Choose Wisely

bundahsi
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Choose Wisely is the podcast from the A to Z of AI Accounting Software. Hosted by Damon Anderson, ex-Xero and founder of the A to Z, it cuts through the noise in accounting software to help firms, finance teams and founders buy better. Every software company claims to have AI. We talk to the people building, buying and using it to find out what is real, what is hype, and what it means for your work. Straight talk, no jargon, and an optimistic view of what good technology can do for people.

Episodes

  1. 11h ago

    005: Reinventing double entry accounting. With Lucy Cohen, Mazuma

    Lucy Cohen started as an AAT apprentice, co-founded Mazuma at 23 with about a hundred quid and a fairly rubbish laptop, built the UK’s first subscription accounting firm, and has just finished her term as President of the AAT. Now she’s doing a PhD that asks a bigger question: what if double entry, the system we’ve used since Pacioli wrote it down in 1494, is the wrong answer for small businesses? Her answer is accounting by exception. A deterministic engine of around 600,000 rules, built on 20 years of clean Mazuma data, makes the most correct call right now instead of waiting forever for the technically correct one. It’s already in live trial at Mazuma. Along the way she tells us why bank reconciliation is pointless nowadays, why 18% of small business transactions never touch the company bank account, and why accountants are the best error and fraud control HMRC never had to pay for. Plus: process trumps AI, why LLMs are a more portable version of Dave down the pub, can clients just ask Claude, how we find the next generation of accountants, Silicon Valley money and the bees, and an ADHD rabbit hole or ten. Lucy Cohen: https://www.lucycohen.ukMazuma: https://www.mazumamoney.co.ukThe A to Z of AI Accounting Software: https://atozaiaccounting.comMore episodes: https://atozaiaccounting.com/podcast This episode is not sponsored. Lucy and Mazuma had no input into the edit. 0:00 Cold open1:06 Welcome, and introducing Lucy Cohen3:45 Mazuma, and the first subscription firm6:33 Buying firms with no exit8:46 Clients who think they’re accountants13:30 Everything is behaviour15:50 How do we find the next Lucy?25:11 Is AI coming for accounting?28:18 Process before AI33:23 Is software dead?35:51 Can’t clients just ask Claude?39:12 The augmented accountant44:57 Vendors running at the ball49:25 Reinventing double entry57:32 Why it matters59:40 Silicon Valley money1:06:11 The PhD1:08:19 Close

    005: Reinventing double entry accounting. With Lucy Cohen, Mazuma

  2. Nov 2

    004: Software is dead. Arise, the superhuman accountant. With Jeff Seibert, Digits

    Jeff Seibert built Crashlytics, sold it to Twitter, ran consumer product there and helped make The Social Dilemma. Now he runs Digits, the AI-native general ledger sitting at number one on the A to Z World Ranking. So we put it to the test: is Digits ten times better, or just better? We go deep on what AI-native actually means, why Digits trains its own deterministic models instead of wrapping a frontier LLM, and whether software is dead once agents can do the work. Jeff says accountants have about six months before the month-end close is done for them, then explains why that means more demand for accountants, not less. Plus Intuit and the regulators, books to tax, Digits coming to the UK next year, how many firms are really switching, and why Jeff isn't worried about AI until it starts mining its own silicon. Jeff Seibert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jseibert/ Digits: https://digits.com Zero Entry, the book: https://zeroentrybook.com Craig Walker at the Digital Accountancy Show, From Double Entry to Zero Entry: https://atozaiaccounting.com/blog/from-double-entry-to-zero-entry The A to Z of AI Accounting Software: https://atozaiaccounting.com More episodes: https://atozaiaccounting.com/podcast Product animations supplied by Digits. This episode is not sponsored. Jeff and Digits had no input into the edit. 0:00 Cold open 1:16 Introducing Jeff Seibert 2:32 Welcome 4:14 Why accounting? From Twitter dashboards to a three-week P&L 6:38 Can anyone beat Intuit? 9:25 Act 1, the tech: what AI-native actually means 11:15 Deterministic, not generative 14:53 Is software dead? 17:07 Six months 19:46 Act 2, the profession: what happens to accountants 22:13 Teaching the next generation 25:50 What AI can't replace: trust, judgement, accountability 27:10 Act 3, the market: Intuit and the regulators 31:30 Books to tax: Accrual, Puzzle and Instead 34:00 Coming to the UK 35:35 Is Digits 10x better? 38:29 Get your practice ready 40:03 Who Digits is for, and multi-entity 43:38 Traction: a firm a day 44:21 Act 4, the future: should we be worried about AI? 47:36 Zero Entry, and where to find Jeff

    004: Software is dead. Arise, the superhuman accountant. With Jeff Seibert, Digits

