When you need work done on your house, it can be hard to find an honest contractor who will get the job done right. That’s what Alex Brunelle and his brother Ted found out when the Scranton residents started investing in real estate with the profits from the first website they developed, AhaJokes.com.
So last month they launched Nearbid, an auction website for professional services from Web design to plumbing to tutoring. Brunelle says the idea is to combine social networking with e-commerce, connecting those who need jobs completed with qualified people nearby. “Think LinkedIn where you can actually do business together,” he says.
People wiling to offer services can create profiles, including their rates. Users in search of someone to complete a job can post jobs and peruse other users’ profiles. Once a job has been completed, employers can rate the people they hired and post reviews. Unlike similar websites that connect job seekers and employers who need tasks completed, Nearbid doesn’t handle payments for work. That’s between the two parties who work together, Brunelle says. And the service doesn’t cost a penny for anyone to use the brothers’ other ventures are covering its costs now.
At the moment there are a handful of jobs on Nearbid, mostly near its home base in Lackawanna County. Brunelle says the plan is to promote the site in the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia areas and partner with chambers of commerce. Nearbid’s ultimate goal is to create 1 million gigs by the end of 2012.
Source: Alex Brunelle, Nearbid
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen