Turning a Service Business Into a Service Platform Startup

There are a lot of entrepreneurs out there trying to use technology to broker services. Seriously, I get emails from at least a few of them a week asking for advice.

I get emails from entrepreneurs building ride sharing apps in Africa. I get emails from entrepreneurs using the web to monetize artists in Mexico. I get emails from entrepreneurs trying to hustle invention assistance in the Midwest.

And I am rooting for each and every one of you.

But this shit is hard. Each service business is unique and comes with its own problems and limitations. So here’s my advice to the hundreds of you who have written in and the (probably) thousands more who haven’t.

Learnings From 20 Years of Service Platforms

Don’t get me wrong, I’m just as fascinated and hyped on the service platform as the rest of you.

After my startup Automated Insights was acquired, I left to join what at the time was a fledgling but super-promising mobile car wash, Spiffy. That was a little over two years ago, and in that time we’ve built Spiffy into a mini-empire, performing everything from basic washes to high-end details to oil changes and even windshield replacement in over 20 cities. With more to come, as fast as we can…