Season 1: Integrity Under Pressure: Navigating Complex Deals & Building Resilient Businesses with Bhavik Shah

In this episode of Progress in Practice, Charlie Reading is joined by Bhavik Shah, founder of Providus Capital - a specialist in complex, time-sensitive property finance.

Bhavik shares how his business supports developers facing challenging situations where traditional funding falls short, and why thinking like a principal (not a lender) creates a powerful competitive edge.

This conversation goes deeper than deals. From experiencing insolvency to rebuilding with stronger foundations, Bhavik offers a candid perspective on integrity, resilience, and the importance of staying focused as you scale.

If you’re building a business in a complex environment, or simply want to make better decisions under pressure, this episode is packed with hard-earned wisdom.

Key Talking Points

• What “special situations” finance really means and who it’s for 
• Why conventional lending fails in complex property deals 
• The importance of thinking like a principal, not a lender 
• A founder’s origin story: solving problems others avoid 
• Lessons from rapid early success and weak foundations 
• Why strong core values and relationships create real leverage 
• The “who not how” mindset for scaling a business 
• A powerful legacy lesson: integrity under pressure 
• What insolvency teaches you that no textbook ever can 
• How reputation compounds just like money 
• The biggest challenge in scaling: staying focused on your ideal client 
• Avoiding distraction as opportunities increase 
• Moving from reactive decision-making to intentional leadership 
• How structured thinking and frameworks transform business performance 

About the Guest

Bhavik Shah is the founder of Providus Capital, a specialist finance firm working with property developers, operators, and investors facing complex or time-sensitive situations.

Providus Capital provides flexible funding solutions, including bridging, mezzanine, equity, and structured finance for deals that fall outside conventional lending criteria. Known for their clarity, speed, and partnership-led approach, Bhavik and his team focus on unlocking opportunities where others see obstacles.

Find Out More

 Website: https://www.providuscapital.co.uk/ 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bhavikjayendrakumarshah

Resources & Links Mentioned

• The Niche to Network Workshop: https://youtu.be/36gXZ-aW1Zk 
• Upcoming collaborative workshops in 2026:  https://thetrusted.team/upcoming-workshops/ 

About the Podcast

Progress in Practice is brought to you by The Trusted Team- helping professional service business owners build scalable, saleable businesses while working less and enjoying more.

Find out more: https://thetrusted.team/podcasts 

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:05

Welcome to Progress in Practice, where we explore what it really takes to build and sustain a professional service business. The hard lessons, the smart moves, the uncomfortable truths. Because success leaves clues. If you're willing to look for them. I'm Charlie Reading. Let's dive in. So, welcome to the Progress in Practice podcast, where we dive into the wisdom and experience of founders and entrepreneurs in the professional services world. And today I'm absolutely delighted to be joined by Bhavik Shah from Providus Capital. And I know this is going to be a brilliant conversation because obviously I know you, Bhavik, and I know we're going to have a really interesting chat over the course of the next sort of 20-25 minutes or so. But I always like to start these with giving you the opportunity to explain who you serve, how you help them, and what makes you different. So tell us about what you do at Providus Capital.

Speaker 1:05

It's nice to have you, Charlie. Thank you so much for this podcast opportunity. So give you a bit of background of Providus Capital. So at Providus Capital, we work with property developers, operators, and owners who find themselves in complex or time-sensitive situations. So these are special situations where you know low conventional form of funding or lending would actually fit the box. So that might be distressed property, insolvency, broken capital stacks, cost overruns on development projects, planning risk on you know planning opportunities, for example, when somebody's taking a site through planning, or even just simply situations where speed and certainty really matter.

Speaker 1 1:48

Brilliant. And what makes you different to the other people in your space?

Speaker 1:53

So we provide flexible capital. It's really typically a bridge, mezzanine, equity, or structured finance. And more importantly, what we provide is clarity. So what makes us really different is the fact that we think like principles, not like lenders. And that allows us to actually be a lot more aligned with what the actual client requires in their specific situation or scenario.

Speaker 1 2:18

Fantastic. I love that. And it must be a really difficult space to work in. So I love the fact that you're providing a solution for people that are struggling to find other solutions. I always like to go back to the stories. You know, you know, I talk a lot about stories. What's the story that best explains why you do what you do?

Speaker 2:36

So early on in my own entrepreneurial journey, I saw firsthand how good businesses in the real estate space doing good projects can end up in really difficult situations. And it's not because of you know business owners or developers being reckless, it's because the capital and the partners around them aren't aligned or don't understand their reality. I became fascinated by the idea that capital and experience, when structured properly, can actually remove stress rather than create it. And this is really how Providus Capital was born. It was really born from that belief that finance and partnerships should be tools that enable progress, not things that trap people. I am highly motivated by solving problems others avoid and by being the person who stays calm when things are really messy.

