Louw Barnardt of Outsourced CFO named Emerging Business Entrepreneur of the Year®

Local entrepreneur, Louw Barnardt, owner of Outsourced CFO, received the 2018 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year® award at the annual Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS awards ceremony, held in Johannesburg this morning.

The financial management company that renders technical and visionary CFO services to emerging tech and innovation businesses, is the vision of chartered accountant, Louw Barnardt.  

Barnardt says that the business idea came about when he noticed a gap in the South African market for high-level, yet accessible financial consulting. He says that many businesses, especially those in the start-up and scale-up phase, require the time and skills of a qualified CA or CFO, but don’t have the resources or capacity to take one on full-time. Outsourced CFO helps small-to-medium business owners rethink, automate and scale their businesses in the pursuit of business eminence.

In line with the global trend of organisations moving away from traditional business models to take on more flexible structures, Outsourced CFO allows start-up businesses to focus internal resources on the activities which provide a unique competitive advantage, while opting to outsource non-core, yet critical functions such as financial management.

In just under five years, Barnardt has capitalised on this trend and has emerged in Cape Town’s market and beyond, as a trusted CFO service provider and thought leader. Since inception, the business has achieved an 87% growth rate year-on-year adding seven new staff members in the past year alone and there are no plans to slow down.

Outsourced CFO provides a range of financial management services, an offering which Barnardt says is constantly evolving. These services include CFO, cloud accounting and fundraising services. “Our team is always on the look-out for the best tech, the best resources, and the most efficient ways to execute on tasks and deliver value. Our differentiating factors are the entrepreneurial professionals we employ, the top-end technology we leverage and the high quality and innovative service we provide to consistently exceed client expectations.”

Barnardt, who wanted to be an entrepreneur since the tender age of six, says that while his business has received numerous accolades over the past four years, it is the growth of the businesses they help that is a true reflection of their own success.
The competition judges agree: “Outsourced CFO has helped their entrepreneur clients raise over R400 million in seed and growth finance. This is exceptional work, especially taking into account the South African landscape which is desperate for growth in this all important sector of the economy.  

“We were very impressed with Louw’s energy, drive and passion for his business – the hard work he has put into not only growing his own business, but other entrepreneurial businesses through their hands-on work in helping entrepreneurs run the financial side of their businesses,” said the judges of this year’s competition.

“I am honoured to receive this award and be ranked among the top entrepreneurs in South Africa, all of whom are doing incredible work in their respective industries,” says Barnardt.

For more information on Outsourced CFO, please visit the website: www.outsourcedcfo.co.za.