In recognition of International Women’s Day last week, we kicked off a blog series profiling some of awesome, accomplished women in our global Intuit Developer community. Are you a woman building apps that solve problems for small businesses and integrate with QuickBooks? We’d love to meet you!
As a Developer Advocate, I have the pleasure of meeting and working with strong, inspirational women all the time. Rochelle Trup is the Director of Arthur Online, a property management company based out of the UK. Read on to get to know her better.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a cofounder of Arthur Online, the property management platform that allows users to manage their real estate portfolio from anywhere in the world in real time. I was an investment banker for 25 years before taking on CFO roles. I am based in London. I’m also a mum and a property investor and developer, which is where the idea for Arthur Online came from.
What do you love about your work? Your life?
My children are my world; they keep me grounded and inspire me in so many ways. I am extremely lucky to work with my husband; we share a common goal, drive, and determination to succeed. We have a wonderful life together that enables us to travel. We have a thriving business that we’re both passionate about. Finance and property have always been exciting for me. Everything changes so quickly, there’s always a new idea, technology or legislation that can flip things around. It’s fast-paced and that fits in well with my life.
Why did you choose this field?
It kind of happened by accident. I’d worked in finance since leaving university and property was always part of my side hustle. I loved it and it was an excellent investment opportunity — particularly in the 90s and early 2000s, when yields were high. However, it did eat into my time and my day job already meant I was working long hours. With the beginnings of smartphone technology, we realized there was a better way of managing property, taking advantage of the connected community. We felt there was a need for outward facing software that connected all stakeholders, where you could check rents, reconcile, and then communicate all on one platform. We decided we wanted to create a platform that would free up our time, be accessible, and let us manage our portfolio from our phone. We met David Cummin, our CTO, at a function and he became the tech side of our idea. Arthur Online was born out of an actual need we were experiencing ourselves, so we knew others would need it as well.
Are there challenges you’ve faced in your career because you are a woman? How did you face/overcome them?
There are challenges in every industry. The trick is to know which is actually a problem, which you can overcome and which you have to fight against. This is different for everyone. As a woman in banking and then property, I have not found being female limiting, if you work hard and stay focused you can continue to achieve. I was lucky, when I was employed I generally had bosses that were supportive and were generally delighted to see a women succeed.
This year’s theme for IWD is #BalanceforBetter. How would the business world improve if there were more balance between genders?
For me, balance is getting to do all the things I love and be surrounded by inspiring people who fill my day. I’ve always worked hard and filled my days from start to finish. I plan my time, I keep extremely busy and everything has its place. I work in the business with my husband and the business plays a huge part in our lives. Balance has no one definition though — what works for me, won’t necessarily work for others, and I really think this is the key. Balance is about finding what works for you and what you’re happy with.
On the other more business side of Balance For Better, I was a woman in a man’s world in finance. I was one of the first women on the London Stock Exchange Floor. Did this stop me? No. Were there challenges, absolutely. But the balance comes from knowing your worth, knowing your skills and positioning yourself in a way that allows you to achieve your own sense of balance.
Running my own company I create the balance. I employ both men and women based on their capabilities to do their job, their passion, their knowledge and their hunger. Their gender doesn’t come into it. Property used to be more male led, but now, women are finding it’s the perfect career to allow them balance in their lives, banking is also becoming easier with some roles offering flexible working. Be that working around a family, working from around the world or managing two jobs. It can be a flexible career and one led primarily by yourself so the only obstacle you face, is you.
What advice do you have for other women entering tech?
Know your subject, feel strong and have courage of your convictions. Hard work pays off, know your area and get as much knowledge as you can on your chosen industry. You have to understand the market, legislation and most importantly people. Try to work collaboratively rather than competing, everyone prefers team players. Whether you’re looking to become a banker, a property developer, or CFO, this is all essential; you have to know what you’re doing else you will get stung in many different ways. It’s also about networking and being known in the industry, you have to put yourself and your product out there.
How does Intuit / QuickBooks help you be more successful?
Intuit QuickBooks makes life easier. You can manage your finances from your phone or desktop and you have easy access to everything. The integration between QuickBooks and Arthur Online has saved me a huge amount of time. Your greatest commodity is time so anything that saves it is worth its weight in gold.
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