The Rescue

The problem

BetterID, a KYC compliance product, was unlaunched. No users, pressure from the board, and no real picture of how estate agencies actually run identity checks.

What I did

I did not start with the backlog. I sat with staff at 4 agencies and watched how they actually run identity checks, then rebuilt the product around that observed workflow.

Then the commercial work: benchmarked the product against the top local players (ThisIsMe, eFica and DocFox), built a setup-fee-plus-subscription model, and modelled ~R50,000 a month at Just Property from the pricing work.

The step that mattered most: I asked for a group-wide commitment before building, to lower the risk. Get the commitment before the build, not after it.

The result

Product rebuilt, priced, taken to market against established incumbents, and launched in the most recent quarter. The credit-bureau application progressed with compliance.

Why it matters

The risk was killed before the spend, not after it. Follow how people work, not how the system works.