Building The Ledger Behind Your Bookings
Tern's leadership breaks down why they're building a full accounting system from scratch instead of integrating with QuickBooks, plus this week's ship...
Transcript
Episode Overview David Shull (CEO), Molly Johnson (Head of Product), and Katie Williams (COO) recap this week's agency owner webinar and dig into why Tern is building its own general ledger and payment infrastructure instead of integrating with QuickBooks. They cover what's live in closed beta now, what's coming next, and why real money means accuracy comes before speed here. The episode wraps with this week's product updates and a look ahead to Virtuoso Travel Week.
Episode Topics (03:49) Why The Webinar Mattered: Katie on why gathering every agency owner in one room was a stake-in-the-ground moment for the industry. (09:50) The Rollout Plan: Molly on what's live in closed beta now versus what's coming with payments and the ledger. (13:41) Building An Immutable Ledger: Why real money means treating "ship fast" as the exception, not the rule, here. (19:59) Why Not Integrate With QuickBooks: David and Molly on why standard accounting software wasn't built for travel. (26:33) Getting Your Agency Onboard: Katie on how to get in touch, plus a new referral program. (30:17) Shared Search Arrives: Anyone can now find shared trips and contacts, a long-requested fix. (31:51) Addresses That Fill Themselves: Google Places autofill lands in forms and trip locations. (34:08) Group Trip Summary: An at-a-glance view of travelers, cost, and expected commission across subtrips.
Show Highlights
- Tern is building payments and a general ledger from scratch, purpose-built for travel
- Global search now surfaces shared trips and contacts across the team
- Address autofill via Google Places is live in forms and trip locations
- Group trip summaries give an instant read on cost and commission
- A new agency referral program launches next week with a $750 credit for qualifying switches
Keywords Tern, Flight Path podcast, payments, product updates, travel advisor workflow, AI product tools