Problem
Trusting is hard. Knowing who to trust, even harder.
According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), residential contractor fraud is the number one complaint by homeowners.
Seniors are the most at risk when it comes to fraudulent contractors and home improvement scams. Additionally, seniors own more than half of all the financial assets in the United States, making them prime targets.
The U.S. online on-demand home services sector is worth $600 billion, and Baby Boomers are currently driving the majority of home improvement spending.
But...who can you trust?
Solution
Hidrent: on-demand labor service for off-duty firefighters
You Already Trust Us... 👨🚒
A worldwide survey that ranks professions according to levels of public trust found firefighters were considered to be the most trustworthy at a whopping 92 percent.
On average, firefighters work ten 24-hour shifts each month, leaving them to enjoy 20 days off each month. Hidrent was built with the help of firefighters, for firefighters. We connect people in need of skilled labor with qualified off-duty firefighters in the community looking for work. From assembly to maintenance to repairs, people can trust their work to be done professionally and in a safe environment.
Product
Supporting off-duty heroes
Hidrent has created two apps to connect firefighters to neighbors that need help around the home. The first app, Hidrent, allows local homeowners to support their firefighters by setting the price for the job to be completed. Participating firefighters are then notified and given the opportunity to immediately accept a proposal through the second app, Hidrent Pro. The firefighter that responds will do so based on their qualifications and availability. Once accepted, both parties will be able to communicate through the app to work out the details.
Traction
40K+ downloads to date
Since launching in 2018, Hidrent has seen 36K+ app downloads by community members and 4K+ downloads by local firefighters. We've helped over 1,600 jobs get completed and have earned over $300K in revenue to date, with plans to expand to more states in the coming year.
Customers
Connecting communities
Hidrent creates jobs for firefighters and fixes problems for homeowners all in one step. We are building a trusted network of professionals while helping neighbors support their local firefighters.
Business model
Revenue share in B2C and B2B markets
We've adopted a revenue share model where 20% of all job revenue collected goes back to Hidrent. The average revenue per completed job is $247.
What started as primarily a B2C company has evolved into solving labor needs for many businesses as well.
Market
The on-demand home service industry is on fire 🔥
With consumers becoming increasingly comfortable with the idea of booking services online, the home service business industry is trending right now. Data shows the current market size valued at approximately $600B with a 49% CAGR.
Hidrent has access to over 1.2M U.S. firefighters available and eager to work.
Competition
Hosing down the competition
Hidrent is the only available service app exclusively utilizing off-duty firefighters to fulfill labor needs. Our platform was designed to make each step of the process simple for all parties, ensuring that we access a niche characterized by competent and quality professionals within the mainstream of productivity apps.
Who would you choose?
COVID-19 Impact: In December, 2019 we made the decision to stop paid advertising in order to focus on improving the product. As expected, we saw a dip in revenue in January and February, 2020. Then, COVID-19 reached the U.S. and Hidrent revenues began to spike. This chart illustrates the narrative that people trust firefighters in their homes more than anyone else...more than ever.
Vision and strategy
Get Help. Give Back.
Our vision is to become the most trusted source available for gig labor that simultaneously improves the financial well-being of neighborhood firefighters.
To achieve this, our main focus right now is expansion. We have already launched our service in 7 major markets including: Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, San Antonio and Tampa Bay. We have validated product/market fit, and now it’s time to aim higher. Our goal is to work with fire stations across the country, and expand to 15 total cities by the end of 2020.
Funding
Reached 25% of funding goal
Hidrent has kicked off their seed round by so far raising $125,000 from institutional and angel investors.
We are also being accelerated by the Capital Factory: The Center of Gravity for Entrepreneurs in Texas