Speaker 1 3:27

Brilliant. You've obviously got a wealth of experience in this. I I love the fact that we were having dinner one night with some of the other people that are in the trusted team, and and you happen to just drop in that while you you started a sentence with something along the lines of, oh, when I was doing business at Harvard over a summer, like nobody else starts a sentence like that's a crowd, big thing. So I'm intrigued. I can't, it was a few glasses of wine in. Just very briefly, what were you doing? Was it Harvard? Is that right?

Speaker 3:54

It is, yeah, it was Harvard, that's fine. It was actually not business, it was actually summer courses that I did at Harvard, in particular, two, one called Strategic Management, and the one that was a lot more fun, which was space exploration and astronomy. And in that particular course, you know, I it was really quite incredible as an experience because I went into the course thinking that there is, you know, no possibility whatsoever for there to be life anywhere else in the universe. And by the time I finished the course, I was convinced that it's inevitable that there is life elsewhere in this universe. And it's just a matter of time before we find it.

Speaker 1 4:36

Oh, amazing. And what a what a cool place to go and and study and something as fascinating as that. So I want to now think about the sort of dive into the wisdom that you've got as a result of being in business. If you could go back to your younger self that was at the starting point of your business journey, what advice would you give your younger self based on the wisdom that you've now accumulated?

Speaker 4:58

I'd tell myself to slow down just enough to build the right foundations. Early on, I thought progress meant doing more deals, doing it faster. I had this immense drive and energy in me as a 20-something-year-old. I grew very quickly with shining success, had everything that one could, you know, ask for. But importantly, the foundations were very weak. What I now know is that the real leverage comes from core values, strong relationships, and the clarity of thinking. So I would really that would be the sort of you know the key message. I'd also say that you know, don't be afraid to ask for help. Growth doesn't necessarily come from being the smartest person in the room, but it comes from building the right room, I would say.

Speaker 1 5:49

Brilliant advice. I I love that. You could sum it up as it's a who, not how solution, isn't it? You're looking for the who, not not who to fix it, not how to fix it. So I think that's I think that's that's brilliant advice. And you have two children, I think. I'm right saying, is that is that correct? Well, one oh no, one, one there, one on the way. That's right. Yes, yes, yes. Sorry, oh sorry. So if you could leave them no money, but just one piece of advice as as your sort of legacy to them, what would that advice be?

Speaker 6:21

Uh probably pass on the importance of integrity, especially under pressure. You know, it's easy to do the right thing when everything's going well. The real test is going to be really when things don't go well. It's really when you're in a difficult situation and how you are actually able to interact with other people and find solutions connectively in those situations. You know, I've had personally insolvency, bankruptcy, I've had my businesses go into insolvency. And so I have had first hand experience of what losing money feels like and not just for myself, but also for others around me. I mean, investors and funders who've actually backed me on my own projects and my own vision. So what I've what I would really say is that integrity is key, reputation's a compound, just like money. And you know, once trust is lost, it's impossible to rebuild, almost impossible, I would say. And so long-term success, both in business and life, comes from choosing the right partners, but also choosing the right way forward as opposed to you know the convenient way which may be rock.

Speaker 1 7:35

Yeah, no, you're you're you're absolutely right. And I think that's really, really good ad advice. You you mentioned the the business going into or how experiencing it going through an insolvency. Are there any other lessons around that that you've now sort of taken on board and sort of been able to apply to business and kind of because that's a that's a big learning opportunity, isn't it?

Speaker 7:56

Yeah, indeed. It's a learning look. I mean, being into insolvency is actually, yeah, it's something that you can't learn a textbook. And the the lessons from that have been, of course, very much around the core values, i.e., what are your core values? What are the things that really matter to you? And my entire outlook on life changed on the back of the experiences that I've been through within entrepreneurship, business, and you know, the the ride up and down, i.e., the importance that now plays to personal relationships, the importance that plays to my core values being the authenticity, the integrity, the resilience that you know I want to be instilling and in in my next generation.

Speaker 1 8:43

Brilliant. And building a business around core values is such a such a powerful principle. It it and particularly when you come to difficult decisions. I remember interviewing John Dutton, the uh uh CEO of British Cycling, and he at the time was was running the Rugby League World Cup, and they it was through COVID, and they were like, do we actually go ahead with this or do we cancel the World Cup? And they basically sat around as a board and they went through their values that they'd previously documented and said, based on these values, do we go ahead or do we cancel? And they ended up creating the most successful Rugby League World Cup in history, and it was based on that decisions around value. So it's it's a brilliant, brilliant piece of advice. So thinking about Providence Capital again now, what's the biggest challenge that's sort of stopping you reaching your goals as quickly as you'd like?

