Written by Andy Collings

At the start, my job was to understand the UK market from the ground up. I spoke with 40+ firms, asking them everything from what systems they used to what pain point they faced. Those insights helped us pinpoint where our product fit, and more importantly, where it didn’t (yet).

Our first five "lighthouse" customers were key. They not only gave us honest feedback, but they also patiently worked through early quirks like Australianisms in the product and helped us refine it into something more suitable for UK firms. From scrubbing out GST references to adapting charts of accounts, the localisation work was granular, but essential.

We didn’t stop there. We began developing UK-specific functionality, like lead schedules, (almost unheard of in Australia). Then came the heavy lifting: rebuilding accounting content. That’s where Melanie Coda joined the team. She systematically reviewed everything we had, kept what worked, and began developing what was missing.

We also knew that content alone wouldn't cut it, firms needed proper training and support. Mel Dowie took on implementation and training, and she’ll soon be expanding our customer success function to ensure that firms feel genuinely supported throughout their journey.

To better tailor the product to accountants' real workflows, we brought Michael Ovens in. An accountant by trade who’s been instrumental in aligning our features to firm realities with his first-hand experience.

Part of our continual learning was our research with the UK’s Top 50 firms, with full discovery sessions with 17 of them. This wasn’t about features, it was about understanding why firms implement software, what gaps they see, and what they truly need.

One major takeaway: firms aren’t just looking for a good workpapers tool, they want an integrated, cloud-first practice platform.

That’s where our accounts product comes in. Our Head of Product Development Sean Devenish has relocated to the UK to ensure smooth delivery of this exciting development. Management and consolidated reporting, with FRS 105 and 102(1A) is here and full 102, Charities, Partnership and Trust accounts are on the immediate release schedule. This marks a major shift from offering workpapers to delivering a fully integrated accounts and workpapers solution. The integrations and partnerships we’re forming are also a critical part of our offering – with bookkeeping, practice management, document management and tax all being important adjacent processes.

And we’re just getting started.

Ultimately, we’re building more than software. We’re building a platform from the inside out, by listening first and developing second. I’m incredibly proud of the team who are making it happen.

If you’re a firm looking to standardise the work in your firm, we’d love to connect. Active | UK