IDA Law is a dynamic collections and litigation solutions SME founded by graduate lawyers who spotted a market gap and, with the right support, has grown into a business of 345 staff with branches in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
With a modest start in 2010, founders Atish Dahya and Wahid Ismail initially began offering their services to businesses in Johannesburg’s CBD. When they identified a gap in debt recovery services that they could solve and developed their business model accordingly, the business expanded, growing to a team of 78 and a solid client base by 2018.
But, as is often the case, small businesses can struggle when growth comes faster than they are prepared for. IDA’s internal systems were under strain, and the company urgently needed strategic support to scale effectively.
In 2018, IDA Law was invited to participate in the FNB External Debt Collectors Programme, facilitated by Edge Growth, which provided tailored mentorship, targeted bootcamps, and access to industry specialists. Through a comprehensive review of its operations and a renewed focus on clarifying its vision, purpose, and values, the programme delivered the strategic direction required to support the firm’s growth.
“Working with our mentor Jayesh Nair was a game-changer for IDA,” Dahya says. “He provided honest guidance, feedback, reflection and support throughout – acting as an independent source of advice, motivation, faith and courage.”
“The culture intervention reframed who we thought we were as a business,” says Ismail. “It gave us new clarity around our ‘why’ and ‘purpose,’ and allowed us to reimagine these and share them with the team in a very grounded and intentional way – building for the future.”
Building on the many benefits that the company gained through the Edge Growth–FNB External Debt Collectors Programme, six years later saw IDA Law join Cohort 9 of the FNB Accelerator Programme, which now focused on scale, leadership, and long-term sustainability. This came at an ideal time, as the business had grown to support 345 staff and had strategically shifted its portfolio to 80% debt collection and 20% legal services.
The FNB Accelerator Programme is a structured 24-month enterprise development initiative designed to support black-owned qualifying small enterprises to scale their business operations and strengthen management capability for long-term sustainability. The programme aims to address core SME growth challenges by accelerating business performance, improving CEO and leadership disciplines, strengthening strategic focus and execution, and enhancing overall business and operational disciplines.
“This wasn’t just a diversification move; it was a response to market signals and client needs, underpinned by a new capability: real-time, data-informed decision-making,” says Ismail.
From streamlining systems and embedding analytics, to building a distributed management model and investing in a new call centre, IDA Law embraced the learnings and insights offered through both programmes under small business development specialist, Edge Growth. This support has seen IDA Law grow to become a key sector contributor, and top performer on EDC panels for clients including FNB, Nedbank, Standard Bank, Wesbank and Life Hospitals.
The business has also founded its own Seta-accredited training academy – providing critical qualifications and work experience for new sector entrants. “Through our Academy, we’re now able to ensure that school-leavers can find a point of entry for employment and overcome the barriers we started off with ourselves,” shares Dahya.
Looking ahead, IDA Law continues to leverage its mature business model and purpose-driven team culture to continue its growth, under the leadership of two intrepid and resilient entrepreneurs who took a “graduate start-up” to a key industry contributor.
