Jake Gottlieb Of EC1 Partners On The Importance Of Professional Business Networks
An Interview with Vanessa Ogle
To make the most of your professional relationships, it can’t be a one-way street where you’re constantly asking for favours. It needs to be a reciprocal relationship, so you must be self-aware and recognise when it’s time to give back. If certain people in your network have made introductions for you recently, repaying the favour is essential, as it works both ways.
In today’s fast-paced business world, professional networks are more than just a pathway to opportunities; they are crucial for growth, learning, and innovation. Whether it’s finding mentors, navigating career changes, or driving business success, the right network can be a game changer. How significant are these networks, and how can professionals best leverage them? I had the pleasure of interviewing Jake Gottlieb.
Jake is the Managing Director at EC1 Partners, leading FinTech Talent Partners. Jake has been pivotal in the FinTech recruitment industry for over 15 years. Jake plays an important role in defining and executing EC1’s global strategy. As Managing Director for the European business, Jake is focused on delivering business growth opportunities, improving customer service and client retention, and ensuring EC1 continues expanding its reach across new customer segments and market verticals.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I started recruitment in 2008 with a local firm in North London, where I spent the first two years of my career. It was my first introduction to the working world. Driven by a desire to work in the heart of the financial district, I transitioned to an American broker, Cantor Fitzgerald, to work on a broking floor, delving into financial markets and currency broking — an experience I absolutely loved.
After two years at the firm, the desk was closed, and I was subsequently made redundant. Seeking a new opportunity, I approached EC1 Partners to help find me a job. Despite my initial vow never to return to recruitment, I ended up joining EC1 Partners, where I have now been for 12 years!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
In 2015, having spent three years at EC1 Partners and establishing myself as a key contributor to the London office, I spontaneously decided to move to Asia and set up the Singapore office from scratch. Despite never having been to Asia before, I relocated on my own to embark on this new chapter in my career at EC1 Partners. I spent 2 years in Singapore, successfully setting up the office before eventually moving back to London.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It’s not funny but it’s a massive mistake, nonetheless. In 2014, I attended a client meeting that was slightly out of my usual remit. I was meeting with the CEO, COO and Head of HR. Taking the meeting on my own which was an introduction through an existing client relationship, I quickly realised within the first three minutes that I was completely out of my depth and highly underprepared. It was painfully obvious that I didn’t know what I was talking about, and it was the only time in my career that I genuinely wanted the ground to swallow me up.
Unsurprisingly, I didn’t get the positive response I hoped for in winning the mandate. This experience taught me the crucial lesson of preparing thoroughly for every meeting to avoid being caught out.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I owe a great deal to Jamie Cole and Simon Eglise, the founders of EC1 Partners, for trusting and supporting me over the last 12 years. Their support was especially crucial when I moved to Singapore to open an office for the business in a region where EC1 had no prior presence. This was a significant commitment from them, and I am deeply grateful.
Their guidance, nurturing, and on-the-job training that allowed me to shadow them really built my confidence. Thanks to this, I felt capable of going to Singapore on my own at the age of 27 to set up an office for a company that had been around for 8 years.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
I don’t read much, but one book that made an impact on me was Atomic Habits by James Clear. What I took from this book is that habit-building is essential for success, whether in work or personal life. It emphasises the importance of compounding habits to achieve your goals. Small, incremental steps consistently taken over a long period of time lead to significant results.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I wouldn’t say my success has made the world a better place, but over the past few years, I’ve dedicated myself to fundraising for charities such as Parkinson’s UK and Tommy’s. This has been a personal initiative rather than a work-related one.
My professional success has given me the confidence to pursue something meaningful in my personal life. It has enabled me to network and raise funds, contributing in my own way to making the world a better place.
What strategies do you recommend for building and maintaining strong professional business networks?
The most crucial strategy is getting face time with your clients or customers. That is fundamentally the only way to build long-lasting relationships based on mutual trust.
Can you share a personal story about how a professional business network has significantly impacted your career or business?
There are a couple of people in my professional network based in Singapore whom I met whilst working at EC1 Partners in London. These individuals were candidates I had successfully placed in roles while operating in London. Without these key relationships, I wouldn’t have been as comfortable moving to Singapore. Although the region was relatively new to me, having contacts on the ground who knew and could vouch for me made a significant difference. These individuals were very willing to introduce me to colleagues, peers, and other companies, which gave me credibility before I had even arrived.
In your experience, what are the common misconceptions about networking, and how can professionals overcome them?
The most common misconception about networking is that it’s a difficult skill requiring you to attend conferences or dedicated networking events where you don’t know anyone and need to be comfortable walking up to strangers, introducing yourself, and giving an elevator pitch. While that’s one aspect of networking, effective networking is more about leveraging your existing relationships. It’s about reaching out to people who trust you and will vouch for you, asking them to introduce you to others within their network.
Approach networking as you would ask a friend or sibling for an introduction to someone they know, rather than being overly corporate or professional about it. This makes the process more natural and less intimidating.
Can you please share your “5 Ways to Make the Most of a Professional Business Network”?
One
To maximise business relationships, you need to meet with people constantly. It doesn’t always have to be for a specific reason or with a particular agenda. Over time, as you build solid relationships and contacts across an industry, you should meet with them simply because they are a friend, often in more of a social setting. This is where the most business gets done.
For example, I’ll invite two or three of my clients to play golf with me once a month. We get to spend those five hours on the course discussing work, life, and strengthening our relationship.
Two
To make the most of your professional relationships, it can’t be a one-way street where you’re constantly asking for favours. It needs to be a reciprocal relationship, so you must be self-aware and recognise when it’s time to give back. If certain people in your network have made introductions for you recently, repaying the favour is essential, as it works both ways.
One way to do this is by staying informed about what is happening in the industry. Identify relationships that could be mutually beneficial for someone in your network who has helped you. Make the introduction without being prompted.
Three
Demonstrating the breadth of your network can be achieved by organising a networking event or social gathering, where you bring people together from your network and allow them to meet and engage with one another. This benefits you by providing face time with a large group and connecting individuals who might not have otherwise met. Such events showcase the vastness of your network, which can only be advantageous.
This approach adds value to your contacts, as we can all be guilty of having tunnel vision and missing opportunities around us. By spending just a few hours at an event, attendees may encounter people they wouldn’t have met otherwise, potentially leading to new opportunities.
Four
Returning to my original point about being prepared, while meeting your network regularly is beneficial for building relationships, it’s important to understand how certain people within your network can help you and vice versa. Do your due diligence. Whether leveraging these relationships to win more business or make new introductions, be clear on how you think the relationship can be mutually beneficial from a business standpoint. Some people excel at maintaining long-lasting relationships but may overlook the need to be deliberate in these meetings to maximise their value.
People often hesitate to ask for favours, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you have a genuine, good relationship with someone, you should feel comfortable asking for a favour. Be deliberate and conscientious, and approach the request appropriately, whether over lunch, dinner, or golf. Ensure that before you part ways, you’ve asked, “Could you introduce me to this person?”
Five
Ultimately, the way I view a professional business network is, first and foremost, a business network. While your goal is to develop these connections into personal relationships to build a higher level of trust, the primary purpose of a business network is to support your career success. You should feel no shame in preparing for certain meetings within your business network, even if they occur in more social settings — they are there to support your business efforts. Don’t hesitate to ask for help and support in business-related matters, as that’s what your network is for, though people sometimes forget this.
It’s also crucial to repay the favour and support. Be self-aware enough to recognise when a business relationship isn’t mutually beneficial. If you’ve received a lot, you must be willing to give back without being prompted
What role does digital networking play in today’s business environment, and how can individuals maximise its potential while maintaining meaningful connections?
I belong to a generation that believes building a long-standing, meaningful relationship based on mutual trust can’t be done digitally; it has to be in person, every time.
However, I see value in tools like LinkedIn, as they provide visibility of professionals within your industry who you might not have otherwise identified. I think there are effective methods to make yourself visible to these people, whether it’s commenting on LinkedIn posts or sending direct private messages. This helps your name become more familiar to someone before reaching the ultimate goal of meeting them face to face.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I would implement policies or regulations regarding the use of social media for all ages. Additionally, I would encourage everyone to spend more time with their peers, friends and family in person rather than online.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I would say Tony Robins because I recall watching many of his videos in 2015 when I was based in Singapore, working in a very small office on my own for nearly a year. During moments of self-doubt and questioning myself, his content provided the motivation and inspiration I needed at that time. His work offers a great blend of advice on improving all aspects of life — professionally, personally, and health-wise. Especially in recent years, I’ve seen the intrinsic link between these areas in achieving optimal performance.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-gottlieb-19bb687/
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
