The American adventure continues
Back in the summer a team from Cashroom went out to USA on a fact-finding mission. We had done as much online research and as many virtual meetings as we could, but if we were to truly assess the potential of the States as a market, we needed to get over there.
The trip was a resounding success with a universally positive response to our products and services – the beginnings of a network were there.
The go/no go decision was relatively easy- it was an emphatic GO! We hired our first bookkeeper in Nebraska, which is where we will be basing our team in the US. We started looking at other potential key hires, and we made arrangements to head back to the states in October.
It was one of those ‘meant to be’ moments when we realised that our already arranged attendance at ClioCon on the 10th and 11th October would be immediately followed by the Nebraska State Bar Association annual conference on 12th, 13th and 14th. We decided to sponsor that conference and take a speaking slot.
So it was that on the weekend of 8th October an intrepid team set out to ClioCon which was in Nashville this year. Four of us from the UK, and two from the USA.
The scale of the event was mind boggling- thousands of attendees, hundreds of exhibitors and a packed programme of speaking events and networking opportunities.
As you know – I love an event. I’ve been to hundreds of events over the years. This was, by a country mile, the biggest legal sector event I’ve ever seen. The speakers were fascinating – certainly not just a stream of Clio sales talks. Oh, and we were treated to an evening at the Grand Ole Opry (pretty much the home of Country and Western music) watching a few amazing bands. Sometimes this job has some really great elements!
On the Tuesday evening we took internal flights to Omaha ready for the Nebraska conference. We got to bed about 1am and then were setting up our stands by about 0730 on the Wednesday. We were a little unsure what to expect, but the warmth of the welcome we received from the Bar members themselves and the lawyers and other exhibitors was wonderful. It’s also important to mention the size of that event too- to put it into perspective this event was bigger than any UK legal sector event except perhaps for LegalEx and Legal Geek, I’d say. Thousands of lawyers and more than 30 exhibitors.
We had some really positive conversations, often starting with “I love your accents” but very quickly moving onto, “your services sound like just what we need”. It was a week of hard work but our team also had great fun – Liz, our US book keeper, fitted right in (and put up with my jokes). We also enjoyed delivering a talk on risk, efficiency and compliance which seemed well received.
As we packed up our stand on the Friday, we were tired but elated from a busy and successful week.
Our move into the USA is very much in its infancy, however it feels like things are moving forward at a good pace, while ensuring we get the foundations right. Exciting times ahead at Cashroom!
Get in touch with our team today as we revolutionise legal accounting:
Email: info@thecashroom.co.uk
Phone: 01695 550950
About Cashroom
Cashroom provides expert outsourced accounting services for Law Firms including Legal Cashiering, Management Accounts and Payroll services. Our mission is to free lawyers from the complexities of legal accounting by supporting the industry with accurate management information and allowing lawyers to do what they do best – practice law.
We’ve been with Cashroom for quite a few years now, and I would never go back. In any business, and particularly in times of uncertainty, it’s important to control your costs, and that’s exactly what you help me do.
