Blue Penguin

02/09/2026

Question: What are you using for screen recording software?

Had this email from Loom today... as part of their integration with Atlassian (who dey??), they now need to double my monthly bill.

I don't think we're getting any additional value from our subscription, any new features etc etc.

But perhaps we've been on legacy pricing for a while and they are trying to bring us up to date?

Either way, we've been with Loom about 8 years, so it's a good opportunity for us to revisit what the market looks like and what else is out there.

All thoughts appreciated!

26/08/2026

A gentle warning for anyone who uses Google Workspace or Google Ads, and has taken the bait of "oh, just let our AI handle all your bookkeeping, no need to worry about it, it'll take care of everything" from your software provider...

Just had to spend quite a bit of time going through a client's records where, every time they made a card payment using their Google wallet, yes - you guessed it - the very clever AI bot has posted everything to "Advertising" on the basis that, surely, this must be part of their Google Ads spend.

AI is getting better every day, but I think it's a long time before it'll just be a "set it and forget it" system. For now, let it do the grunt work BUT you need to keep an eye on what it's doing, so that you can steer it back on course before it deviates too far.

21/08/2026

What's the most pointless "now with AI" product or service you've seen?

It almost seems like the marketing people who used to say "you NEED to have a QR code for this" or "if you don't have an App for your one-man-band business, you're toast" have now discovered AI, but don't really know what it's all about.

Your toothbrush comes with AI... great, how does that help? Or do you mean "it knows how to count down to 2 minutes of brushing".

A TV with AI built in... but not explanation of how this makes it "better".

In my limited experience of software packages, bolting AI on to something which was already working fine just bloats it, taking a step back in efficiency and ease of use.

Quickbooks and Adfin are the ones that come to mind. What else am I adding to this list?

06/08/2026

For the lucky people who get to work with Blue Penguin here at Hestercombe House... this is today's view from the staff room. 🐧🩵

(Although it's first-come, first-served on the one bench that's got shade...)

05/08/2026

Here's a sneaky one from Sage today.

An increase in prices isn't a problem per se, if the product is still providing value, and you're reflecting the general pattern of inflation.

What I do find a bit cheeky is that I have no idea what the old package prices were. So now I need to go and work out if this is 5% or 50% increase, and whether it's something we need to swallow, or if we need to pass on to our clients.

So, extra work for me.... and immediately I'm thinking they are trying to hide something....?

Or, am I just too old, jaded and cynical?

26/07/2026

A question for business owners using Quickbooks or Xero.

How are you finding the new inbuilt AI features? What problem are they the solution to?

And - because we know it's coming - do they provide additional value that you would actually be willing to pay a few quid a month extra for?

Or, were you perfectly happy with the old layout and not seeing any benefit to the new overhaul?

24/07/2026

Anyone else here old enough to remember the Victoria Wood sketch about you never seeing or speaking to your neighbours until 20 years later when there's a gas leak and you've all had to evacuate your homes and wait at the end of the street?

The 21st century version of that happened today in our lovely office at Hestercombe House. The internet went down. So I wandered down to the lobby to see if it was just our office... nope, lots of people down there seeing if it was "just them" too, hanging about waiting for more information, not quite sure what to do with themselves.

Can't even doomscroll without wifi as the walls here are so thick. So I made some new friends. Someone even asked me where the dogs were.

For you youngsters: I tried to find a video of that Victoria Wood sketch but I think it even predates Youtube. Sorry. Ask your Mum.

22/07/2026

When the people in marketing use phrases like "special offers" and "exclusive discounts" to get you to sign up for their newsletter.

"Exclusive to basically anyone we managed to get on our CRM system to hit our vanity metrics", you mean?

Even more annoying when you go to unsubscribe, and they warn you that you might "miss out" on the very things you're literally trying to unsubscribe from.

19/07/2026

What's your thoughts on using Whatsapp for business in professional services?

On paper it seems great - easier to get a message to a client, rather than getting lost in an inbox of doom (theirs or mine!)

But, does it risk denigrating detailed, professional advice down to one or two sentences which won't include all the context, and which your PI provider will laugh out of court.

For example "[Accountant's Name] can you send me a copy of last year's tax return" is fine.

But "In the car showroom at the moment, what's better for tax, HP or cash purchase" or "Gonna put £500 a month into my pension... thoughts?" isn't something you can boil down into a few message exchanges.

Or, am I an old fuddy-duddy?

17/07/2026

If you're a qualified or part-qualified accountant in Somerset looking for a change of scenery (and easy parking and dogs and beers in the fridge and a beautiful old stately home as your office...) then here's where you need to apply...

But if that's not you, I'd appreciate you sharing this to someone who is. 🩵

If you know your debits from your credits and you're the kind of person who can't walk past an error in a spreadsheet without fixing it, this is the role for you. Blue Penguin Accountants are a small, independent accountancy firm based near Taunton. They're growing and looking for an Accountant (Par...