Speaker 9:33

I would say that the biggest challenge right now for Providus is how we can maintain our focus as we continue scaling up. You know, as the business keeps growing, as our access to various opportunities keep growing, what happens is that we not only get more opportunities, but also the breadth of the opportunities that we receive is widening. And as a result, it's very easy to get distracted and spend time and resource on opportunities that aren't quite fitting what we're made for. So, for example, you know, we're not in the market of providing conventional vanilla, simple funding for a you know, buy-to-let property. That's not really where we fit in. If somebody is seeking leverage, which is a you know typical 50 to 60 percent owned to value on a property that is perfectly you know sound, there's no reason for them to actually need our funding, which is of course going to be inappropriate and overly expensive for their requirements. We would really be suitable for transactions where we know that the underlying opportunity is sound, but due to some quirky complexity that the borrower or the sponsor is facing, they're not able to access conventional funding, and that's really where we come in. Keeping that focus from our perspective on exactly what we're good at and ensuring that we're spending our time and resources in you know, and on those opportunities is really where our where where I guess our biggest challenge will come from.

Speaker 1 11:09

Brilliant. We've spoken a lot in the past about really knowing who your ideal client is and focusing it at like having laser-like vision for your ideal client and not getting distracted by people that aren't your ideal client. And I know that you've you've you've been good enough not just to attend my event, the Niche Network, from Niche Network, but also you've actually put a room together for me to deliver it to some of your contacts.

Speaker 11:34

So I personally attended that session of yours probably three or four times now, and every time I do, it there is there are new revelations, new ideas that spring to my mind, and I find that really effective because it just allows us to then have a clearer focus on you know who our ideal clients are.

Speaker 1 11:51

Yeah, no, brilliant. I I love the fact that you have done it four times and still getting new ideas. For anyone that's listening, what I'll do is we we have a you can you can go through that process for free. Uh so I'll put a link in the in the show notes and you can you can follow that through. Um and as you know, Bhavik, I love books and podcasts and and documentaries. And so so what resources, what books, podcasts, documentaries, or anything else have you found helping you on your journey? Where do they show up in Providus Capital?

Speaker 12:21

I must confess here, Charlie, it's actually you. It's entirely you when it comes to you know, my key resource for anything that I need inspiration for. So I guess, yeah, again, for many people who may be watching this podcast wouldn't be knowing that you are my business coach. And you know, one of the most impactful influences on me recently has been the coaching and the structured thinking that I have gained from you. It's all your frameworks that force me to step back and work on the business rather than just in the business, and that's really been quite powerful when you know practically implemented. When I look at Providus Capital today, it shows in our definition of edge what our edge is to how are we assessing risk, to how we're making decisions under pressure. Your frameworks have actually helped me move from being reactive to being more um intentional, and that has made a real difference across the business.

Speaker 1 13:22

Well, but for anyone listening, this was not prompted prompted. I was not expecting you to say me or my work. So that but that's amazing. Thank you. And I'm delighted it has such an impact on you and Providus Capital, but also like you've got to be coachable to actually take on board the ideas and and uh and you are very coachable, and that and that is you know a huge testament to to you and the success you're building with with Providus Capital. So for those people that are listening or watching this, uh if they want to find out more about Providus Capital, where's the best place to track you down?

Speaker 13:57

Well, there's certainly our website. Our website's got some information about Providus Capital, also ways to reach us and the team. At the same time, LinkedIn would be a great place. Um, you know, do follow me and follow Providus Capital's LinkedIn page. That's where we share a lot of our thinking and updates on you know recent transactions and deals that we've been involved in. And of course, people are most welcome to actually reach us directly. Come visit our offices in Hanover Square in the West End and would love to meet you.

Speaker 1 14:26

Fantastic. And of course, we're recording this at the end of 2025, but in 2026, we have some collaborative events that we're doing together, aren't we? So, which would be really cool. So we we're delivering some some workshops for for some of Bhavik's contacts. So we'll put the links in the show notes for that as well. And then if anyone's listening to this that would like to come along, they can they can find out more information. Bhavik, it you've been an absolute pleasure to get on the podcast, to coach as part of the trusted team. Just want to say a huge thank you for for coming on and wish you every success with Providus Capital in the future.

Speaker 15:01

Thank you so much, Charlie. Thank you for having me here. And yeah, look forward to collaborating more with you in 2026.

Speaker 1 15:07

Brilliant, thank you. If this conversation resonated, you'll find more support, structure, and community inside the trusted team, where ambitious service-based founders come to build businesses that are scalable, scalable, and sustainable. You can find out more at thetrusted.tv. And if you're enjoying progress in practice, please make sure you follow the show and leave a rating review. It really helps more founders find these conversations and to bring you better and better guests. So until the next time, keep progressing.