A problem highlighted by Uber Eats (etc.) is that when technology comes into an existing market it can distort things by using heaps of Venture Capital that isn't available to the businesses who deliver the actual service to customers. Do you worry that by offering price guarantees ("We honor our online prices, even if it means taking a loss.") you may end up in a similar situation? You're more agency than marketplace, so this is especially relevant.
My understanding is that the reason prices are so unpredictable is because the work is so unpredictable: if you're guaranteeing a fixed cost on a job that then balloons in complexity, then the costs you incur are going to wipe out your margin on dozens of other jobs... but because you're growing in revenue you'll be able to keep raising capital to keep subsidising these exploding costs until at some point it becomes impossible to continue.
You speak about a system that can take inputs and price a job fairly, which sounds great in theory, but if "a system that can price jobs fairly" becomes your white whale, and you're forever subsidising bad jobs, what do you think about the impact on the independent service providers when the music stops?
I think this is a great idea and has a lot of potential to deliver value for consumers and contractors, so this comment isn't a challenge against the idea, rather I'm curious about how you're thinking about your responsibility to the service providers that have hitched their wagon to yours if things don't go to plan.
My understanding is that the reason prices are so unpredictable is because the work is so unpredictable: if you're guaranteeing a fixed cost on a job that then balloons in complexity, then the costs you incur are going to wipe out your margin on dozens of other jobs... but because you're growing in revenue you'll be able to keep raising capital to keep subsidising these exploding costs until at some point it becomes impossible to continue.
You speak about a system that can take inputs and price a job fairly, which sounds great in theory, but if "a system that can price jobs fairly" becomes your white whale, and you're forever subsidising bad jobs, what do you think about the impact on the independent service providers when the music stops?
I think this is a great idea and has a lot of potential to deliver value for consumers and contractors, so this comment isn't a challenge against the idea, rather I'm curious about how you're thinking about your responsibility to the service providers that have hitched their wagon to yours if things don't go to plan.