Jas Shah – Fintech Product Consultant | Product Management & Strategy | Digital Propositions

Hi, I’m Jas, a London based consultant and founder of Bitsul, a Fintech focused product consultancy helping Financial Services organizations and startups ideate, build and launch great B2B and B2C products. I’ve been working in Fintech for over 12 years specializing in product managing builds for a number of organizations from Investment Banks and Asset management companies to early stage startups.

Q1.  Did you always want to become a consultant or did you fall into the role?

Totally fell into the role. Although I’m glad I came to it late because I have loads of experience in my specialist area

Q2.  What makes a good consultant?

Probably in depth knowledge about the subject matter. I’ve been working in Financial Services and Tech for over 12 Years and only recently decided to set up my own consultancy. Having a broad understanding of things like Sales, Marketing, Tech, People also helps but having specific industry knowledge is really important.

Q3.  Do you feel you manage yourself well or is it a case of ‘the cobbler’s shoes’?

I think there’s definitely an element of cobblers shoes. I encourage clients to ensure they put specific outcomes and measures on things but I don’t always do it myself

Q4.  Are there enough hours in your day?

Yes. It’s always about managing the time really. You could always either wake up earlier and try and do more OR prioritise better and just get the most important stuff done each day.

Q5.  If you could magically stop your clients from making one mistake – what would that be?

Hmmmm, probably trying to build features or a whole product without engaging their customer base or community. Although not many of my clients have made that mistake.

Q6.  What do you find is the best way to market yourself?

I’ve been quite lucky and haven’t done any formal marketing. Most of my clients come from referrals from people I’ve worked with before. I do write some industry specific content which has lead to work.

Q7.  What do you do to unwind?

A movie. A glass of wine. The gym. All pretty standard stuff. In terms of a full blown reset, when I’ve had an intense period of work I love to go on holiday but I’m really exploring the UK and doing more staycations at the moment.

Q8.  What advice would you give a starting consultant?

Starting out you need to really optimistic. There might be quiet periods but in those times there’s always something you can be doing. Whether it’s writing white-papers, providing industry commentary or reaching out to your network of colleagues to see who would really benefit from your expertise. You’ll be surprised as to how much you can do to control how much or how little work you have but keeping the right attitude is key!

Q9.  What’s your guilty pleasure? 

Million Dollar Listing. It’s a show in the US about Real-Estate agents who broker deals on really really expensive flats and houses. I just like sneaking a look at really expensive houses.

Q10.  What’s your goal for next year?

Probably double my ‘returning’ client list. Those clients who I do some work for and then 6 months down the line when they’ve progressed a bit come back to me for help with a different challenge.