MVP Insights: Amanda Mayer on Building Community Connections through Business Central Involvement

Welcome to “MVP Insights,” a podcast that explores the universe, ideas, and opportunities of the brightest stars in the Microsoft business applications ecosystem. 

In episode 25, John Siefert is joined by Amanda Mayer, Director of Finance, LIDD Consultants, to discuss Amanda’s journey in the BC/NAV space, highlighting her transition from an end user to a partner and her contributions to the community as an MVP. She also covers her appreciation for Business Central’s advanced features, her experiences with complex projects, and her involvement in Community Summit North America 2024.

This episode is sponsored by Community Summit North America, the largest independent gathering of the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem, taking place Oct. 13-17, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Register today to connect with thousands of users across the Microsoft business applications ecosystem at the for user, by user event.

Key Takeaways

• Overview: Since 2009, Amanda has been involved in the BC/NAV space, starting as an end user and later becoming a partner in 2017. Her journey includes attending User Group events, learning independently, and connecting with other end users and partners. She discovered a passionate community and realized the importance of sharing knowledge, which led her to become an MVP and continue contributing to the community.
• BC appreciation: Amanda, who doubles as an accountant, transitioned to accounting software and traditional ERP systems. She appreciates Business Central for its advanced features, especially its non-traditional segmented G/L, and values the strong community and relationships she has built through the platform over the last decade. In recent years, Microsoft and ISVs have significantly invested in making the Business Central product more intuitive and configurable, allowing businesses to customize solutions to their specific needs.
• Project learnings: Amanda stepped in to support a complex fresh food manufacturing project during its go-live phase due to scheduling conflicts with the main consultants. Despite the challenges and lack of detailed knowledge, she quickly learned and managed the integration with delivery trucks and a third-party WMS, highlighting the importance of understanding a company’s operations to implement technology.
• Academy at Summit NA: Amanda will be co-leading an Academy class at Community Summit North America with fellow MVP Kim Dallefeld, “Business Central Accounting 101 & 102,” from October 12-13. This is the second time Amanda and Kim are conducting this class, which focuses on core accounting functionality in Business Central. They will cover setting up complex financial statements, correcting errors, and making process choices based on team size to help accounting professionals get the most out of Business Central.
• Summit NA sessions: On Monday, October 14, Amanda will take part in a roundtable discussion, “Finance – Roundtable for Your Challenges.” The purpose of this roundtable is to encourage attendees to think about their challenges and bring them to the roundtable for discussion, as it’s a place for end users to get answers and share different perspectives. Even if not all problems can be solved immediately, the conversations help illustrate the product’s expansiveness and provide valuable insights. Additionally, on Wednesday, October 16, she’ll be leading a session, “What’s New for Accountants in BC.” This session has become popular over the years, as Amanda focused on the newest to oldest releases for Business Central and covers overlooked or improved functionalities. This session encourages discussions and differing opinions, allowing participants to share experiences and solutions.
• Tips for the community: In closing, Amanda shares a few tips for Community Summit NA attendees. Engage with people, whether they are end users, partners, or ISVs, and set goals for what you want to achieve at the Summit. Bringing a friend can help cover more sessions, and it’s important to include operations, warehousing, and manufacturing professionals, not just finance and IT.

Stream the audio version of this episode here: