“Look at Zoho Books as an alternative, because we compete head-to-head with QuickBooks. We compete head-to-head with Xero.”

Val Steed, Director Accountants at Zoho Corporation

Today, I’m speaking with Val Steed, Director Accountants at Zoho Corporation, about his company’s journey during the last three decades.

In this episode, we talk about . . .

  • Zoho Corporation’s journey in the accounting technology industry, from its founding in 1996 to its current position as a leading provider of integrated business solutions
  • The company’s focus on privacy, security, and long-term vision, with a family-like culture and commitment to employee retention
  • Zoho’s conservative management approach and profitability since day one, even during challenging times like the pandemic
  • The challenges of working as a US-based employee for an Indian-based company, including navigating cultural nuances and time zones
  • How they are an integrated platform which offers a suite of over 55 web apps and 75 mobile apps, including accounting, CRM, and other business tools
  • Their efforts to adapt its products to local markets, such as incorporating Australian tax and payroll requirements
  • The company’s annual Zoholics conference, including the partner-focused Inspire event, and its plans for AI integration in its products
  • Insights into Zoho’s growth and competitive landscape in the accounting industry, as well as the challenges of reaching the target audience in the Australian market

“Look at our finance suite, which is anchored by Books and has surrounding fill in products like payment, sales, order, invoicing, you’ve got inventory expense checklist, just all these other things that feed in, including like a global internet based marketplace that feeds into that whole thing. Look at that as an alternative.”

“The reason why it’s such a strong alternative, I would say the core reason is because it’s not just accounting. Head-to-head we have pretty much everything Xero has. Everything QuickBooks has. Probably even a stronger inventory than either of those two and getting stronger with the big announcement later this fall. So, we have that. But suddenly, what makes a lot of sense is you’re not having to go out and build a connection to other Apps. You’re not having to go out and build the connection. With the flip of a switch, once you want to flow that data, it flows, and it flows very well.”

Val Steed, Director Accountants at Zoho Corporation

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