• In recent years there has been a power shift from the buyer to the trades. Decent trades have almost unlimited work, the demand far outstrips supply and most of them can rely on word of mouth exclusively to keep busy like you say. The firms that can’t rely on WOM are probably not the ones anyone wants to work with.

    If you want to find the builders and tradespeople who are really busy and who don’t need to advertise. How can you find them? I don’t think it needs to be quantity - the big aggregators need that bc it’s a transactional service and high churn. This way you would have a smaller audience who would be willing to pay for the service.

    If people are paying £500 pm on bespoke fitness then why couldn’t you have something similar

  • You are just trying to simplify complex relationships. Different trades are 'perfect' for different people and situations. I work with property managers who still use checkatrade occasionally to get a job done, even though they have a black book of contacts.

    At the moment you are young, have young children, lots of work going on and very little time. The people I see getting it right are older, managing the same properties for years and with some experience in a trade or practical skill/understanding of the materials.

    Your situation forces your hand, you need to do too much at once, it's impossible to manage the details and the net result is compromised over price and time.

    The answer to there not being enough trades is not a management agency for trades, it's training young people and changing the view of the trades so that young people want to get involved.

  • Hmmm ok - it’s interesting feedback and one formed from tons of experience so appreciate it 🙂. I just can’t help but think there is something here and having worked in marketplace/aggregator businesses and from advising some membership communities.
    Need to spend some more time working it through

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