  3. Oct 28

    003: There's always a better way, with Alastair Barlow

    Alastair Barlow spent 16 years at PwC, co-founded flinder, grew it to around 50 people and sold it. Now he's building again with Numbrs, the data layer upstream of the ledger. We get into what selling a firm is really like: the itchy feet, the pivot from raising money to finding a buyer, telling the team, why people and fit mattered more than price, and what sellers get wrong about valuation, working capital and completion accounts. Then the big debates. Are accountants cooked? Is Xero still the right choice for a new firm? Tourists versus locals, who really owns a client's data, and the Briefcase episode. Plus why Alastair ignores most advice, and the podcasts he can't stop listening to. Chapters 0:00 Cold open 0:48 Introducing Alastair Barlow 2:36 From Edinburgh to PwC to flinder 6:05 Leaving PwC after 16 years 8:20 Building flinder on data and insight 12:25 Selling flinder 15:36 Telling the team 20:39 How to sell your firm 28:52 AI and the profession 37:54 Xero 42:14 Tourists and locals 44:59 Numbrs 49:00 Who owns the data, and Briefcase 52:55 Advice he ignored 54:43 Podcasts and F1 57:31 Close Alastair Barlow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abarlowfcca/ Numbrs: https://numbrs.ai The A to Z of AI Accounting Software: https://atozaiaccounting.com More episodes: https://atozaiaccounting.com/podcast This episode is not sponsored. Alastair and Numbrs had no input into the edit. Demo footage supplied by Numbrs.

    003: There's always a better way, with Alastair Barlow

  4. Oct 21

    002: Back to BASIC, with Anne Allibone

    What happens when a chartered accountant decides the general ledger needs rebuilding from scratch? Anne Allibone trained in audit at KPMG, spent years as a fractional CFO, and grew up with a dad who wrote Sinclair BASIC, the software that made the ZX81 and Spectrum work. Now she's founder and CEO of Finzu, an AI-native general ledger built for SME founders. We talk about why month-end makes finance useless to founders, whether you'd trust AI with your books, the "verification tax" that comes with AI that's right 98% of the time, and the question everyone's asking: is Finzu just a wrapper around Claude? Anne also makes the optimistic case for the profession. AI was supposed to be the end of developers, and it's still hard to hire one. Chapters 00:00 Cold open and intro 02:41 From KPMG to fractional CFO 05:32 Her dad and the Sinclair Spectrum 07:18 Why rebuild the general ledger? 14:13 Who is Finzu for? 16:04 Would you trust AI with your books? 18:16 Is Finzu just a wrapper around Claude? 21:29 The verification tax 22:38 The month-end problem 25:15 From compliance to advisory 28:08 Why be optimistic 30:41 Launch, beta and the DAS reaction 35:39 Growth, churn and why the right product wins 40:15 What we decided not to build 42:38 Founder judgement and values 47:15 Best advice for choosing software 48:47 Final thoughts Links Finzu: finzu.ai The A to Z of AI Accounting Software: atozaiaccounting.com Disclosure: Damon is an advisor to Finzu. This episode is not sponsored and Finzu had no input into the edit. Demo footage supplied by Finzu. Choose Wisely is independent. No paid placements.

  5. Oct 15

    001: Finally unemployable, with Ellie Black

    For the first episode of Choose Wisely, the questions point the other way. Damon Anderson, founder of the A to Z of AI Accounting Software and formerly of Xero, is interviewed by his partner, Ellie Black. They cover his journey from this first business as a 8 year old, running a pirated computer games marketplace in the back of the newspaper to now as founder of the A to Z. Why share why he's unemployable, and why that’s a good thing. And the moment he stopped looking for someone else’s vision and started building his own. And why good technology should mean we use less of it, not more. Choose Wisely is straight talk on AI, accounting software and how to buy better. The A to Z of AI Accounting Software: ⁠https://atozaiaccounting.com⁠Want to be on the show? hello@atozaiaccounting.com

    001: Finally unemployable, with Ellie Black

  6. Oct 13

    Trailer: Choose Wisely, coming Thursday 15 October

    A first look at Choose Wisely, the podcast from the A to Z of AI Accounting Software. In episode one, host Damon Anderson swaps seats and gets interviewed by his partner, Ellie Black. From launching his first business as an eight years old to why he went his own way. We cover what is broken about how people buy software, and why good technology can we a force for good in the era of AI. Full episode out Thursday 15 October on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. atozaiaccounting.com

  • 6 Episodes

About

Choose Wisely is the podcast from the A to Z of AI Accounting Software. Hosted by Damon Anderson, ex-Xero and founder of the A to Z, it cuts through the noise in accounting software to help firms, finance teams and founders buy better. Every software company claims to have AI. We talk to the people building, buying and using it to find out what is real, what is hype, and what it means for your work. Straight talk, no jargon, and an optimistic view of what good technology can do for people.

Information

  • Creator
    bundahsi
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © bundahsi
  • Show Website
    Choose Wisely

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