Greetings from the Melbourne Xero Roadshow

Ah, Melbourne. So sophisticated, so indifferent to Sydney’s brashness, so rainy. We have a special place in our hearts for Melbourne at Sharesight. If Wellington had a sister city, it would be Melbourne. The city feels extra-conducive to cloud-based companies (I avoided the all too obvious cloud/rain pun). We have a lot of friends building some really cool stuff in Melbourne. Not to mention the city’s grid system makes our General Manager a bit homesick for Chicago.

This was our second stop along the Xero Roadshow, and we couldn’t believe the turnout. Nearly 600 accountants, bookkeepers, and financial advisers joined us at the Crown in Southbank. At one point our stand was 3 people deep trying to get a peek at our demo. From the looks of it, our mates at PocketRent, Spotlight, and Fathom were equally busy.

This convinces us more and more that the financial services industry - particularly financial advice is gearing up for a huge change. These days being locked into a walled garden just doesn’t cut it. Everyone and their mother has a smartphone with an app store. Why can’t everyday financial services be this way? Thankfully, entrepreneurial practices who want to make use of the best apps on the market are leading the charge. Transparency and communication are the name of the game and we’re proud to be a part of this disruption.

I sat through a couple of the Xero demos and learned that Xero Cash Book is the perfect solution for financial advisers to help their clients manage their everyday budgets. After all, that’s a sadly overlooked, but critical component to what a financial adviser should be doing! Once you start reconciling those bank transactions, you may never look back.

And when it comes to investing, it’s nearly impossible for a young, hungry adviser to justify putting client assets onto an expensive wrap product. Keep in mind, financial professionals are just a_ simple Google search away_ from having to make an awkward justification.

That’s where Sharesight comes in. We are THE alternative to expensive and poorly functioning wrap and platform software. They were built to sell investment products. We were built to provide cloud-based tracking and reporting - that’s it. Moreover, most client funds sit across multiple locations - why not aggregate everything and provide constant access and reportability in a cost effective way?

It seemed to make sense to 600 people in Melbourne.

Next stop Perth, the wild west.

Almost forgot to mention - special thanks for the Xero Melbourne crew for their hospitality. Cool new digs!