- Although still in its infancy, we believe that the Metaverse, VR, and AR will quickly impact the accounting profession. Read
- Offshore wind energy development could help address climate change—it could also destroy fish habitats and ocean ecosystems. Read
- Amy Schneider became the first woman in the show’s history to surpass $1.3 million in winnings. Read
- Join Rachel Siegel and Go Figure on June 2 at the Small Business Leadership Conference at the JW Marriott in Orlando. Read
- Go Figure sat down with Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead to discuss setting goals and empowering your team. Read
Heavy Meta: Four ways the Metaverse will change accounting
At its core, the “metaverse” is an immersive digital reality combining social media, online gaming, augmented reality, virtual reality, and cryptocurrencies to allow virtual user interaction. If you’ve seen Ready Player One, you get the idea. Wondering what that has to do with accounting, bookkeeping, and business? A lot, actually.
Right now, only a few companies have a real stake in the metaverse. Facebook — now, Meta — being the most obvious. However, Apple’s AR glasses are on the horizon. Microsoft with Microsoft Teams and gaming is perhaps the most advanced company in the world regarding the metaverse. And WeChat’s ability to facilitate payments and access to a variety of services is the start of the metaverse super apps.
Although still in its infancy, we believe that the Metaverse, VR, and AR will quickly impact the accounting profession in the following ways.
1. Client Engagement
Building relationships has always been an important part of business strategy; arguably more so following the COVID-19 pandemic. When meeting in person with potential clients is not possible, virtual reality creates a personal environment ideal for connection. Instead of seeing a face on a Zoom screen in 2D, the Metaverse will be able to facilitate meetings where members experience meetings as if in real life.
2. Training and Development
Much like client engagement, the Metaverse will bring “in-person training” to a remote work environment. The immersive training that financial professionals are accustomed to can be easily adapted to VR. That goes for staff training as well as client training. Imagine being able to stand over the shoulder of your QBO client in VR rather than sharing a screen in real life. For global companies, the Metaverse will make intimate, in-person meetings for global employees a possibility. Even when employees are thousands of miles apart, they can still meet, in what feels like in-person meetings.
3. Employee Networking
Many companies have continued to encourage employees to work remotely, thus shifting team dynamics. Companies like ours, with multiple branches and offices, will be able to foster better communication and social patterns while encouraging intra-office networking. This can also help with employee motivation and satisfaction, as working in the same place that one lives in can be isolating. In virtual reality, there can be collaboration and the feel of being somewhere else to increase productivity.
4. Sales and Marketing
There will always be clients who prefer an in-person experience over online interactions, however virtual reality allows companies to bridge the gap between online sales and physical presence. Imagine a lunch meeting or sales presentation where you are enjoying meals in separate states, but sitting across from one another in VR. Plus, the storytelling capabilities in a VR space will make Reels and scrolling IGTV obsolete. Imagine virtual showrooms, if you will.
#Motivation
“Change doesn’t happen when circumstances improve. Change happens when you decide to improve your circumstances.”

Charitable Spotlight: ROSA
Offshore wind energy development has the potential to play an important role in U.S. efforts to address climate change and build a clean energy economy. It also has the potential to destroy fish habitats and ocean ecosystems. We are not experts in either of those topics, but with offices in New Jersey and Florida, water, fish, and wind are topics of interest for Go Figure. So we were thrilled when we were offered the opportunity to provide accounting assistance to a nonprofit in that field.
The Responsible Offshore Science Alliance (ROSA), founded in 2019, will provide for and advance regional research and monitoring of fisheries and offshore wind interactions in federal waters. It’s a collaborative effort among fishing industry representatives, offshore wind developers, and state and federal government agencies.
The Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) was a key partner in forming ROSA, and will ensure continual, comprehensive fishing industry representation in ROSA’s much-broader efforts.
So much is poorly understood regarding the impacts of large-scale offshore wind energy development to fisheries and fish stocks.
Annie Hawkins, Executive Director, RODA
“So much is poorly understood regarding the impacts of large-scale offshore wind energy development to fisheries and fish stocks, and studies that have been performed lack regional coordination,” said Annie Hawkins, Executive Director of RODA. “This forum will be immensely helpful to the fishing industry so that it may provide leadership in study prioritization, methodology, and execution through cooperative research.”
To reach these goals, ROSA is engaging fishermen, wind energy developers, fishery scientists, and federal and state management experts in identifying regional research and monitoring needs; coordinating existing research and monitoring; and advancing understanding through collaboration, partnerships, and cooperative research.
We’re excited to help ROSA navigate accounting challenges presented by 501(c)3 accounting, specifically grant tracking, real-time financial visibility, cash flow and management, and tax reporting. For more info, visit rosascience.org.
#FYP
Charli D’Amelio raked in $17.5 million in 2021, making her the highest-earning TikToker last year. But it’s probably time to call her a “business mogul” instead: D’Amelio’s compensation was more than the CEOs of Exxon Mobil, Starbucks, Delta, and McDonald’s, per the WSJ
Goal Getter
Jeopardy! nerds, here. Which is exactly why we got a little excited when Amy Schneider became the first woman in the show’s history—and only the fourth person ever—to surpass $1.3 million in winnings. Schneider, an engineering manager from Oakland, California, closed out the show’s second-longest win streak with a 40-game run. Only host Ken Jennings has more, at 74 wins.
What’s her secret sauce?“You just have to live a life where you’re learning stuff all the time,” she told the New York Times. Probably good advice in general.
“The best part for me has been being on TV as my true self,” she told George Stephanopoulos in an interview. “Expressing myself, representing the entire community of trans people and… just being a smart, confident woman doing something supernormal like being on Jeopardy!”

Cash Flow Talk
Join Rachel Siegel and Go Figure on June 2 at the Small Business Leadership Conference at the JW Marriott in Orlando. Rachel will be hosting the “Profit First: Let’s Talk About Cash Flow” and we couldn’t be more excited!
The Small Business Leadership Conference is hosted annually by the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship, part of the Florida State University College of Business. This event is the premier professional development and networking opportunity for small business owners, entrepreneurs, managers, executives, community development leaders, and nonprofits in Florida and beyond.
Learn more or book your tickets at sblconference.com
#Motivation
“Ambitions tend to remain undisturbed by realities.”
Frank Herbert
Have You Heard?
Go Figure sat down with Penny Breslin and Damien Greathead for the podcast Strategy & The Virtual Controller! It’s a great conversation about setting goals and empowering your team.
Hosts Penny and Damien have more than 30 years of combined experience in the accounting industry. The SATVC podcast shares their experiences of working in, and consulting to accounting and bookkeeping firms of all sizes, helping them grow. Whether you enjoy accounting or not, there’s something here for everyone when it comes to leading a team. Take a listen: satvc.co/episode/putting-it-into-practice-special-guest