Appendix - Lessons & Competitive Snapshot
Marketplace Playbook & Competitive Context
October 9, 2025
Appendix — Two-Sided Marketplace Lessons & Competitive Snapshot
Early traction playbook (cross-industry):
- Focused scope: one category, few metros, standardized SKUs; win on speed/reliability.
- Supply-first seeding: guarantees/bonuses and fast payouts; remove onboarding friction.
- Strong value fence: guarantees, dispute handling, and tools that off-platform can’t match.
- Transparent reputation: ratings, quality prompts, and coaching to raise performance.
- Payments in the flow: escrow/holdbacks, split payments, and automated reconciliation.
- Pricing experiments: local price guidance to balance liquidity and margin.
Notable players (context only):
- ServiceChannel, SMS Assist: enterprise FM platforms with contractor networks; strong in enterprise workflows.
- Field Nation: marketplace for field service technicians; demonstrates supply-first seeding and fast payouts.
- Thumbtack/TaskRabbit: consumer services marketplaces; lessons in onboarding, reviews, and local liquidity.
Implication: Our wedge is SMB/franchise FM with instant quote/booking, compliance-friendly payouts, and reliability guarantees, tuned for commercial SLAs rather than purely residential/consumer.