PAUL MEISSNER

People often ask me why I volunteer and sit on councils, industry panels and generally make myself available to discuss where technology is taking the accounting profession. Well my wife asks anyway. 

Technology, as well as allowing me to service my clients from exotic locations and buy the latest gadgets as a tax deduction (cough, cough), kept me in public practice when a lot of my peers were leaving for the money in the corporate sector. It also allows me to travel with my family and run a businesses at the same time, but I digress. 

I serve because of days like yesterday. 

Yesterday I had the honour to represent tax practitioners and CAANZ at a full day session held by the ATO about their reinvention plans. Held in Canberra, 50 of the most open, honest and dedicated ATO people engaged with practitioners, asked questions and generally wanted to see things as we see them. Without naming names, the diversity of ATO staff present were not lacking in seniority and included roles I had never expected to see at the ATO (ux designer, digital specialist, communications, etc). Judging by their enthusiasm, engagement and enquiring nature, they are either really bubbly or don't get let out much. I mean that in the nice way. 

Messages get miscommunicated and the scaremongering out there tells us to beware the ATO and their 'all powerful technology' that is out to replace us all. Those of us that use the technology can see that the fear is simply being driven by simple minded sales people flogging seminars, products or services, but the voice of fear is loud. 

What I saw yesterday was a true partnership between agents and 'our' ATO. Today we moved beyond squabbling over the portal's up time or how long we last waited on the phone, we explored the future and how we can work together harnessing amazing technology. 

Not many people out there say it, but rather than fear the ATO digital strategy, embrace it, and rather than listen to the scaremongering, ask what are they selling. 

Congratulations to Erin, Colin and the ATO reinvention team. Exciting times are ahead, where the ATO deliver products, services and systems that empower Tax and BAS agents to deliver top quality services to our clients in a manner that is profitable to us. #banredtape

Hi and welcome to my personal website.

Why would an accountant from Melbourne, Australia have a personal website?

This is a great question and one that is ultimately answered with the word "branding". 

Over the last 3 years of running my own accounting firm I have been lucky enough to meet and work with some amazing marketing people. Some were trained in marketing, some learned it on the job and some of them were even other accountants. They have shown me that people can brand themselves. We build businesses, relationships and have dreams and a personal website can capture them all. 

Over the journey I have seen some fantastically branded websites that frame a persons whole life. A business website tells a business story, LinkedIn details ones professional achievements and networks while a personal site can tell a more personal story.

So here is mine. Enjoy.

Paul Meissner, accountant, entrepreneur, speaker and recent father.

P.s. Those marketing types think it will help Google rankings, so it can't hurt. ;-)