your business can offer them, it may be difficult to get your business off the ground.Making your business more client-centricYou’re far more likely to make sustainable sales, revenues and profits if you’re targeting your products and/or services to the needs of a very tailored group of customers. This ‘client-centric’ approach can be a gamechanger. In fact, recent research has shown ...