Responding To Covid-19: Opportunity With Flexr

The nature of work started changing long before Covid-19 hit us, but the pandemic has only served to reinforce that the gig economy is on its way to perhaps supplanting full-time employment as the source of income for many adults. As businesses have closed up and jobs have disappeared, there’s never been a greater need for tools to connect people with work, particularly the kind of work that remains vital even amidst a lockdown.

I spoke with Dylan Pellegrene, another entrepreneur local to Phoenix, about his new project, which promises to make it easier to hire and be hired for one-off jobs we all need to have done, or are looking to do.    

Mary Juetten: What’s the name of your company, and where are you based?

Dylan Pellegrene: Flexr, and we are based in Phoenix, Arizona. We are an on-demand local services app. You can hire local help, find work, or both.

Juetten: When did you start?

Pellegrene: We started building Flexr in September of 2019 after pivoting from a different company we were building named “ShipIT.” The Covid-19 unemployment crisis caused us to speed things up and get Flexr out to people who could rely on our platform to find local work, given that over 48 million people have been unemployed during this pandemic, and many jobs won’t be coming back.

Juetten: What problem are you solving?

Pellegrene: Local services are stuck in the past. There is no easy way to hire and pre-screen providers to complete local tasks for you, at a price that works for you. On the provider side, everybody has something to offer; why is there no platform that exists for people to find local work near them, no matter what service they’d like to offer? A safe platform to negotiate pricing and details, right through the app?We are solving a problem for both clients who want to hire help and providers who want to find local work. Clients can outsource any task they want to have completed — everything from house cleaning, getting your car fixed, or even a random task like hiring someone to cut your toenails (yes, even that!) Providers are empowered by Flexr because they can find work near them and make money completing tasks for clients. Whether you want to work for yourself full time or just make some income on the side, Flexr provides a platform you can rely on to make a living.We have a saying we use often at Flexr, “Everybody has something to offer.”

Juetten: Who are your customers and how do you find them?

Pellegrene: As a marketplace, we have two distinct customers: Buyers of services (clients) and sellers of services (providers).

Our clients are people who want to outsource local tasks they don’t want to do, so they have more time and energy to do other things. We find these people on different social media platforms requesting services and recommendations from others on who to hire. We also find these people through search engine optimization.Our providers are people who want to work for themselves and not have to rely on an employer for customers or financial security. We believe there are many tasks almost anyone can do and there should be a platform like Flexr for these people to monetize their skills.While our target audience is anyone who wants to hire local help or find local work, we understand it is generally Millennials who feel the most comfortable using on-demand internet platforms like Flexr. This generation was born with the consumer internet and it is ingrained into their lives.

Juetten: How did past projects and/or experience help with this new project?

Pellegrene: Having learned user interface design over the years to mock up different app ideas I had was useful. I sketched out the initial screens for Flexr and hired a great designer to help me put the finishing touches on.

After finishing our demo, we shared Flexr with investors, friends, and family to watch them use it. When they naturally understood the process and were able to navigate the app, we knew we were on the right track.

I designed and created a few apps in the past like “Mesh,” which was a smartphone to smartphone screen-sharing app, and “ShipIT,” which was an on-demand shipping app for packages. Those experiences helped tremendously. I have also been a marketing director for different startups and established companies in the past.

That was when I really began to understand the value of hiring freelance help to do different services. Any task that someone can do better and faster than me, I am always open to outsourcing. This allows me to focus my time on the things I want to do and the tasks I’m good at.

Brad has started successful businesses like Tokables, an e-commerce shop he ran during his time at Ohio State University. He also leads an active cryptocurrency consulting group called “The Crypto Fam.” He and I decided a while back we were going to make a portion of our living by completing jobs on different gig apps, so we could better understand the ecosystem first-hand. This allowed us the time and freedom we needed to continue building Flexr while also experiencing how these platforms worked. Uber, Amazon Flex, DeliverThat, you name it… we’ve done it.

Juetten: Who is on your team?

Pellegrene: Dylan Pellegrene and Brad Berbari. We are two roommates who were both laid off by our employers due to the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Before the crisis, we had been building Flexr as a side project to be a platform where people could find work near them. When the Covid-19 unemployment crisis hit, we decided we had to speed things up and get Flexr launched to help people find work.Brad and I grew up together in Canton, Ohio, the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We’ve known each other our whole lives and have always appreciated each other’s knowledge and ambition.

Juetten: Did you raise money?

Pellegrene: We have self-funded this venture entirely ourselves so far. Now that we have stretched the limits of bootstrapping our company ourselves, we have turned to the people for help. Our current Kickstarter Campaign we are running is to help us finish our software development costs.When the Covid-19 pandemic happened investors we had been meeting with and pitching Flexr to quickly changed their tone from excited to cautious. “Let’s talk more when this all passes over” was a common phrase we were beginning to hear. We decided to take matters into our own hands and go directly to the people.

Juetten: Startups are an adventure — what’s your favorite startup story?

Pellegrene: My personal favorite startup story is Elon Musk and his brother Kimbal starting the company Zip2. These are two South African natives who had a wild journey to get to the United States. When they started Zip2 in 1995 they would sleep in their office and shower at the local YMCA. They eventually sold the company to Compaq for over $300 million and the rest is history.

Juetten: How do you measure success and what is your favorite success story?

Pellegrene: I measure success by the goals that I create for myself. For instance, Brad and I have always wanted a platform to exist that allowed us to work for ourselves doing what we want, when we want. Launching Flexr this fall to provide this platform for people to rely on will be a true success to me.Many people use money as a way to measure their success. To me, money is just another tool (although a powerful tool) to create the change I’d like to see in the world.  Success does not look the same for everyone and that’s important to note. 

Juetten: Any tips to add for early-stage founders?

Pellegrene: My biggest tip to other early-stage founders is to create something that you truly want yourself, something that truly motivates you and aligns with your goals. The world has no shortage of great ideas, but when adversity strikes, what will push you to keep going forward? A true vision and true belief.Another important tip is to find a great partner who you work well with. I feel very fortunate to be working alongside my co-founder Brad, whom I have known nearly my whole life. He is someone I can rely on during rough times and he inspires me to do the best I can. We work well with each other’s strengths and weaknesses and we hold each other accountable.Working with like-minded people who all come together to accomplish the same goal is one of the most satisfying things in life. 

Juetten: And of course, any IP horror stories to share (they can be anonymous)?

Pellegrene: We have heard many stories about the horrors of IP issues. Creating a “moat” for your business that you can clearly communicate to people is one of the best defenses your business could ever have. For us, this is everything from the code we’ve created for Flexr, the features that we offer, and our blueprint to scaling in different markets.

Juetten: What’s the long-term vision for your company?

Pellegrene: Brad and I know how impactful and empowering Flexr will be to the people. We are providing a platform that we want to exist. A platform that gives people the freedom to work for themselves but also a place to outsource tasks they don’t want to do, so people have more time and energy to do the things they want in life!

Some valuable user experience lessons are above – ensure that you test your ideas with friends and family that will provide real feedback; it’s critical to also walk in the customers’ shoes and these founders have nailed that. Thanks to Dylan for talking to me, and good luck to him in launching Flexr – you can check out the project on Kickstarter here.  #onwards