Hourly Nerd: Turning “That Will Never Work” Into Small Business Success
When asked how HourlyNerd differentiates itself from the many competing consulting and freelancer services available, Petitti is quick to respond: “We don’t just connect businesses to experts for advice. When someone uses HourlyNerd, it’s typically because they have a business problem they cannot solve alone. They don’t just need advice, they need someone to actually solve the problem.”
HourlyNerd’s formula appears to work. Since its founding less than two years ago the company has facilitated the successful completion of thousands of projects, doubled its earnings every quarter and has garnered a 98.8% customer satisfaction rate.
“It is our mission to never let that rate fall any lower. It is a number that we obsessively focus on achieving,” explains Petitti. “It is our yardstick and guide as we scale our operation, vet consultants and continually enhance our matchmaking algorithm.
To expand its service offering, HourlyNerd recently rolled out a free Q&A forum. There, businesses can show up and ask questions about problems they are facing. Applying their matchmaking algorithm, HourlyNerd identifies and notifies the best-qualified consultants, inviting them to answer the questions without cost.
“Businesses are getting exceptional advice and answers from consultants for free,” explains Petitti. “It’s one way we’ve also seen businesses actually figure out which consultants they want to work with. They post a high-level question and then see whose answers impresses them and will often decide to hire that consultant through our platform.”
There are many valuable startup lessons in HourlyNerd’s success. Front and center is that one should not let skepticism deter from a potentially great business idea. Many times hard work, coupled with a sensible test of marketplace demand, are a much better guide as to whether an idea is the foundation for a viable business. If an idea solves a prevalent and painful problem, almost certainly will there be ample customers willing to pay.
[Tweet “#Startup Lesson: Never let skepticism deter a great #business idea! @hourlynerd”]Beyond that, HourlyNerd is a wonderful new resource to not only find great advice, but to actually hire highly qualified, affordable consultants that roll up their sleeves and help solve your business’ most vexing problems, hands-on – letting you focus on your core competencies and the growth of your company.
I think Mark Cuban would approve.