Archives For Thought Leadership

We lead.. with our thoughts.
Just kidding, but we do have some thoughts we’d love to share with you.

[CEO Friday] Please Don’t Call Us “Cockroaches”

David Barrett —  November 20, 2015 — 14 Comments

no cockroach signI won’t lie: it’s flattering and vindicating for the low-burn, efficient-growth strategies we’ve been championing for years to come into vogue.  For years we’ve watched quietly on the sidelines as low-interest rates and market doldrums have fueled massive investments into “Unicorn” startups, operating unsustainable business models at a massive loss.  And I can’t deny we’ve envied their shocking valuations.  So I’ll admit satisfaction that the mythical creature’s shine is wearing off, and that there’s enough appreciation of our sustainable, profitable models that startups of our class have finally earned a name of our own.

But “cockroach”?  Seriously?! Continue Reading…

In Announcements, Thought Leadership
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The Simplest SQLite Common Table Expression Tutorial

David Barrett —  September 25, 2015 — 2 Comments

I’ve been trying to wrap my head around Common Table Expressions for a while, and all the tutorials I’ve read started out with “simple” examples that were way too advanced for me to follow. Here’s my attempt to write a tutorial that starts as simple as possible.

Continue Reading...
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How Congress Can Help Put Mobile Apps in the Hands of Small Business

Ryan Schaffer —  July 22, 2015 — 3 Comments

[Our CEO, David Barrett, was asked to speak in front of the U.S. House Of Representatives Committee On Small Business about how apps like Expensify can impact small businesses in America. We wanted to share his written testimony. Link to the spoken portion is here: David Barrett speaks before Congressional Small Business Committee Enjoy!]

What Congress Can Do to help SMBs

  1. Help create awareness by working with the SBA and Chamber of Commerce to educate small business owners as to what mobile apps are available.
  2. Support the “gig economy” by strengthening employees’ freedom to choose when and how they want to work.
  3. Welcome legal immigrants to start more small businesses and to enable existing SMBs to compete more effectively with large enterprises.
  4. Simplify internet tax collection by centrally aggregating and publishing per-zipcode sales tax rates on a defined schedule.
  5. Encourage crowdfunding by reducing the risk and overhead for business owners to solicit funds from a broader range of investors.
  6. Reward true innovation by creating tough software patent standards to invalidate frivolous claims and stop patent trolls.

Continue Reading…

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Taxes Got You Stressed? Here’s How to Fix That

Joanie Wang —  February 27, 2015 — Leave a comment

This guest post is Part 2 in a 3-part series discussing taxes written by Christopher Remus, author of Tax Pain Relief.

In Part 1, I talked about the different sources of tax season pain such as stress, tension, and anxiety. This pain is compounded by our attempt to avoid the pain by procrastinating, which only serves to add more pain to the process of getting our taxes filed.

The good news is, it’s possible to break the tax pain cycle using the system outlined below. How do you get started? Simply follow these five manageable steps outlined below. Continue Reading…

In Thought Leadership , , , , , , , ,
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When Small Business Should Hire an Accountant

Joanie Wang —  February 19, 2015 — 3 Comments

This guest post is written by Dave Anderson, Inbound Marketing Specialist at Xero.

When You need to hire an accountant for your small business

Running a business often requires making some tough decisions. And the decisions only get tougher when they impact your bottom line.

Fortunately an accountant will help during these times. Many people believe they are limited to doing the books and preparing tax returns, but an accountant can help you with so much more.

They can advise you on the best course of action of your business, based on their expertise and a deep understanding of your finances. Here are some common situations small businesses face where it makes sense to hire an accountant:  Continue Reading…

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Taxes Got You Stressed? This is Probably Why (Part 1)

Joanie Wang —  February 13, 2015 — 2 Comments

This guest post is Part 1 in a 3-part series discussing taxes written by Christopher Remus, author of Tax Pain Relief.

The Primary Cause of Tax Season Pain 

According to the the American Psychological Association’s 2014 Stress in America survey, “Paying with Our Health”, money is the most significant source of stress in our lives. So much that money has “consistently topped Americans’ list of stressors since the first Stress in America survey in 2007.”

The hard-and-fast tax season deadlines associated with tax filing dates make it nearly impossible to avoid coming face-to-face with this major source of stress in our lives.

The same study states that “nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of adults report feeling stressed about money at least some of the time and nearly one-quarter say that they experience extreme stress about money.”  Continue Reading…

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3 Payroll Tools We’re in Love With

Syl Wong —  February 4, 2015 — Leave a comment

While some celebrate February with chocolate and roses, it can be a headache if you’re an accountant trying to meet the February 17th deadline for payroll taxes. For those of you who are in an unhappy relationship or looking for a new payroll system, we picked out a few that we think would be a great match.

Continue Reading…

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Do You Speak Tech?

Korina Pazitka —  February 3, 2015 — Leave a comment
Don't get lost in a new environment, get acclimated!

Don’t get lost in a new environment, get acclimated!

Have you ever been to a foreign country and didn’t speak the language? Adventurous but also challenging, right? Sure, these days you can rely on using English almost anywhere you go, but there’s still a lot that gets lost in translation or is just plain impossible to translate. Local dishes, alcoholic beverages, and swear words, are just the tip of the iceberg. The fact is, speaking the local language, or at least trying to, shows interest and respect for the local culture and earns you respect in return. It also make life much easier whether you are trying to order coffee or give directions to the airport.  Continue Reading…

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[CEO Friday] How Difficult is It to Be a CEO?

David Barrett —  January 30, 2015 — 2 Comments

Being a founder and starting your own business has become the *it* thing to do lately.  In 2012, more than 500,000 companies were founded, and it’s not shocking that the numbers got even higher in 2013 and 2014.  It’s no wonder everyone wants to get in the startup game.

Interestingly enough, I came across the question of how difficult it is to be a CEO in today’s startup ecosystem.  The question, at length, from Quora:  Continue Reading…

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[CEO Friday] Top Three Skills for Software Engineers in 2015

David Barrett —  January 2, 2015 — 2 Comments

A new year is always the perfect time to break the cycle.  Stop doing what you hate, and find something you love to take its place.  This includes job hunting — if you hate your job, do something else.  Like everyone else, we’re eagerly hiring, so if you are intrigued by what we do, here’s what we look for:

Plan out your projects

Have a side project you’re passionate about? Figure out how to get it done!

Continue Reading…

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