I woke up early Tuesday morning in Atlanta and flew to San Jose, CA where I was picked up by a car service that carried me to the Palo Alto Westin. 2 hours later I was picked up by another car service and driven to San Francisco to attend Xero's opening reception for their first every Xerocon in the US. 2 hours later I was picked up by another car that carried me back to the Palo Alto Westin where I arrived just in time to make it to the end of the cocktail reception for Intuit's VIP Summit, which is why I am on this trip and writing this.
I share these details because it is important for you, the reader, to know that I (and our Editor "Murph") am on a trip that is paid for by Intuit. A trip that so far has been very impressive in it's scale, detail and general hospitality. It is equally important for you to know that I am not an accountant, bookkeeper, CPA or a ProAdvisor. In fact, accounting was the only class I had to take over in college! The good news for me is that Publishers don't need to be practitioners, we just need to be willing to listen, learn and surround ourselves with people who do know the business. I am sharing all of this information in full disclosure so that when I pose the question "Is that blue Kool Aid coming from the firehose", you know where I am coming from.
So, is it Intuit Blue Kool Aid? I was very impressed with what I saw during day 1 of Intuit's VIP Summit (which started at 7:30 AM and ended at 10:00 PM). Their people, their processes and their commitment to their customers all seem to be very genuine. Their core principles and goals seem very clear. Principle/Mission- To improve our customers' financial lives so profoundly they can't imagine going back to the old way. Goals: 1. To be the operating system behind small business. 2. To do the nations' (US and Canada) taxes. I know that some people have a beef with Intuit for various reasons, and rightfully so, I am sure. Brad Smith as much as said so today. Regardless, how can you argue with their principles and their goals? If we all could identify our principles and goals so clearly we'd all be better off.
What I saw and experienced in day 1 of Intuit's VIP Summit was a company that has many of the right people and many of the right processes in place. From what I was able to gather from speaking with other attendees and Intuit employees, they also have the right products in place (or rolling out) to continue to serve their SMB and their tax and accounting clients for a very long time.
You are the accounting professional. You have lived with Intuit, their products and services for years. You have heard big companies tell you all of the things they are going to do to make your life better and your job easier. So I ask you: Has my judgement been clouded by their hospitality or do you think they really believe in their principles and will work to achieve their goals? Am I drinking Intuit blue Kool Aid from a fire hose? I know what I think, but I really look forward to hearing what you think.