The Naked Accountant

A series of ramblings on how we built flinder and the lessons along the way | The only newsletter dedicated to growing an outsourced finance function 🚀

Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence

Is AI forcing accountants into the role of ‘system designer’?

As firms adopt AI, some become ‘builders’ while others simply ‘buy’. But is it just a matter of time before all accountants have to know how to build systems with AI?

Alastair Barlow

Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence

+1+1

From AI-curious to AI-centric: where’s the value for firms that are serious about AI?

Apparently, 70% of firms are using AI, according to AccountancyAge. But how many of these firms have an AI strategy, rather than a scattergun approach? Strategy = returns. So let’s talk about how firms can get serious about AI.

Alastair Barlow

Strategy & GrowthStrategy & Growth

Okay, you’ve built a firm. But did you build a business?

Firms need to operate - and earn - like businesses, but many of them don’t. Here’s what the industry’s leading accountants would do to fix that.

Alastair Barlow

Strategy & GrowthStrategy & Growth

Vending machine or butler: how should a ‘firm of the future’ serve its clients?

Accounting is changing. New tech. New ICPs. And new service models. But do firms face a fork in the road — and a decision to make about how they serve clients in the future?

Alastair Barlow

Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence

+1+1

The business case for advisory as AI adoption grows

If AI is a “threat” to traditional accounting. What next? Advisory relies on human intelligence, but AI can help support and improve your delivery.

Alastair Barlow

Strategy & GrowthStrategy & Growth

Looking to grow existing clients? These are the exercises I rate

1 workshop, 2 hours, 3 exercises: an Account Planning Workshop might be one of the fastest and most powerful ways to expand revenue within existing clients. These are the APW exercises I use, and how to run them well.

Alastair Barlow

Strategy & GrowthStrategy & Growth

The one workshop you need to deepen your understanding of clients and help grow the firm

A deep understanding of what clients want and need, today and in the future, is crucial for retention. As is having the proposition(s) to match. Enter: the Account Planning Workshop.

Alastair Barlow

Strategy & GrowthStrategy & Growth

How we built flinder’s advisory-first offer

Advisory was a clear, logical fit for flinder from the start. But building it right took time. We had to learn about clients and earn their trust. So let’s take it back to the beginning: what did we prioritise and why?

Alastair Barlow

Operating modelOperating model

Everyone’s talking about advisory. But is there risk becoming an advisory-only firm?

There’s a strong argument for building an advisory-first firm. It certainly worked for us at flinder. But is advisory the only future-proofed route forward, or will compliance always have some value?

Alastair Barlow

Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence

12 AI tools and how accountants are using them today (part 2)

Frustrated by the lack of AI in accounting software? Here’s a list of other AI tools to use in your practice instead, and an example use case for each.

Alastair Barlow

Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence

12 AI tools and how accountants are using them today (part 1)

Frustrated by the lack of AI in accounting software? Here’s a list of other AI tools to use in your practice instead, and an example use case for each.

Alastair Barlow

Artificial IntelligenceArtificial Intelligence

How to become the top 1% of AI users in accounting in 30 minutes

Sebastian Trif, AI engineer and my cofounder at the AI Exchange, says accountants should “Be hyped on what you can do [with AI] in half an hour”. Here’s a list of ways to spend 30 minutes advancing your AI.

Alastair Barlow