Xero Blog

We’re approaching one of the busiest periods for South Africa’s small businesses – the festive season and our summer holiday break. After what has been a difficult year of disrupted trading, many of them will be depending on this time to boost sales and cash flow. 

As International Volunteer Day approaches, it’s been another difficult year for charities around the world. Many are still severely affected by ongoing restrictions and a resulting reduction in volunteers.  Despite the restrictions, our Xero employees spent hundreds of hours in 2021 volunteering for charities that resonated with them as part of our Community Connect volunteer program.

Since the pandemic’s arrival, shifting lockdowns and border closures – among other challenges – have wreaked havoc on global supply and distribution chains. And small businesses are feeling the effects. In this series, we speak to experts in different industries to learn how they’ve managed the disruption, and what advice they have for others feeling the shipping squeeze. 

It’s widely recognised that digitalisation is a huge boon for small businesses, and that through technology, they can achieve greater operational efficiencies, save time and drive growth.  We also know that the next phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) looms, making the need for digital transformation even more pronounced for small businesses across the UK.

Small businesses in South Africa are increasingly turning to technology to help automate and streamline processes, so they can focus on the most important things. One business doing this is NML, a software engineering company driven by the potential of intelligent, elegant design to solve business and social problems.

As we approach another International Volunteer Day in the context of a global pandemic, I’m conscious that volunteering still looks a little different. Many of the attributes that make volunteering appealing – teamwork, working closely with the public, getting out and about in the community – haven’t been as accessible as we contend with social distancing and other public health measures. 

As we close out another big, but challenging year in business and practice, we hope that the products we delivered in 2021 helped to make a real difference in your day to day.

After another challenging year for employers in New Zealand, I’m sure many of you are looking forward to taking a break after the busy holiday rush has subsided. It’s a great time to hit reset and begin the new year feeling refreshed and ready to support your customers.

We’re shining a spotlight on Fight Like Mason Foundation, a registered charity organization located in Belle River, ON, formed by Iain Macri and Chantelle Bacon, parents of Mason Bacon-Macri. We chat with Iain, who shares their story on how his family was impacted by Rhabdomyosarcoma.