Potential Business Idea...Or Maybe Just a General Conversation :)

Chet Zar

Well folks,

So maybe it’s the fantastic weather this week, the sun and the fresh spring air, and the imminent extra hour of daylight we will soon have (woohoo) – but I am buzzing with ideas and looking for something that could be a nice little business idea to work on even part-time. Since Sunday last week I’ve been thinking of a few ideas and trying to figure out myself if they might be a runner, as you do.

One area I'm mulling over is the whole idea of information online and people's desire for contact (Boards.ie is obviously the most apt example for us right now!). There is a huge explosion of information and ways to interact and share info (Facebook, Twitter, blogs etc). Now more than ever people are hungry for info and to get it from people with expertise and experience (you see this all the time with notable posters on Boards for example - usernames which crop up on different forums with regularity - you know you can trust their advice and that it's going to be good, etc).

In line with that you've got thousands of people with bags of knowledge and expertise who are out of work and looking to make some cash and keep themselves busy. What if there were a way to join both information seekers and providers together in a more personalised way? One element that I sense is missing sometimes is the ability to just pick up a phone and talk to someone about an idea, a problem or a specific query on a topic. It seems like there is such a deluge of info online, one link leads to another link and one website just leads to another. Sometimes also the answer you get online is maybe not quite hitting the spot or you'd love to quiz that person further..but alas they are just a username on a forum, etc...

Hope you get what I'm driving at anyway! I'm really talking about the sense of alienation or of feeling buried in an online sea of information sometimes when looking for advice or insight (an example is all the many folks on here looking for thoughts on their business ideas..!). Sometimes you just want to get back to basics and talk to someone - to pick their brain the old fashioned way without having to actively go and engage with a service provider or a business/enter into a contract, etc.

Anyway, my thinking is a website or platform where people with expertise could sign up and receive calls or chats from people looking for their expertise in real-time. This could be modeled on a site like ether.com - but I would look at customising for particular audiences, adding new features, etc.

Specifically how it would work would be as follows:

1) A person with ‘time to sell’ creates a profile on the site – showcasing their knowledge – and uses the site’s telephone technology to create a unique phone number (means no private or personal contact info needs to be posted online). They then name their hourly or half-hourly rate, or a per-minute rate.

2) A person looking for advice or consultation on a particular topic or area reviews the profiles on site (there could also be a reviews element, rating the expert – so the person seeking advice can view both the consultant’s rate/fee and rating at the same time. They then pre-pay an amount to 'get credit' - and then contact the expert at the times they are available.

In short - time and expertise exchanged for cash on an automated platform.

The site would charge a fee of say 10% on all 'talk-time credit' purchases.

So...let me know your thoughts! I'm really just looking for feedback and general reactions. Obviously there is the question of 'would people actually pay for this kind of service', and 'is Ireland a big enough market / 'would it be something suited to an Irish way of doing things, etc...but I believe there are reasons that it could work. There is also its attractiveness to people who want to make some cash in exchange for their time and expertise - something they can do easily from the comfort of their own home and without having to actively go out and market themselves on their own etc...

tombull82

Love the idea.

It would be great to be able to just ring up professionals in varying area's to quizz them on thoughts running through your mind. (kind of like a citizens advice line for professionals) Forums are pretty good but who knows the soundness of the advise you are receiving? at least if there was a system where I could say select a "certified accountant" and ring him up at least you can be more confident with the validity the information you are receiving.

While the idea sounds good. (and I'm sure it would definitely be used) It sounds like it would be a tough one to market.
Saying that I'm not in marketing so who knows.

Hopefully you will follow up on this idea. (I'll use it)

stephenpalmer

Great idea, but the set up cost id imagine would be quite high. Website development... to say the least would be very looog and tedious..

But i'd say would do well maybe nationally. Only thing is people would trust someone on the phone.. sure they could say on there stats that they are qualified to answer it .. but with people setting up fake accounts.. what happens if you get an abusive phone call.. from someone actually giving the advice? Good but would require so much work!

Best of luck though

Chet Zar

Hey Stephen,

Thanks for the comments. Totally agree re development work and cost, the general time involved. I think that is the clincher sometimes – you can come up with a great idea but the risk then is that a huge amount of investment could go into it and it might never get off the ground or not work out..guess that’s the entrepreneurial game though!

