Top Takeaways from InTheBlack

It’s always good to be among peers at events like InTheBlack.

This was my first time at the conference since joining Workiva, after serving in senior finance and accounting roles at various companies. What a great conference!

As I listened to tennis great and keynote speaker Billie Jean King, it was easy to imagine King playing a match, anticipating where her opponent’s next shot would land, and in a nanosecond, deciding where she would send it back.

Nimble organizations are able to anticipate where opponents are going and deftly pivot on strategy when needed, largely because of the financial reports, forecasts, and insights delivered by finance and accounting professionals like you. It was a pleasure mingling at the conference with teams who are thriving by using BlackLine (and also Workiva).

Although I didn’t get to hear every speaker, five key messages stand out:

• Agility, speed, transparency, and accuracy are critical in financial reporting

• All four are becoming easier to achieve with cloud technology

• Forward-thinking leaders in Finance and Accounting are embracing change

• CFOs and CEOs appreciate saving time and money by using cloud solutions

• But what they really love is having business forecasts that no one else has

A faster, more connected financial close can help you deliver richer management reports with insights that give your organization a competitive edge.

Before any inspiration fades away, I encourage you to make a list of ideas you eventually want to implement from InTheBlack and a list of quick wins. What ideas do you want to try within 30 days after the conference? 60 days? 120 days?

If your goal is wringing more efficiency out of your month-end close, one quick win could be exploring if there are additional BlackLine capabilities you haven’t deployed yet.

If you are not yet using BlackLine with Workiva, here’s another quick win—request a customized demo to explore how your organization could use Workiva to get more benefits from your work in BlackLine.

Keep the momentum going. Continue the conversations you had at InTheBlack, and keep sharing ideas at professional meetups like the gatherings held by SEC Professionals Group and others.

We’ll see you at the next one. Cheers!

Take the next step. Request a demo to see how your team can use BlackLine and Workiva together.