Anyone else have those quote calendars that offer up a piece of wisdom every day? We always love the December ones, because they remind you to be both reflective and forward-thinking.
“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.” – Brad Paisley
“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.” – Benjamin Franklin
“If not now, when?” – Unknown
There’s just something so powerful about the ending of one chapter and the beginning of another and the excitement that comes with a fresh start. So as we prepare for a new year, here’s a look back at our 2019.
Acuity 2019 Year in Review
January: Received the “Rewiring the Global Economy Through Service” Award
To kick off the new year, Xero held its annual Xero Americas Awards recognizing the 2018 achievements of its bookkeeping, accounting, and ecosystem partners. We were honored to receive the “Rewiring the Global Economy Through Service” Award which recognizes one firm for delivering pro bono or volunteer work to underserved businesses in the community.
January: Made the “2019 List of Best Accounting Firms for Technology”
We were proud to make Accounting Today’s 2019 List of Best Accounting Firms for Technology. We’ve always made it a priority to deliver the best solutions to our clients, and that includes providing them with the best tech and automation tools. We’ve built up an extensive network of technology partners, and our team has worked hard to earn over 100 certifications in the top financial software and systems. It meant a lot to us to receive this recognition.
July: Made the “2019 List of Best Mid-Sized Firms to Work For”
We were also proud to make Accounting Today’s 2019 List of Best Mid-Sized Firms to Work For — selected by Accounting Today and Best Companies Group. We pride ourselves on creating a supportive work environment with flexible hours, remote work capabilities, and a culture that encourages hard work and personal growth, so this accolade was especially meaningful to us.
Side note — if you’re interested in joining our team, we’re hiring!
July: Introduced R&D Tax Credits
We teamed up with one of our partners, Clarus R+D, to launch a new tax service: R&D Tax Credits. Leading up to the launch of this new service offering, we hosted a webinar with the Clarus R+D team discussing how the credit is often missed or underutilized by small businesses. It was one of our most popular webinars to-date, and it’s chock-full of helpful info. Definitely check it out when you have a minute.
And with tax season right around the corner, we don’t want you to leave money on the table. Here’s a great resource with more info about the R&D credit, or you can get in touch with us if you want to take advantage of this offering.
October: Held the Inaugural AcuityCon
This is a perfect example of the power of goal-setting. This was an idea that had been brewing for quite some time, but at the beginning of the year, we set our minds to completing it before the year was over. And it happened!!!
As some of you may know, about 90% of our team is remote. We’d always wanted to bring everyone together for our an in-person all-hands meeting. We also thought we’d ask our technology partners if they’d like to join, and the response was a resounding “Hell Yes!” So we flew in everyone for our official first AcuityCon — a 2-day event filled with learning, networking, and, of course, a little bit of partying. We also hosted the first-ever live recording of the Cloud Accounting Podcast.
It was an incredible experience, and we’re already getting requests for round 2 next year!
October: Announced the Newest AcuityCares Client
Last year we officially introduced our AcuityCares program. We’ve always been big believers in using our talents to help others. Through this program, we provide our services free of charge to nonprofits whose missions resonate with us.
At AcuityCon, we heard from Brett Hagler, the CEO & Co-Founder of another one of our AcuityCares clients, New Story. New Story has made some remarkable steps forward in its mission to end global homelessness, and it was rewarding and humbling to hear Brett share how our services have made a difference for his team and the communities they serve.
At the conference we also announced our newest AcuityCares client, Refuge Coffee — a locally based nonprofit coffee company that provides job training for international refugees. We’re looking forward to working with them and allowing them to focus on what they do best — making a great cup of Joe and changing lives along the way.
Well, That’s a Wrap
We owe a big thank you to all of the people who made 2019 so great: our team, our partners, and our customers. So much has happened this past year — heck, this past decade, and we can’t thank them enough for being along for the ride with us. So here’s to the next chapter — we can’t wait to see what it holds.