Interview: Jamid Dewani from ConsultXperts

ConsultXperts is an online platform connecting companies with highly skilled business, digital and technology professionals. The experts – inclusive of freelancers, independent contractors and interim executives – are subject to a rigorous vetting process, with only 30% of applicants approved to work. According to CEO and co-founder Jamid Dewani, this ensures that ConsultXperts’ talent base is comprised only of top talent. The Melbourne startup also maintains a close relationship with their experts, providing them with flexibility and support. 

At Allied Legal we spoke with Jamid Dewani from ConsultXperts to discuss how his venture went from an idea amidst the COVID-19 crisis to a successful Melbourne startup.  

1. Can you explain your role at ConsultXperts? 

I am the CEO and co-founder at ConsultXperts. My primary responsibilities include making the final decisions and managing our company resources and overall operations. Stakeholder management is also pertinent to my role. In this space, I communicate with shareholders, external companies, government entities and the public in an ambassadorial manner. I believe that for us to achieve our goals, we must maintain awareness of the competitive landscape, the industry trends, risk factors, expansion opportunities and potential barriers. This leads to opportunities and allows us to implement risk mitigation strategies. 

Maintaining and harbouring company culture is also an important part of my role. Embedding our company values and culture is essential for us as a startup in ensuring that our startup not only abides by social responsibilities, but exceeds the minimum standards, for all our employees who share our vision. 

2. How did you get ConsultXperts from an idea to a venture?

It took a lot of effort to take it from an idea to a venture. ConsultXperts was created amidst the COVID-19 crisis – when a lot of experienced people lost their jobs – and I saw the opportunity for the platform. I realised that once we found a new normal, organisations would be going through significant transformation, and they would be in critical need of such workers.  

Once I had the specifics in mind, it became a natural process to have experts from diverse backgrounds and industries join ConsultXperts. The response has been overwhelming and within a short amount of time, ConsultXperts has been able to acquire over 500 experts. 

2. Can you provide an overview of your founding team and how you work together?

There is me [Jamid Dewani], Inder Singh and Mahmud Alam. 

Inder is the Chief Talent Officer responsible for heading talent engagement to optimize the matching outcomes of hiring companies. He has over 20 years’ experience working with technology and digital platforms within the corporate sector, government, and even as a freelancing consultant with startups and innovative businesses. Inder is also experienced in sales and marketing, so he also provides a lot of communication support for ConsultXperts. 

Mahmud is our Chief Product Officer. He has over 15 years of experience in information technology (IT) and project management. He is also an experienced businessman and has been involved with several startups from as early as his teenage years. As our Chief Product Officer, he is responsible for the technical aspects of the platform. He is in charge of our product [the website] which we use to connect businesses and experts. 

And myself, I have over 15 years of business consulting and management experience. I have worked within the industry and in the academic sector focusing on business management specialties. I am very passionate about technology and have worked internationally across the Asia Pacific.  

Combining all of our skill sets and experiences, I believe we have a strong, fun and compatible team. We have also known each other for a long time, so we are well aware of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

3. What has been your biggest challenge to date? And how did you deal with the challenge?

The platform itself has been the biggest challenge so far. Before taking it to market, I wanted to ensure that it provided a swift and easy way for clients and experts to communicate. We had to guarantee that the platform was user friendly and easy to navigate on both sides. 

Raising awareness for the platform was also an essential element I had to consider. Finding the right opportunity in the market and having the right connections within the industry was important. Our team’s compatibility and collective experience became a helpful resource when reaching out to the industry during the initial stages of ConsultXperts. 

4. Do you have any tips for founders hoping to scale their startup?

I think the most important aspect for founders who wish to launch their startups is to be passionate while rationally considering the industry trends. You need a combination of technical and non-technical skills to be successful. You must undertake extensive research before you implement anything and create a plan for how you want to achieve your goals. As far as the intangibles go, it is imperative to consider whether our ideas are creating value in the market for everyone and not just for ourselves.

Overall, passion and the right mindset will help founders to deal with hurdles and will eventually lead to consistency and success.

5. Where would you like to see ConsultXperts in five years?

We focus on connecting businesses to experts, so our goal is to serve this vision. We want to be leaders in the matching process to allow individuals to undertake work that truly matters to them and deliver outstanding results on both sides. Within our niche market, we plan to be leaders in the next 5 years. 

We also aspire to be a company that gives high regards to diversity and inclusion. An essential aspect of our long-term goals is to create opportunities for creative, innovative, ambitious and hardworking individuals to join our team regardless of where they come from. 

Need help? Contact us

At Allied Legal we are industry agnostic and assist startups, like ConsultXperts, turn their ideas into sustainable and legitimate ventures. Whether you are in need of legal advice or you are wanting to scale your startup for success, we are the team to contact. If you want to learn more about how we can help, give us a call on 03 8691 3111 or send us an email at hello@alliedlegal.com.au. 

You might also like our article Agile Versus Lean Startups.