I NT E RV I EW
R A E A N D A SSOCIATES
SPECIALISING IN COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS
LAUREN DU PLOOY COO, Accountant (BAP) SA Rae and Associates is an accounting firm which specialises in ownermanaged businesses and is passionate about partnering with clients every step of the way on their business journey. For the company, the most important thing is having a collaborative relationship with their clients. We are a family business that my mom started 18 years ago. As a single mother she knew working in the corporate world she was not going to be able to earn the kind of money she needed to look after 2 children, so she took the very brave step of going out on her own. It started small by going out to see clients at their offices and assisting them with their bookkeeping and when I joined her 12 years ago we were able to change and grow the business to what it is today. We specialise in Cloud Accounting and run a training facility so we can empower users to get the most out of their software and feel confident in being able to use all the features of their software. We also have a Payroll department, a software implementation department, and then the bookkeeping and accounting side.
Another project is with HIVSA, this organisation gave us the opportunity to work with HIV clinics in the underprivileged areas and equip them with bookkeeping and admin training, then cloud technology to help with accounting and payroll so that applying for grants was a lot easier as the information was accessible for USAID and the Local government grants.
What is your role at Rae and Associates – and what excites you about what you do?
My role in the business is a Jack of all trades – I know how that sounds but when you run a small dynamic team like ours, I need to make sure everything runs smoothly. I oversee the accounting team and take care of new business development which I love; meeting new clients and learning about their business is a great part of my passion. One of the best parts of my role is I am a QuickBooks Online ambassador and have the privilege of working with other accounting professionals in the cloud space and helping them on their digital journey – We are very passionate about the change in technology, and we want to help other professionals see the benefit of what’s available and how tech can make their day-to-day life so manageable.
How has digitisation impacted your journey and that of your clients?
Tech has opened up a whole new world by extending our reach of which clients we can service, automation has also given us back time so we can now offer our clients a more hands-on approach. We have been able to empower our team to learn new apps and increase their skills in the tech space and allows What are your flagship projects? We have 2 projects that I am very proud us to grow and extend our service offerings of, the first is we partnered with the Johannesburg Girls Preparatory school How do you ensure gender based in Berea for a “ Keeping the empowerment is a cornerstone of girls in school” initiative. We managed the policies at Rae and Associates? to raise enough funds for 600 girls to receive reusable sanitary products that We run an internship program where we bring in female learners, mostly will last for 5 years so they won't single mothers and we work with have to miss any school.
166 STANDARD BANK TO P W O M EN LEADERS
them for 6 months so they can learn everything they need to in bookkeeping, we teach them the top software they need and we assist with placements once their training is done. Accounting has historically been a male dominated industry and we are focused on upskilling female candidates and offering mentorship for as long as they need We are very focused on families and have an amazing support system for our team and their children.
Do you have a message for our readership?
My advice for female entrepreneurs is to be brave, you have to believe in yourself and your dream so you can be confident in yourself. Surround yourself with people that have the same vision as you so they will help you grow. Network and put yourself out there as much as possible. You know your worth so don’t take no for an answer! You have got this.
