Prefer - Professionals you need, from people you know

Excited to share a new product (and new team) that I’ve been helping build for the last year or so. Prefer aims to help you find all the professionals you need through people that you already know and trust. No more open marketplaces with 3.5 star ratings from strangers, or on-demand apps for professional services that you’d prefer to find via a friend. No more bidding against less qualified “professionals” in order to get new clients. We’re aiming to empower professionals to build relationships with their clients and grow their business through referrals, rather than be commoditized by platforms that prevent relationships from happening. Prefer is a better way to build a client base, manage logistics, and grow a small business by primarily doing what you do best, without spending a disproportionate amount of effort worrying about “lead generation” or advertising. Prefer is invite-only and NYC-only, for now, as we build an initial trusted community, but we can’t wait to open things up further.

Ahh, a Thumbtack/Yelp competitor. It makes a ton sense to build a professional services network around the way we operate IRL: asking friends/trusted people for recommendations.

Need this in LA and SF! What's the timing look like for those cities?

Now I can find a... 🐶walker 👶sitter 💇stylist ➕more!

nextdoor has been building a neighbors referral network for ages now and it's getting really good - how do you plan to challenge the install base of nextdoor, or facebook (where this also already happens)?

I've been trying to do this concept for dog sitting/dog walking with @doggybnb but have had lots of issues getting over the cold start problem to get the network effect value. I'd be interested in speaking with you guys about how you are thinking about it, working through it.

Looks interesting, but I'm curious, what are the differences between this and something like Thumbstack?

Really smart idea.

Seems to be a really well balanced product, as they say it is not "it is not what you know but whom you know" so hopefully this project will boost "it is what you know and whom you know" that counts

Love the idea. Especially after task rabbit suggested I pay someone $195/hr for "weeding cleanup / haul away" this weekend.

Love this idea, I'm currently doing this manually looking to fill a job for a social media coordinator, I'd love a network to help with this

recommendations coming to service work is infinitely fascinating. I signed up and they took my contacts first AND THEN told me i'm on a wait list. smart roll out.

This looks pretty dope🚬🚬 Anyway to demo the product without being a NYC resident?

Looks good, I use Upwork, Homejoy, Thumbtack but see it's pitfalls, I'm also a services provider myself so I'll dig in here.

Love this idea. Excited to see it expand beyond NYC!

Messaging the professionals in-app is a big win! It's best to keep these convos away from a personal number/email for better organization.

congrats to Team Prefer! the future of labor is definitely built on our social networks. can't wait for your SF launch :) cc @scottbelsky @vl

Bryan, this is awesome. So many angies lists exist these days, but ill take a recommendation from a friends facebook status over them any day. This concept perfectly combines the two!

Nice job!

Great idea.