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Xero's $100 million milestone
New Zealand-based cloud software specialist Xero gets a sideways glance from some industry commentators because the company burns cash.
They are right to worry; a high cash burn is often a warning sign.
But not in Xero's case.
Unlike the social media companies and dot-com boom and bust merchants Xero is sometimes unfairly compared with, the company generates a steady and healthy flow of revenue.
Today Xero passed an important milestone hitting monthly revenue figures, which over a year would add up to $100 million.
That should silence some of the criticism.
Sure, Xero isn't profitable yet. However that day is now in sight.
Xero is using its capital to expand the business as quickly as possible. It has momentum, but that needs to keep going until the software-as-a-service operation achieves global scale. In particular it needs to make inroads into the US market where it faces a strong incumbent competitors.
This costs money. Lots of it. One day the spending will stop. At that point Xero's hundreds of thousands of customers will continue paying their $50 or so every month — for years to come.
PC Software was a high risk business. Developers would build applications, then, if they had the right product, would earn a one-off sale, with, perhaps, the chance of earning a little extra from upgrades.
The beauty of software-as-a-service is that revenue comes in regular as clockwork. It predictable and manageable.
Not so long ago the idea of accounting software as a service was revolutionary. Now it is mainstream.
Xero has already changed the face of the market. Now Xero is building a sustainable business for the long-term.
Bill Bennett
New Zealand technology news
Bill Bennett publishes technology news and features that are directly relevant to New Zealand readers.
Covering enterprise and small business computing, start-ups, listed companies, the technology channel and devices. Bennett's main focus is on New Zealand innovation.
Bill Bennett stories are republished on Geekzone and Scoop.
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