On the fake accounts and abuse over the phone – I wouldn’t see this as a major issue as you would have to have a fairly strict vetting process for those uploading an ‘expert’ profile. You’d have to have this to be taken seriously really, and it would ensure quality control from the outset. On people abusing clients over the phone – I’d imagine this would not be in their best interests! I think that anyone who puts their profile up as a specialist or expert would be shown up pretty quickly if they proved not to be who they say (plus the verification process should prevent this).

Would be great to hear more opinions!

ssbob

Hi Chet Zar,

Sounds like a good idea. Again the vetting process would have to be good and you would need a lot of marketing but aside from that I would think your start up costs would be minimal. When seeking investment you should try and get 5 or 6 experts on board who can be your original experts. Your feedback system then needs to be like ebay to weed out the bad experts,(3 strikes your out maybe??)

Perhaps the government shoudl be doing this, ie. making a directory of everyone on social welfare, their qualifications, location and contact details and employers etc could do a search...................mmmmmmmmm:rolleyes:

Axwell

Good idea but the vetting is a serious stumbling block. What makes someone an 'expert', also what defines their hourly rate etc. If I see 3 so called experts in a field theres no guarantee the guy with the higher hourly rate is more knowledgable than the one with the least or any proof to suggest it. If i rang and find the phone call to be a complete waste of time that I learned very little beyond what I already knew what comeback have I?

Very hard to mod aswell and stop people just putting their own direct contact details up in their profile so get straight to business with the person looking for info or basically trying to abuse the way the site works in some shape or form.

Have a look at Skillpages, formely known as Weedle by the way Chet Zar

Fergal C

Have a look at http://www.liveperson.com/experts/ for some ideas.

EIREHotspur

I have had a lot of different times that I would love to have been able to contact an expert and cut to the chase so to speak.

It is a great idea BUT (<always one of those I know)........but like you said the cost of building such a complicated tech website would be huge.

All is not lost though......there is another option when your initial idea isn't in reach....

mikefm

I think you could get a prototype for this website built without major costs. Trial the concept & build upon that. worky.com might give you some ideas

Chet Zar

mikefm wrote: »

I think you could get a prototype for this website built without major costs. Trial the concept & build upon that. worky.com might give you some ideas

So you mean developing a beta application I guess Mike? How do you square a beta app or prototype not being as functionally reliable as a fully developed and optimised site in terms of having potential users or customers trialling it though? In simpler terms, if I develop a prototype and it’s not the finished article, won’t this affect users impressions of it and its subsequent potential success?
Guess it depends on what you’re developing though.

Acoshla

Great idea, I actually had a similar idea a few days ago on a smaller and more specific subject. Someone close to me has a ridiculous amount of knowledge relating to baking, a pastime that is becoming increasingly popular, she always laments that fact that she has "loads of useless information". My idea was a type of agony aunt website for hobbyists to ask questions of her, on all things baking related, so quite a similar idea to yours, but not as far reaching!

Best of Luck with it, will be keeping an eye on this thread.

mikefm

Chet Zar wrote: »

So you mean developing a beta application I guess Mike? How do you square a beta app or prototype not being as functionally reliable as a fully developed and optimised site in terms of having potential users or customers trialling it though? In simpler terms, if I develop a prototype and it’s not the finished article, won’t this affect users impressions of it and its subsequent potential success?
Guess it depends on what you’re developing though.

Hi Chet,

My definition of a prototype is a working usable system to determine customer validation. I would avoid the 'bells & whistles' system, minimise all costs and just get the basics right. During this trial period thereafter, new features and enhancements will emerge from customer feedback. The approach is to fail early, fast & cheaply...

Chet Zar

mikefm wrote: »

Hi Chet,

My definition of a prototype is a working usable system to determine customer validation. I would avoid the 'bells & whistles' system, minimise all costs and just get the basics right. During this trial period thereafter, new features and enhancements will emerge from customer feedback. The approach is to fail early, fast & cheaply...

Good tips Mike and totally agree, esp re the 'early and fast' bit. It's also the Google approach (which I love) - move fast and iterate! Thanks! I was checking out your site earlier actually - looks like this is definitely your approach! Will be keeping an eye on your venture for sure.

mikefm

Glad to help Chet. Keep in touch as I am interested in your progress

I reckon Chet if you started it off with a limited number of experts, say 3, and make sure they have tangible success it would be a good base to start from. If its loads of different people you will have too many 'consultants' who may not be experience qualified to give the advice and it could fall down there.