Ben Ellsworth of GigPro: 5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Successful App or SaaS

You always have to fill up what you pour out. Taking that personal time is extremely important.

As part of my series about the “5 Things You Need To Know To Create a Successful App or SaaS”,

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ben Ellsworth, Founder and CEO at GigPro

Ben Ellsworth has dedicated over two decades to the restaurant industry, creating memorable experiences through food. His approach to cuisine is rooted in his passion for learning about other food cultures, as well as the history behind different dishes and cuisines. Through his positions as an executive chef and a restaurant consultant, Ellsworth recognized that the overwhelming task of keeping each restaurant adequately staffed often took away from the focus on the food and the guest experiences. As a result, the idea for GigPro was born.

Born in North Carolina and raised in Georgia, Ellsworth was immediately drawn to the hospitality industry and the people working alongside him. Shortly after, he honed in on his passion for food cultures and unique flavors — a passion and talent that eventually lead him to a sous chef position at Good Food Catering in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2006, while working at Mercato, a popular downtown Italian restaurant, he enrolled at The Art Institute of Charleston and earned his Associate’s Degree in the Culinary Arts in 2009. Following graduation, he was eventually promoted to executive chef at Mercato, where he was employed for over 7 years. In 2014, he left the kitchen and followed his passion for restaurant consulting, allowing him to experience a different side of Charleston’s booming restaurant industry.

Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started? What was the “Aha Moment” that led you to think of the idea for your current company? Can you share that story with us?

I was launching a new menu at the Royal American, a funky little spot in Charleston that’s a must-visit. We were preparing for a busy night and a dishwasher called out at the last minute. I did what so many before me have done — I looked at my staff and asked if anyone knows anyone that would want to come and fill in. We all had 40+ people on our phones that are perfectly capable of helping out, but finding a person that’s available and on-hand is nearly impossible. Suddenly, I received a notification on my phone from Airbnb, that someone had booked a room in my house for the night. I remember saying out loud, “I wish this guy was booking to wash dishes!” That was GigPro’s lightbulb moment.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?

It definitely hasn’t been easy. I didn’t have a dime to my name when I started GigPro, nor did I have any idea what I was doing. Doing something completely different, that has the potential to change the behavior in an industry, has proven especially challenging. I have been told time and time again that I’m crazy — from friends and peers within the industry. I’ve been told it won’t work, and have even been asked to leave a restaurant. Those times were discouraging and I considered giving up plenty of times. That headspace, where you almost quit because you’ve given in to the fear, if you can push through those moments, that’s where all the good stuff is. That’s where you always find the answer to the problem, and what you’ve been looking for, sometimes for days. That’s what drives me. We’re selling solution, a way to take back your life, supplement your income, and quickly network with people to gain valuable experience. For some, it’s an opportunity to experience a workplace for just one night and decide if it’s the right place to work long-term. The thought of being able to empower a group of people is definitely a motivator.

So, how are things going today? How did your grit and resilience lead to your eventual success?

Today, I’m really happy with our success and how far the concept has come. We have a solid team not that has successfully launched in three markets. We’re slated to launch in 10 more markets by the end of 2021. Everything is been inbound since January.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?

Wow! I’ve made a lot of mistakes — some funny and some not. I know it’s cliché, but each failure has really been opportunity to grow, especially when I’ve had the guts to really critique myself. I give a lot of credit to my hospitality background. Working in the kitchen has forced me to hone in on my problem-solving skills. The culinary world is all about trying to make the most inconsistent thing consistent, food. It’s never the same size, it never has the same water content, etc., but your plate needs to look the same every single time. The process is rooted in problem solving.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I think the biggest thing that makes it stand out is that were not Silicon Valley. We don’t have big, shiny products that come with massive 30 to 45% fees. We love the industry — it’s the industry that I’m passionate about. We’re very sensitive to the desperate situation that restaurants are facing, and we don’t want to exploit those challenges. We’re chefs, so we can relate to the hurdles that restauranteurs are dealing with right now. We understand that they need to be profitable, so we intentionally keep fees to a minimum. We offer our services responsibly and with purpose.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

You always have to fill up what you pour out. Taking that personal time is extremely important.

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?

The first person that I ran the idea for GigPro by agreed that it was a great idea, and told me not to tell anyone about it. I sat with that advise for a few days, and realized that, if I didn’t talk about it, I wasn’t going to get anywhere. After that realization, I started telling everyone about it. By talking about, a network of supporters emerged, and people offered help and guidance, and things started to happen. While I didn’t take that person’s advice, the advice was the catalyst to really getting GigPro off the ground.

I have a handful of advisers, that have proven success that I find remarkable. When you’re passionate about something it positively effects the way you present that thing, and people gravitate to it and are more likely to lend help when needed. From that experience, I’ve learned to ask for help.

Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. Approximately how many users or subscribers does your app or software currently have? Can you share with our readers three of the main steps you’ve taken to build such a large community?

At this moment, we have about 10,000 users on the platform. The beauty of working with the hospitality industry is that if you offer something that has value and results, it spreads like wildfire. It’s a close knit community and word-of-mouth travels very fast.

What is your monetization model? How do you monetize your community of users? Have you considered other monetization options? Why did you not use those?

The GigPro model is based on transactions in a transparent marketplace. We collect percentage fees from users only when customers from each side of the two-sided marketplace contract and complete a shift, what GigPro calls a “gig.”

Our ability to monetize the community of users rests on engagement and participation from both sides — the completion of “gigs.” The downside here is that idle users generate zero revenue. However, active users generate revenue per transaction and we realize it without the limits of subscription models.

We have considered other monetization options, but we’ve opted not to put them in place.
We thought about implementing a subscription model, but we feel that in would inhibit GigPro’s growth. Working with an industry that is often skeptical about technological solutions in the space, we quickly realized that a pay-per-performance model is the best fit for traction.

Placement fees were also discussed as an option, especially as it’s common practice to monetize from permanent hires. We feel that, if we implement placement fees, GigPro customers would be unlikely to return to use after absorbing a substantial fee and potentially lead them to use other recruiting methods. Also, placement fees wouldn’t facilitate the flow of talented labor.

We will likely pursue performance record queries in the near future. Currently, there is no record of performance reviews in Hospitality, so we’re hoping to offer reviews based on an individual’s record on our platform. Similar to the way we use CarFax, these reviews could be used when a business is considering a permanent hire.

Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to create a very successful app or a SaaS? Please share a story or an example for each.

• Ask for help
• Face criticism in self examination, not in self defense.
• If you’re not a technical founder, find a technical cofounder.
• Gather feedback and let the customer drive product development.
• Trust your gut instinct.

You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I like to think that GigPro is starting a movement, not a business. We are working to change an industry that is plagued by low wages, lack of incentive to stay, and little focus on quality of life and flexibility

How can our readers follow you on social media?

You can find GigPro on Facebook and Instagram — @GigProWorks

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!