The Gig Economy is Getting a Facelift
How BelBoy is reinventing freelancing
How do you decide who to hire? When we make a decision, our instinct is to question the reliability and price of what we are getting. What I have found is, when it comes to freelancing, a customer takes into consideration reliability more than they do price. They look for the biggest business and the largest consumer base rather than the abilities and morals of the workers. People and the skills they bring to the table are the most important aspects of any big business and is what actually makes freelancing and BelBoy special. Freelancing cuts out these big corporations and connects consumers directly with the people who get the job done. BelBoy took this idea of connection and focuses solely on creating a bond in communities between people who need a job done and certified skilled workers. This direct worker to consumer bond in each neighborhood creates a safe environment where anyone can get an honest and qualified person… while saving money in the process.
What is BelBoy and how does it work? BelBoy is an Atlanta based startup that focuses on helping people save time and be less stressed by getting anything they need done. It connects people with certified workers in their area to do anything from building a house to walking a dog. All it takes to post a job is a simple 4 Step process.
- Post what you need done along with a budget
- Get offers from professionals in your area
- Select who you want based on reviews and prices
- Communicate with worker via messaging in the BelBoy platform
Should I really use this? On BelBoy, consumers are able to get jobs done on short notice, pay the rates they want, don’t have to deal with big corporations, and can see real reviews by real people in their neighborhoods. Other companies do offer similar services, but BelBoy prides itself on having the most qualified and safest workers. In order to become a BelBoy, workers must meet personal insurance policy standards and must undergo a thorough background check. In addition, BelBoy’s posting structure guarantees that consumers never pay more than they want, are never stuck with pre-set hourly rates, and can get anything they need done (not limited to preset categories). Every task that is posted is bid on by thoroughly vetted workers from the community and the consumers are in complete control of the selection process!
The benefits for the workers are that they earn how much they want on every job, have flexible hours, and can work towards creating their own business by building their personal brand and reputation as a freelancer. Workers quote how much they are willing to do a task for based on the details the consumer initially provided. This makes it so they do jobs at the wages they want and that they never have to pay to make the customer an offer.
NEGATIVES. One of BelBoy’s biggest upsides in that consumers are allowed to set their own rates actually causes a downside in that not every job will be accepted. However, BelBoy believes that it is beneficial to allow customers to value how much getting a job done is worth to them. BelBoy says that if customers follow the suggested pricing models on the create a task form that tasks will be accepted most of the time, and that the only problem consumers run into is when they start to really under price their jobs. The other downside to BelBoy’s pricing structure is that each BelBoy gives up 20% of the agreed price. BelBoy states that this is to cover payment payment processing fees and to ensure that BelBoy is able to run day to day operations.
Would I pay to get my chores done? Many people use services to help them around the house to help them clean, renovate a kitchen, mount a tv, etc. Since people go out and find help for all of these tasks anyways, all BelBoy is doing is providing consumers with an easy and trusting place to go when they need something done. Rather than go around your neighborhood hoping to hear back from someone about a good professional for the job you need done who is in your price range, people can now just go on BelBoy and receive prices based on what they want to pay from highly qualified workers. Having an easy way to find professionals and read reviews by your neighbors gives consumers more time to spend with friends and family and takes time away from stressing about chores.
How do I know I am getting a professional? How do I know my job is going to get done? Every professional must go through a background check and have a personal insurance policy according to BelBoy’s standards before being accepted. BelBoy uses a system called Checkr along with reviewing each workers’ social media footprint to ensure they only get qualified, respected workers. Just like when you work with a contractor, when you work with a BelBoy, once they agree upon the price for the task, they are contractually bound to complete the task.
What do I think? BelBoy seems like a great service to get anything you need done. It’s pricing model allows for both the consumer and worker to be happy with prices. BelBoy is much more selective in their selection process for workers which creates a safer and more trusting platform. Based on this I think BelBoy is giving itself a foundation that if executed correctly can really help people and be successful.
