250 | X2Uno: The Chrome Extension for Xero with Mark Corum

What if the tool you've been waiting for, the one that finally makes Xero as efficient as QuickBooks with Right Tool, already exists, and it's being built by a former bookkeeper who accidentally fell into coding? In this episode, Serena sits down with Mark Corum, the developer behind X2Uno and Right Tool, to talk about building Chrome extensions for accounting software, the surprising parallels between bookkeeping and programming, and why the tech world's pricing model might be completely backwards. Whether you're a Xero loyalist, a QuickBooks refugee, or just curious about what happens when an accountant teaches themselves to code, then this conversation has something for you. In this episode you’ll hear about: • X2Uno - What it is, how it differs from Right Tool, and why Mark felt a moral obligation to build something for Xero users • Right Tool & Monkbee • How Chrome extensions actually work • Xero vs. QuickBooks • The cost of switching platforms • AI and the future of accounting • Programming, bookkeeping, and music • Cleanup work as a niche • X2Uno availability — How to get it now (free beta on the Chrome Web Store), the MailChimp discount path, and the Facebook community for feature requests Resources mentioned in this episode: • X2Uno → sign up for beta her: https://mailchi.mp/x2uno/ambitious Meet Mark Corum I am Mark Corum. I went to college for accounting and decided to make my own bookkeeping company in my Junior year. Realized I like accounting, but I am not an accountant and transitioned out of it and stumbled into programming in late 2019 - vowing never to touch QuickBooks again. 2021 comes around and I am working on a chrome extension for QuickBooks called "MonkBe" that is discovered by Hector Garcia and remade into RightTool. Now that is used by about 50,000 people and I want the additional fun of working on Xero! Connect with Mark LinkedIn:   / markcorum   Thanks for listening. If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram stories and tag me @ambitiousbookkeeper For more information about the Ambitious Bookkeeper Podcast or interest in our programs or mentoring visit our resources below: • Visit our website: https://www.ambitiousbookkeeper.com • Follow the Blog: https://www.ambitiousbookkeeper.com/blog • Connect on Instagram:   / ambitiousbookkeeper   • Connect on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@ambitiousboo... • Connect on Facebook:   / serenashoupcpa   Thank you for your support of our show. If you haven’t left a review yet it’s super simple. Please go to ambitiousbookkeeper.com/podcast (http://ambitiousbookkeeper.com/podcast) and leave your review. Podcast Publishing Tools we use: • Editing → Sabr Media LLC: https://www.iangilliam.com/sabr-media... • Descript: https://get.descript.com/u7lubkx09073 (affiliate link) • Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_... (affiliate link)