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How do you get something big off the ground?

by inxie
16 replies
Hey guys, It's been a long time since I've posted here but recently I came up with an idea for a website/service that I think is going to revolutionize a particular niche.

It will be similar to the way Fiverr works, there will be members offering services and other members seeking services. The difference being that the services are area specific, so every town and city will have different sellers and buyers.

Clearly, launching something like Fiverr would take a HUGE amount of planning, but there are a few things I'm unsure about...

  • Initially, how do you get enough people to join a website that no one is joined up to... Will I need a large amount of cash for paid traffic?
  • How could I ensure that the buyer to seller ratio is even, or will this balance itself over time?
  • Do I start by covering 1 city and then expanding, or should I cover the whole country from launch?
Any opinions will be highly appreciated,
Thank you.
#big #fiverr #ground #launch #service #startup
  • Profile picture of the author butters
    Kind of sounds like yellow pages, craigslist any directory service for every city, town, county etc...

    I would assume to compete with the likes of craigslist etc, yes, you would need a hefty start up capital and a very good marketing strategy + team!

    I would also assume there will be more people looking for services then people selling, that means everyone would get a slice of the pie.

    I wouldn't go to big to quick, start small, you can't conquer a giant in 1 swoop .
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    • Profile picture of the author inxie
      Originally Posted by butters View Post

      Kind of sounds like yellow pages, craigslist any directory service for every city, town, county etc...

      I would assume to compete with the likes of craigslist etc, yes, you would need a hefty start up capital and a very good marketing strategy + team!

      I would also assume there will be more people looking for services then people selling, that means everyone would get a slice of the pie.

      I wouldn't go to big to quick, start small, you can't conquer a giant in 1 swoop .
      Thanks for your reply.

      Actually, I'ts nothing like craigslist, it's something very new and will only be useful to people in a certain industry. There is NOTHING out there like this at the moment and I am certain it will solve a substantial problem within this niche.

      Also, in this case I can almost guarantee that there will be more people offering the service than people looking for it, not because the service isn't good, but because the "buyers" are much harder to reach in terms of awareness.

      I think you are right about starting small, I was thinking of offering this as a London only service to begin with (as there is a high concentration of people in one place) and expanding when the time is right.
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      • Profile picture of the author butters
        Originally Posted by inxie View Post

        Thanks for your reply.
        I think you are right about starting small, I was thinking of offering this as a London only service to begin with (as there is a high concentration of people in one place) and expanding when the time is right.
        London is a big city don't forget and a city which has a huge swing between rich and poor, think of what sort of customers will want to purchase your service and begin targeting them boroughs specifically. For example, chelsea may need architectural repair work on high valued buildings opposed to something in one of the lesser boroughs. By narrowing down where your clients are demographically, it may save you a lot of money on advertising opposed to doing London as a blanket.
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        • Profile picture of the author inxie
          Originally Posted by butters View Post

          London is a big city don't forget and a city which has a huge swing between rich and poor, think of what sort of customers will want to purchase your service and begin targeting them boroughs specifically. For example, chelsea may need architectural repair work on high valued buildings opposed to something in one of the lesser boroughs. By narrowing down where your clients are demographically, it may save you a lot of money on advertising opposed to doing London as a blanket.
          I honestly never thought of starting out with a single borough. I mean, you could be absolutely right with that approach but I'd have to dig deeper on that aspect of it.
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          • Profile picture of the author butters
            Originally Posted by inxie View Post

            I honestly never thought of starting out with a single borough. I mean, you could be absolutely right with that approach but I'd have to dig deeper on that aspect of it.
            Now days it is very simple to serve targeted ads to a borough, Facebook does it all for you. I assume you may live in London and if you do don't forget the offline aspects of advertising. A simple flyer drop could easily generate some new interest. Also, depending on the niche, I can't give specific advice but the council may get behind you if it is to do with contractors but that may be hard or local community groups may also be interested, just a thought .
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            • Profile picture of the author inxie
              Originally Posted by butters View Post

              Now days it is very simple to serve targeted ads to a borough, Facebook does it all for you. I assume you may live in London and if you do don't forget the offline aspects of advertising. A simple flyer drop could easily generate some new interest. Also, depending on the niche, I can't give specific advice but the council may get behind you if it is to do with contractors but that may be hard or local community groups may also be interested, just a thought .
              Actually, I live in Romford, Essex

              Your suggestions are awesome, but unfortunately I wouldn't have the luxury of all that since it's in the adult industry (a certain niche within it).

              Should mention that I'm already in that space and doing pretty well, and I've quickly noticed how under-served this particular market is.
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              • Profile picture of the author butters
                Originally Posted by inxie View Post

                Actually, I live in Romford, Essex

                Your suggestions are awesome, but unfortunately I wouldn't have the luxury of all that since it's in the adult industry (a certain niche within it).

                Should mention that I'm already in that space and doing pretty well, and I've quickly noticed how under-served this particular market is.
                Well knowing it is in that industry that changes the way you would go about this completely. If you was offering a service based system in that industry, such as, film studios searching for models, then that would all be completely word of mouth so maybe events and trade shows would be your best bet. I would also look into advertising on the video websites around the web, adult specific PPC networks and most of all, make sure it abides with UK law .
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    You do it with a unique idea, exceptional content, planning and execution and a lot of luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author bigfoot12
    Can't start big when you can't start small...
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  • Profile picture of the author nicholasb
    first make sure there is a market for what you are creating but if it's similar to fiverr there is.

    So what you want to do is just start small while keeping the grand vision in mind. Ask yourself whats the next step, then after that whats the next step.

    Never try to think more than 1 or 2 steps ahead or you'll get overwhelmed.

    I would work on getting the structure and all the tech mechanics taken care of then put it out there.

    Reach out to fiverr sellers, and let them know you have another place they can list. Give some sort of incentive for them telling others about it.

    You can take off pretty quick if it's a hit with social media and some paid ads, just keep in mind if it's something very big, you'll most likely run at a negative for awhile
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    • Profile picture of the author inxie
      Originally Posted by nicholasb View Post

      first make sure there is a market for what you are creating but if it's similar to fiverr there is.

      So what you want to do is just start small while keeping the grand vision in mind. Ask yourself whats the next step, then after that whats the next step.

      Never try to think more than 1 or 2 steps ahead or you'll get overwhelmed.

      I would work on getting the structure and all the tech mechanics taken care of then put it out there.

      Reach out to fiverr sellers, and let them know you have another place they can list. Give some sort of incentive for them telling others about it.

      You can take off pretty quick if it's a hit with social media and some paid ads, just keep in mind if it's something very big, you'll most likely run at a negative for awhile
      Thank you so much for your detailed response.

      There is definitely a market for it, in fact, every week I get a request for it but I've only just come up with a unique way in which it could actually work as a business.

      It's not like Fiverr, I should have been more clear that I was only referring to the way Fiverr is with people offering their services and others looking for it. The people offering their services in regards to my idea, would essentially all be offering the same thing, but their rates, reviews and location will play a huge role in that persons success.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris30K
    Hmmm...I would read "Running Lean" By Ash Maurya - You will know for a fact if your idea is good & if it can expand before you spend any money. If it is truly a good idea, then it will pay for itself
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    Chic Fil A > McDonald's

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  • Profile picture of the author joseph7384
    How do you get something big off the ground?

    Sorry but I couldn't resist!
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  • Profile picture of the author HelpingYouBeAnExpert
    The trick is publicity and critical mass. If you get those you can make a fortune. Most of the time people do not get that and 1% or way less do. Luck is a factor since even people who where well funded have failed at this.
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