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A home services marketplace has two sides, but only one of them pays you first: the pros who want more jobs. Your first paid pilot is a small group of local contractors paying a fixed fee to get booked work from you for 30 days. Here is how to set it up with no audience and no budget.

All guidesFor founders of a marketplace for home services

1. Pick one trade in one zip code cluster

Choose a single trade where jobs are frequent and pros are hungry, like house cleaners, handymen, or gutter cleaners. Pick 3 to 5 neighboring zip codes you can reach in person. A pilot with 8 handymen in one suburb beats 40 random pros across a state.

2. Find pros who are already hunting for leads

Search Facebook for groups like "[Your City] Handyman Network" or "[Your County] Contractors." Check Nextdoor recommendations threads and Craigslist services listings posted in the last week. Owner-operators who post their own ads are your buyers, because they pay for leads already on Thumbtack, Angi or Google Local Services Ads.

3. Ask what they pay per lead today

Call or text 20 of them before you pitch anything. Use: "Hi Mike, I'm building a booking service for handymen in Maplewood. Quick question: what do you pay per lead on Thumbtack or Angi, and how many turn into jobs?" Write down every number. This gives you your price anchor in their own words.

4. Build a simple pilot offer

Make the offer concrete: 30 days, a set number of booked jobs, a fixed price. Example: "$150 for 30 days, I send you at least 5 booked jobs in your area. If I send fewer than 5, you get a full refund." Price it below what they told you they spend on wasted leads, and only count a job as delivered when the homeowner has confirmed a time.

5. Ask for the money directly

Once they confirm the pain, say: "I'm taking 5 handymen in Maplewood for a paid pilot. It's $150 for 30 days, minimum 5 booked jobs or your money back. Want one of the spots?" Send a Stripe payment link or Venmo request on the same call. If they say "let me think," reply: "Sure, I'll hold the spot until Friday, then it goes to the next person."

6. Get homeowner demand by hand

Post in local Facebook mom groups, Nextdoor, and neighborhood subreddits: "I'm helping homeowners in Maplewood book vetted handymen this month. Same-week visits, upfront quotes. Reply or DM me what you need fixed." Book each job yourself by text and confirm it with the pro. Ugly and manual is fine. You are proving people will pay, not building software.

7. Report results and convert to monthly

At day 25, send each pro a short summary: jobs sent, jobs completed, and revenue they told you they earned. Then ask: "Want to keep going at $200 a month, or switch to $25 per completed job?" Offering two options gets a clear answer faster than an open question.

8. Repeat this daily

Do 20 pro conversations and 5 homeowner posts or replies every day until 5 pilots are paid. Hulby, an AI cofounder, runs this daily outreach and follow-up loop for founders who want help keeping the pace.

People asking this right now

Real, public posts from the last few weeks. Each one is somebody you could help today.

Mistakes to skip

  • Starting free to "get traction." Free pros don't show up to jobs and don't tell you what the service is worth.
  • Recruiting both sides across a whole city. Demand spread too thin means no pro gets enough jobs to stay.
  • Charging homeowners first. They have Google and neighbors. Pros have a lead cost problem they will pay to fix.
  • Waiting for an app before selling. Texts, a Google Form and a payment link are enough for a pilot.

Want this done for your marketplace for home services, every day?

Hulby finds the people asking for what you built, writes every reply and email, and keeps you on it until they pay. Free to start.

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Questions

How much should I charge for a first pilot?

Ask pros what they pay per lead now and price below their wasted spend. A flat $100 to $250 for 30 days with a minimum job guarantee is a reasonable starting range to test.

Should I take a commission instead of a flat fee?

For the pilot, a flat fee is simpler and gets you cash upfront. Offer a per-job option when converting to ongoing.

What if I can't deliver the promised jobs?

Refund immediately and without argument. A fast refund keeps your reputation in a small local trade network where everyone talks.

Do I need insurance or background checks on day one?

Ask each pro for their license and insurance proof before sending jobs, and check your state's contractor license lookup. Do not claim pros are vetted unless you have actually checked.