The Accounting Disruptors Podcast: Episode 3 | From 15-Day Close to 3-Day Close

Legacy ERPs have held finance teams hostage for decades. Clunky systems. Manual processes. 15-day closes that should take 3. Finance teams kept throwing more bodies at the problem because what else could they do? That era is over. In this episode of The Accounting Disruptors, Paul Peterson (CEO of Wiss) sits down with Stephen Hedlund (Head of Finance at Rillet) to discuss how AI-native ERPs are finally disrupting the accounting industry—and transforming finance operations in the process. IN THIS EPISODE: [00:00] Introduction [04:00] The journey from stealth mode to market disruption [06:00] How AI adoption accelerated faster than anyone expected [08:00] Why Rillet spent 2+ years building before launching [12:00] The current state of the ERP market—and what's broken [15:00] Scaling from $10M to $100M with just 2 people on the finance team [19:00] How legacy companies can make the leap to AI-native systems [20:00] Real results: 15-day close to 3-day close in month one [23:00] Why now is the best time to be in accounting and finance [28:00] Keeping the mission alive while scaling fast [30:00] Elevating the accounting profession with AI KEY TAKEAWAYS: → Companies are ditching legacy ERPs like NetSuite and Sage faster than expected → One company reduced their close from 15 days to 3 days in their first month on Rillet → Finance teams can now scale from $10M to $100M revenue with lean teams → The key to transformation: finding a partner who can help you navigate the change → The firms that adopt AI-native systems now will win—the ones that don't will be left behind → This is the accounting renaissance, and it's happening right now ABOUT THE GUEST: Stephen Hedlund is Head of Finance at Rillet, an AI-native ERP that's disrupting legacy accounting systems. Steven's career spans from SAP at Walmart to Silicon Valley startups, where he experienced firsthand the limitations of traditional ERPs and became passionate about building the future of accounting infrastructure. ABOUT THE ACCOUNTING DISRUPTORS: The Accounting Disruptors is powered by WissLabs and features conversations with the founders and finance leaders rebuilding the accounting profession through AI, automation, and technology. Hosted by Paul Peterson, CEO of Wiss. RESOURCES: 🔗 Learn more about Wiss: https://wiss.com 🔗 Learn more about Rillet: https://rillet.com 🔗 Subscribe to The Accounting Disruptors: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLu3WbduSvu9Rcw9yCikvO-z3k8JQKp0Kn&si=gzyvwPDaUnVWW74l 🔗 Connect with Paul Peterson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ppeterson1/ 🔗 Connect with Stephen Hedlund on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephenwhedlund/ SUBSCRIBE for more conversations with the builders transforming accounting and finance. #TheAccountingDisruptors #AI #Accounting #ERP #FinanceTransformation #CFO #Controller #AIinAccounting #Rillet #Wiss #AccountingTech #FinanceLeadership #MonthEndClose #AccountingAutomation