We recently launched a new initiative, the Xero Beautiful Business Fund, providing more than R8,000,000 in funding globally to our small business customers in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, Canada and the US. We received a huge number of applications from a diverse range of Xero customers, all doing amazing things. There were 28 winners overall, including four South African winners who were recognised for best demonstrating, in a 90 second video, how they would use the funding to support their future business goals in one of four categories – Innovating for sustainab ..read more

We’re very excited to reveal the global and regional winners of the inaugural Xero Beautiful Business Fund – each of whom will receive a share of the NZ$750,000 global prize pool. After receiving a massive 5,500+ applications across four categories and seven countries, our regional and global judging panels have selected a total of 28 winners. The response and dedication to apply has been incredible – a big thank you to all who took the time to enter and share their stories with us. The amazingly diverse set of entries came from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the Uni ..read more

This guest blog was written by the team at ecommerce accounting integration, Amaka. Cyber Monday was originally an opportunity for ecommerce businesses to dish out huge promotions after Thanksgiving in the United States, but it’s now become a phenomenon around the world. In 2022, Cyber Monday brought in a total of $11.3 billion USD in the United States alone, representing one of the biggest online shopping days of the year. This year, Cyber Monday falls on 27 November and with this huge amount of potential revenue to tap into, it’s critical for small businesses to start planning early. Proper ..read more

From your local plumber and barber, to your favourite cafe, these small businesses sit at the heart of our communities. They are the ones driving jobs, economic growth and a place for people to come together. These smallest businesses — those employing up to nine people — make up 15% of the UK’s turnover, and provide over a quarter of jobs.  But despite this, a “digital drag” is holding the smallest firms back from reaching their full potential.     Our Beating the “digital drag” report with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) reveals these businesse ..read more

Over the last 12 months, millions of customers around the world have been impacted by some of the biggest data breaches in history.  As a small business or advisor working with sensitive personal and financial information every day, the stakes are high. If your business or practice experienced a data breach, it could have a serious impact on your livelihood. Aside from facing hefty fines and costs, you may never fully recover the trust of your customers and clients. October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and a timely reminder to stay secure online. Even if you feel pretty confident abo ..read more

There’s just one week to go to get your applications in for the Xero Beautiful Business Fund! Applications are closing Friday, 6 October 2023 at 5:00 pm local time in your country (AEST, NZDT, BST, PDT, SAST or SGT). A huge thank you to all of those who’ve already applied, and those that have shared news of the fund through your networks. First time hearing of the Xero Beautiful Business Fund? It’s not too late to get involved! The Xero Beautiful Business Fund is a NZ$750,000 initiative that we set up to support Xero small business customers who want to take the next step in various aspects o ..read more

With economic conditions putting pressure on Australian small businesses, owners are looking at different ways to maintain a healthy cash flow. Our ‘Money matters’ report showed that 61% of Australian small business owners increased their prices in the last 12 months to stay ahead of rising costs and make a profit. 27% also had to dip into their personal savings to manage their cash flow. But the digitisation of the administrative jobs for small business owners and their advisors is making it easier than ever to get the right data to make informed choices about how to manage cash flow. This i ..read more

Running a small business often means you and/or your team need to wear a few different hats to get things done. You might be an expert plumber or talented hairdresser, but that doesn’t mean you have all the skills you need to run a small business. Filling that skills gap by investing in training is a great step that small businesses can take to set themselves up for success by building and retaining a great team.  However, getting access to training for yourself or your staff can be a challenge. It might be tricky to set aside the resources to fill whatever gaps your business has, whethe ..read more

The application period for the Xero Beautiful Business Fund will be wrapping up a few short weeks! To help us select the winners of the 2023 Xero Beautiful Business Fund, we’ve lined up a stellar list of regional and global judges.  The judges represent small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers and Xero’s global partners. They will play a key role in evaluating the entries to help our small business winners achieve their ambitions.  Our regional judging panels will each identify four regional winners (one winner in each category), who will each receive NZ$20,000*. There will be ..read more

There’s all sorts of great ways to help make your business more sustainable and have a positive impact. Some businesses might have a sustainability purpose core to what they do, like reducing food waste, wildlife conservation, or waterway restoration. Others might want to become more sustainable, through initiatives like reducing waste or consumption, shifting to a green fleet of vehicles, transitioning to a more sustainable business model, such as circular economy or regenerative agriculture, or installing solar panels.  Either way, what works best for your business depends entirely on ..read more