After a jam-packed four days at Scaling New Heights (and a very slow journey home from Salt Lake City), the Method team is back in Toronto.
Of course, we have to say a huge thank you to Woodard for putting on such a fantastic event; we loved having so many opportunities to learn, network, and chat about apps. We also had a great time providing live coverage of the conference on our Twitter feed and live blog.
Curious about what we got up to while living life elevated? Here’s a quick look at some of our favourite memories from Scaling New Heights 2019.
1. The incredible Utah scenery
Most of the Method team had never been to Utah prior to this conference. With this in mind, we arrived a day early to take advantage of what this beautiful state has to offer.
After a 4:00 am wake-up call and six hours of travel, five Methoders landed in Salt Lake City feeling energized and ready to climb a mountain. We drove out to the Lake Blanche trailhead, which is a mere 30 minutes from downtown SLC. (Side note: how do locals get anything done with all this nature in their backyards?) From there, we spent five hours climbing up and down over rocks, roots, mud, and snow. It was the perfect introduction to the area and the perfect kickoff to our Scaling New Heights experience.
2. Reconnecting with Method:Partners
Our accountant, bookkeeper, and business advisor partners are valued members of the Method community. Many have been with us for the better part of a decade, supporting Method’s evolution into the #1 QuickBooks CRM. Our partners take on a variety of different roles in our ecosystem, doing everything from recommending Method to customizing Method for their clients to using Method in their own businesses.
(Fun fact: If you used the Scaling New Heights attendee portal, you may have noticed a small blue “m” in your browser tab. Woodard runs on Method!)
Attending Scaling New Heights each year gives us a prime opportunity to catch up with our partners, share product updates with them, and learn what they want from Method in the future.
3. Showcasing Method to attendees
As one of the longest-running sponsors at Scaling New Heights, we were thrilled to return to the exhibit hall floor for another year. And with our bright pink banners and prime spot next to QuickBooks, we were hard to miss!
Throughout the conference, our team showed attendees how they could use Method to run their own or their clients’ businesses more effectively. In particular, they spent a lot of time explaining how Method’s customizable platform can become much more than a CRM. From streamlining contract renewal to managing custom inventory, there are few business problems that Method can’t tackle. It was great to see attendees get just as excited about personalized software as we do!
Didn’t get a chance to visit our booth at Scaling New Heights? Watch a demo to see what Method is all about!
4. The energizing main stage presentations
The theme of this year’s conference was “The Transformative Advisor,” and it was carefully woven into every main stage presentation. Although the speakers covered diverse topics ranging from adopting value pricing to creating customer love to embracing automation, the underlying message was always clear. In an age where small business owners have access to on-demand bookkeeping and countless accounting apps, only the professionals who take innovative steps to transform their clients’ businesses will survive and thrive.
In the words of Simon T. Bailey: “A paycheck is given to people who show up. An opportunity is given to people who think beyond what they’re paid to do.” Throughout the conference, attendees were challenged to think beyond their roles as accountants or bookkeepers and start seeing themselves as bona fide transformative advisors.
5. The educational breakout sessions
As a software company that serves both accounting and bookkeeping professionals, as well as their small business clients, the breakout sessions at Scaling New Heights are really valuable for us. These talks allow us to get inside the industry hive mind and see what the common pain points are. More importantly, we can then leverage those insights to better serve our partners and their clients.
Some of the hot topics at this year’s breakout sessions included defining an industry niche, developing an effective sales process, onboarding new clients, and automating workflows with Zapier. There was also plenty of emphasis on documenting your procedures. As Laura Redmond explained, “This is how you proactively build your business.”
All in all, we walked away from these talks with the reminder that accountants and bookkeepers like to keep everything as organized as possible — so the more we can do to help them achieve this goal, the better.
6. Getting the full scoop on Scaling New Heights 2020
No one knows how to build suspense quite like Joe Woodard. After 15 minutes of build-up, the audience was eager to learn the location of Scaling New Heights 2020. After all, with previous locations ranging from Atlanta to Atlantis in the Bahamas, who knew what would come next?
The answer turned out to be St. Louis, Missouri. Not only will this be the event’s first midwestern destination, located within driving distance of many U.S. metropolises — but it’s also known for its thriving nightlife scene.
As for the theme of next year’s conference? After recapping the themes of the previous four years, Joe revealed that the 2020 conference would bring all of the concepts together in one all-encompassing educational experience. Brace yourselves — we’re about to witness the Rise of the Advisor.
That’s a wrap on Scaling New Heights 2019 — see you in 2020!
