Looking for serious partners and investors for workhui.com

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by David B. Fisher on September 17, 2010 at 10:56pm

First step is to learn from others who have tried similar ventures. There was a husband and wife team that went pretty far with a similar concept about 10 years ago. I also worked on a system targeted to freelancers looking for project work around that time. The biggest challenge is getting a critical mass.

Permalink Reply by Liz Ambrose on September 17, 2010 at 11:46pm

Yes good point,
but no one has really done it right yet, we can't be a craigslist, and we can't be an elance or guru, nor do we want to be...it has to be really simple....
I have looked around and I do understand the challenge, you are so right about critical mass, but if the infrastructure is simple and effective we'll get critical mass, that's why I don't want to do this at the grassroots level.

one that really evaluates the challenges and addresses them before launching.
take all the issues into account.and all the past failures and successes into account.
are you interested? you've had some background that might make this work.
Liz

Permalink Reply by Dan Starr on September 18, 2010 at 11:23am

It seems to me, in order to differentiate a new job website from what's currently available, a new business model is needed.

One way to bootstrap towards a critical mass of users would be to make use of Facebook and it's graph API. If you can convince people to use your Facebook widget/app, you could get access to their social network and their work/education/location information from their user profile. Facebook has yet to implement a Linked.in competitive service (although I'm sure it's being discussed), so this could be a way to bootstrap users for the time being.

Another idea comes from my impression that some people in smaller Hawaiian communities use the internet less frequently and in a more email-centric, technologically simple manner. Email newsletters are pretty popular in Kauai, and a lot of people learn about current issues/happenings through them. Just requiring a CC to some email parsing bot on a server would help a business ingest employment requests and opportunities passed around in a newsletter style email. I believe Lets-Trade Kauai (http://letstrade.vpweb.com/default.html) is another example of simple, but used technology (I'm not sure if there is a related email newsletter in this case).

Finally, I think there is also a significant demographic which reverts to bulletin board postings for employment and other sales/renting information. Finding a semi-wired connection to this community would get an additional untapped workforce. Although it's more grassroots than what you have in mind, weekly posting of employment requests and opportunities to bulletin boards using a flier might be useful. Aggregation of what's currently on a bulletin-board would be cool, but I haven't thought of a low cost, low risk way to do this.

Permalink Reply by Roger Garrett on September 18, 2010 at 11:52am

How do you intend to generate revenue from this venture? My gut feeling is that the "casual worker" and companies looking to hire them probably won't be too keen on paying money to a website to either find jobs or post jobs. Monster.com makes money by charging fees to the companies posting jobs, and craigslist makes money in a similar way but only charging to large companies in the larger metropolitan areas, leaving it free for almost everyone else. General Internet users now expect most everything on the Internet to be free.

Also, since your hope is for this to eventually go global, or at least nationwide, you need to consider the fact that the domain name you've chosen, workhui.com, will have no meaning to 99% of your target audience.

Permalink Reply by Liz Ambrose on September 18, 2010 at 4:52pm

Hi Dan,
thanks for your comments I will take a look at all the options you mention.
Aloha,
Liz

Dan Starr said:

It seems to me, in order to differentiate a new job website from what's currently available, a new business model is needed.

One way to bootstrap towards a critical mass of users would be to make use of Facebook and it's graph API. If you can convince people to use your Facebook widget/app, you could get access to their social network and their work/education/location information from their user profile. Facebook has yet to implement a Linked.in competitive service (although I'm sure it's being discussed), so this could be a way to bootstrap users for the time being.

Another idea comes from my impression that some people in smaller Hawaiian communities use the internet less frequently and in a more email-centric, technologically simple manner. Email newsletters are pretty popular in Kauai, and a lot of people learn about current issues/happenings through them. Just requiring a CC to some email parsing bot on a server would help a business ingest employment requests and opportunities passed around in a newsletter style email. I believe Lets-Trade Kauai (http://letstrade.vpweb.com/default.html) is another example of simple, but used technology (I'm not sure if there is a related email newsletter in this case).

Finally, I think there is also a significant demographic which reverts to bulletin board postings for employment and other sales/renting information. Finding a semi-wired connection to this community would get an additional untapped workforce. Although it's more grassroots than what you have in mind, weekly posting of employment requests and opportunities to bulletin boards using a flier might be useful. Aggregation of what's currently on a bulletin-board would be cool, but I haven't thought of a low cost, low risk way to do this.

Permalink Reply by Liz Ambrose on September 18, 2010 at 4:53pm

Hi Roger,
I still have some planning to do with regards to revenue...
Your points are very valid.
I may have been a little premature with this project...
okay back to the drawing board.
Aloha,
Liz

Roger Garrett said:

How do you intend to generate revenue from this venture? My gut feeling is that the "casual worker" and companies looking to hire them probably won't be too keen on paying money to a website to either find jobs or post jobs. Monster.com makes money by charging fees to the companies posting jobs, and craigslist makes money in a similar way but only charging to large companies in the larger metropolitan areas, leaving it free for almost everyone else. General Internet users now expect most everything on the Internet to be free.

Also, since your hope is for this to eventually go global, or at least nationwide, you need to consider the fact that the domain name you've chosen, workhui.com, will have no meaning to 99% of your target audience.

Permalink Reply by Nick Mann on September 23, 2010 at 6:32pm

Aloha Liz,

I just wanted to say that I love your passion, drive, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
I have no doubt that, whether via WorkHui or some other venture, you will achieve great success.

Mahalo for your inspiration,

Nick

Permalink Reply by Liz Ambrose on September 23, 2010 at 7:36pm

Hi Nick,
thanks for the email...
I have a ton of other ideas too, but it's just too hard to get them off the ground myself.
Let me know if you want to chat about my other ideas....
Aloha,
Liz

Nick Mann said:

Aloha Liz,

I just wanted to say that I love your passion, drive, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
I have no doubt that, whether via WorkHui or some other venture, you will achieve great success.

Mahalo for your inspiration,

Nick