A BUSINESS RESILIENCE WALTZ

Resourceful and resilient, Girl Friday owner Jacqui Rood has learned to juggle work and family without support in a country far from home – and dance on the way.

When she arrived in New Zealand from South Africa in 2010 with her husband David and three children, she had no extended family to lean on. Sick days, school holidays, and the unpredictability of young children made traditional employment difficult.

“We couldn’t get by with just my husband’s salary, so I had to make a plan to try and formulate some kind of income but still be at home for the children,” she says.

That plan became Girl Friday – a boutique bookkeeping and financial management business based at her home in Ōakura. She launched the business in April 2016, enabling her to work from home while being there for her children – sons Ruan (now 22), Caden (20), and daughter Anouk (15).

The name “Girl Friday” refers to a reliable and resourceful female assistant, a term originating from Robinson Crusoe, where the character “Friday” was a loyal assistant to the stranded protagonist.

“I needed flexibility, but I also wanted to provide a service that really supported small business owners.”

Now, nine years on, Girl Friday has evolved. Jacqui works alongside two bookkeepers – Claudette Botha in Christchurch and Des Combrink in South Africa.

They handle financial management for clients across New Zealand, offering services that extend beyond basic bookkeeping.

Jacqui herself has moved into a management role, helping businesses set up financial teams and providing high-level data analytics using Microsoft Power BI.

“It’s a management tool to bring their data to life, really,” she says.

Clients can track key metrics, analyse financial trends, and make informed business decisions with real-time insights.

“I love seeing a client’s face light up when they see their data come to life.”

But the road to business success hasn’t been easy. COVID-19 was particularly tough. Her clients qualified for government subsidies, but her business barely did – and the work dried up.

Yet Jacqui remained resilient – despite sometimes wanting to curl up in a corner and cry.

“I have some kind of strength inside that forces myself to get up, and I’ll push through the black hole and just push forward.”

That strength was tested again four years ago. Working 80-hour weeks, she hit breaking point. Burnt out, she had to make some tough decisions to prioritise her health over financial security.

“Last year, I had to weigh up basically losing myself or the loss of income,” she says.

She chose herself.

“I have a fresh start,” she says.

Now she’s excited about the future and what Girl Friday has to offer. She’s refining her Power BI services, reaching out to new clients, and embracing the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

Her dream is to move out of her home office and build a financial services hub.

“I’d love to have a one-stop shop where we have our bookkeeping team, where we have our accounting team, and where we could have a data analysis team, creating dashboards all under one roof,” she says.

Managing stress has kept her on her toes. Six years ago, she and her husband took up competitive ballroom, which has been an active release for Jacqui.

“It transports me . . . When a waltz plays, I’ll close my eyes and I’ll literally just float off into another world.”

Together, they train 10 hours a week and travel to Auckland every three weeks for coaching. Son Caden is a National and Australian champion, and Jacqui and David have placed second in New Zealand and 6th in Australia.

“It’s intense,” she says. “Sometimes we end up wanting to go home in separate cars because we’re so competitive in nature!” But dancing keeps her moving – both physically and mentally.

“Sitting all day, not moving, it’s not good for you,” she says. “It’s easy to get caught up in work, but you have to find something that pulls you away.”

At home, she’s surrounded by three dogs –Gus, a 14-year-old Yorkshire Terrier, Lacey, a 13-year-old Maltese Poodle cross, and Snacks, her son’s “cheeky” three-year-old Jack Russell Shih Tzu cross.

“They’re my company while I work,” she says.

And when she can, she takes them for walks on the black sand beach.

In her office, she’s surrounded by other creatures. Majestic photos of African animals, including elephants, zebras, warthogs, baboons and springboks grace the walls, reminding her of home and a treasured family safari holiday.

“This is my heart of Africa,” says Jacqui. But now, her life anchored in Aotearoa, she’s looking ahead to celebrating 10 years of running her business, Girl Friday.

“I don’t know where the journey will take me, but I know I’m not done yet.”

Contact Jacqui 022 020 6380 or jacqui@girlfridayltd.co.nz