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Ummm… Who invited August? 🤨

July 31, 2023

Things that should be on your radar this month 👀

  1. Governments and activists around the world have been crying out for AI regulation, and AI companies actually agreed with them. As of last month, tech giants and the US Congress have been working together to put guardrails on AI – and we’re interested to see what comes out of these talks.
  2. Vox put out a fascinating podcast this month that explored the huge amount of human work driving the AI revolution, which doesn’t show signs of slowing any time soon.
  3. We loved this article on how direct-to-consumer startups could take a leaf out of the Barbie movie marketing playbook (don’t worry, you don’t need a $150 million marketing budget, just a playful attitude).
  4. Interest rates have dropped again, and the chance of another rate rise has dropped with them (🤞)
  5. In a hilarious turn of events, Elon Musk has pulled the trigger on a Twitter rebrand that has left many people confused (especially anyone who remembers him trying to rebrand PayPal with the same name). We’ve been sitting back with popcorn to watch the reactions – they’ve been gold.

The highs 📈  and lows 📉 of small business life

📈 We’ve got a lot of travel on the cards in the next couple of months, and we’re super keen to spend some time with our clients and fellow accounting community interstate. While we love spending time in spreadsheets, we relish the opportunity to connect with old and new friends, and look for any excuse to learn from one another.

📉 This month, we’ve found ourselves needing to set expectations. We recently onboarded loads of clients from a single sector, and while we’re excited to get stuck into the work, it can be a real challenge to negotiate high-pressure timelines. Feeling like everything is due yesterday isn’t the most productive way to work.

Tech that makes travelling a breeze

🔌 Anker 737 Power Bank will never leave you stranded with a flat laptop. Harnessing 140W two-way fast charging, Anker can charge up to three devices at once on the go. It’s universally compatible and works seven times faster than a standard portable charger.

Espresso Displays are the world’s thinnest portable display. They’re ultra light but also durable, so you can set up a productive multi-screen workspace anywhere in just seconds. You can also use the espresso pen to write, draw and create, and auto-rotate your display from landscape to portrait as you go.

✈️ Tripit takes your travel plans and turns them into a single itinerary. Just forward your booking confirmations to the app’s email and it’ll give you access to your plans on the go, and keep you posted about anything from flight changes to free seat upgrades. Tripit will even tell you when to leave for the airport.

Productivity hack 👩‍💻

POV: You’re on a video call with a client. You’re intently listening but you’re also trying to take notes – all while typing extra soft to stop the noise interference AND thinking about your next question.

Enter: ScreenApp. This handy software records, transcribes and summarises everything you can see in your browser. It uses AI to turn your videos into searchable documents that’ll condense everything that happened in your meeting, tutorial, or presentation.

***

It’s August next week – and it’s incredibly alarming. While you might have already told yourself that Christmas is only four months away, please do yourself a favour and book a break between now and then.

We know it can be super tempting to knuckle down for the final stretch of the year, particularly when it’s your own business. But you’ll get way more out of yourself (and your team) if you take regular breaks that go for longer than just a weekend.

Pick a destination, pick a month, and lock it in before the rest of the year escapes you.

That's just our two pennies' worth.

Liam and Amy, co-founders of Project Alfred

(changing the way people think about accounting)

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