Episode #17: Are Marketplace Sites like Thumbtack a Good Deal for Service Professionals?

The way we go about finding the best handyman, HVAC technician, and other home service professionals has really changed over the past 10 years. It used to be that you would just ask a friend or neighbor or look in the yellow pages, but now there apps such as Angie’s List, TaskRabbit, Thumbtack, Upwork, and more where you can find a whole host of service professionals. These platforms are convenient for consumers, but is it a good business deal for the service professionals? We discuss these platforms from several perspectives with help from Kellyn Blossom, Head of Public Policy at Thumbtack. She shares how pricing works, who exactly is the marketplace’s priority (the consumer or the service professional), and the biggest mistake she sees service professionals make on the platform.