Fintech · Small business
Fairo
Stabilising an early-stage mobile finance app for freelancers and developing core accounting and tax features.
- Role
- Product Owner
- Period
- 2020–2021 · approximately one year
- Outcome
- Stabilising the product helped reduce client churn. At the same time, the number of clients who prepared their tax return through Fairo increased.
01 / Context
Fairo was an ambitious fintech startup created by Creative Dock in partnership with Raiffeisen Bank International. Its mobile app helped freelancers manage everyday finances, invoicing, bookkeeping and tax obligations. Ukraine was the first market, followed by expansion into Romania.
The product was in an early stage shortly after launch. We needed to stabilise both the application and the delivery process, onboard a new engineering team and continue shipping capabilities important to users and further expansion.
02 / My role
What I owned
I joined Fairo as Product Owner for one of three development teams shortly after the product launched. I owned the team focused on accounting, bookkeeping and tax reporting. My role was to stabilise delivery after a new engineering team joined, improve the application's reliability and deliver the capabilities needed for further product development.
- I took product ownership of the accounting, bookkeeping and tax-reporting team.
- I helped stabilise delivery after a new engineering team joined the project.
- I prioritised fixes and product changes needed to improve the application's reliability.
- I led the delivery of biometric authentication and other essential capabilities.
- I developed tax reporting, including support for preparing tax returns.
03 / Outcome
Stabilising the product helped reduce client churn. At the same time, the number of clients who prepared their tax return through Fairo increased.
Product management in an early-stage product is not only about new features. The product, team and decision-making process often need to be stabilised first so that further development can create value.