Ben RichmondBen Richmond, the Country Manager for the United States for the fast-growing Xero software company, joined us for this episode of Where Accountants Go, the Accounting Careers Podcast.

In addition to our conversation about Xero and their continuing growth in popularity here in the US, you will also find Ben’s own career progression interesting as he recounts that journey for us during the first half of the show.

Ben took a chance early in his career to join a firm in a “Cadet” position, which is similar to an internship or entry—level role.  It was a little risky because it was something he chose to do prior to attending college.  However, the risk paid off in that he was able to gain some incredible experience, and still end up continuing his education to eventually become a Chartered Accountant (CA).

The discussion we have about Xero and their ongoing growth is valuable just in itself, but I think you will also find Ben’s early career intriguing as it covers small businesses, public accounting, and even a national corporation during their transition from being a government operated entity to being privatized.

We also get into how he met his initial contact at Xero and ended up transitioning to be a part of their sales team, eventually becoming their Country Manager for the US not long ago.

In addition to Xero.com obviously, some of the other links you will want to visit include:

If you enjoy this episode, make sure you check out these as well:  Kurt Rathmann of ScaleFactor, and Jay Kimelman

To listen in on this interview with Ben Richmond, please use the player below: