Once upon a time, Matthew Sherman dreamed of a place where young entrepreneurs could thrive and people could support local businesses all in one. His dream became a reality this Valentine’s Day, when his app, Jobbertunity, launched on Apple and Android app stores.
Matthew and his wife, Jane, founded Jobbertunity to lower the barriers of entrepreneurship and help people pick up extra money or work whenever they want. The app grants you the ability to list your own services and prices, making it feasible for anyone to start a business like babysitting, lawn care, or anything in between.
In 2009, while Matthew was in graduate school, the gig economy was rising with the popularity of the iPhone and Uber. After volunteering at a teen entrepreneur workshop, Matthew was able to mentor hundreds of young entrepreneurs and go through their journey with them from conception to completion. During that time, Matthew learned to boil entrepreneurship down to its simplest functions — what is the absolute minimum to start a business?
“How do you draw the line from ‘I have [an idea]’ to ‘I have a business’?” says Matthew. “That’s Jobbertunity’s function.”
Jobbertunity’s role is to articulate a service. Some examples of services listed are auto repair, nannying, graphic design, and more. The app is free to download, create a profile, and list a service, so the only time the app makes money is if you do. All transactions are in-app and Jobbertunity takes a small percentage of each. “It doesn’t cost you anything,” says Matthew.
Most other service-oriented sites revolve around paying for exposure, advertising, or contacts, which can really hurt a new business, since a single contact lead can sell for $100.
While the focus is selling services, Matthew is working on a web-based design that will grant the ability to release products on the Jobbertunity market. There is a limit on the number of listings you can post, encouraging people to sell something they care about. As part of the new web interface, Matthew plans on building more complex and premium business accounts as opposed to the beta version on the app.
“We’re hoping to build something that you can carry the reputation you built and use it when you want,” says Matthew.
Part of building a good reputation as a company is evaluation of goods and services through reviews, which Jobbertunity stresses. Matthew wants to create a reputation you can take with you, so you are able to share your listing on the app and post it to Facebook or other social media platforms. Listings can be turned on and off for seasonal services or in case you take a break from the app. The reviews for each are saved, so you can keep your reputation no matter what.
“If you want to get something and don’t want to talk to people, it’s there for you,” says Matthew. “These users are buying local on purpose, and we’re hoping that translates to people writing more reviews.”
Jobbertunity emphasizes buying and supporting local businesses, because Matthew says he noticed people tend to be more transactional than personal now. All listings are sorted by distance from other users, physically closest first, to encourage customers and businesses to create a meaningful relationship beyond the transaction. Spending local ensures about 60 percent more of the money you spend stays in your community, rather than going to a corporation, says Matthew.
“Our goal is to create a community of local people supporting local entrepreneurs, and if that happens then we’ll be successful,” says Matthew.
To learn more, visit www.jobbertunity.com.
