Jobber

Launched during Jobber Professional Development Day, Boost by Jobber will help launch, grow, and strengthen small home service businesses

Jobber, the leading provider of home service management software, today unveiled Boost by Jobber, a grant program to further support the hard-working entrepreneurs within the home services sector. Aspiring entrepreneurs, new business owners, and longtime home service entrepreneurs are invited to apply for free grants ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 depending on the category their business qualifies for. Twenty home service businesses across 50+ industries such as lawn care, plumbing, residential cleaning, and painting, will be awarded $100,000 in total. Applications are now open through May 5, 2021. Finalists will be announced in July 2021 with the list of winners announced in August 2021.

“Home service entrepreneurs impact their local communities and neighborhoods in meaningful ways,” said Sam Pillar, CEO & co-founder at Jobber. “They employ millions of people while operating behind-the-scenes to keep homes, offices, and other spaces safe and in good working order—yet, despite their important contributions, small businesses are largely underserved when it comes to business financing. Boost by Jobber helps address this gap by providing service business entrepreneurs with some extra working capital that may not otherwise be available through traditional banks and government grant programs.”

Royce Ard, who owns My Amazing Maid with his wife, Tamara, further validates this statement. “Typically when I see a grant, I’m almost always assuming it’s for a specific cohort and I wouldn’t qualify,” explained Ard. “Loans are very, very, very hard to get. As far as going to a bank and getting $10,000 for a small business like ours, you’re not going to get it.”

Boost by Jobber grants are organized into categories that reflect various stages of company growth, from ideas on paper to recently launched ventures to established businesses—as well as an additional category for COVID-19 support. Five winners will be selected from each of the following:

• Almost-entrepreneurs (pre-business): Those who have the drive to start and run a home service business, but need funds to get started.
• New business owners (0-3 years): Entrepreneurs who are in the early stages of building their team, client list, and services.
• Experienced business owners (3+ years): Entrepreneurs who are ready to scale their mature business to the next growth stage.
• COVID-19 support: Entrepreneurs seeking financial support or resources for their team’s well-being.

Jobber spoke with dozens of service professionals to better understand the impact extra cash flow could have on a business, to create the grant categories, and to determine the dollar values assigned to each grant. Whether a company is looking to purchase new equipment, increase marketing dollars, launch a new service, train teams, or is in need of financial relief, funds from the Boost by Jobber program can make a big difference in helping small business owners be more successful.

“People don’t understand the value of the cash flow,” stated Steven Knight, Partner at Mosaic Home Services Ltd. “It’s not necessarily only helping the business. It’s helping the business owners. Their ability to lead people and calm down. Cash flow helps them be a better business leader.”

Boost by Jobber is one of many initiatives within Jobber’s home service ecosystem that is dedicated to supporting the home service entrepreneur, whether it’s through the company’s award-winning business management software, resources such as Jobber Academy, community building via the company’s Entrepreneurship Group on Facebook, and more.

To learn more about Boost by Jobber or to apply, visit: http://boostbyjobber.com.

The husband and wife team will present “Building a Resilient Mindset” at the free virtual event for home service professionals

Jobber, the leading provider of home service management software, released the full agenda for Professional Development Day, its free virtual conference, presented by Visa, taking place on March 24 from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm ET. Joining the speaker lineup, which includes keynote presenter Gary Vaynerchuk, are Julie Ertz, Olympian and two-time World Cup champion for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, and husband Zach Ertz, Super Bowl LII Champion and NFL Pro Bowler. Six-time best-selling author of “Fix This Next” and “Profit First,” Mike Michalowicz, and futurist and marketing expert, Crystal Washington, were also added to the event agenda. The event will provide small business owners and their management teams with valuable lessons around people, profit, and process, so that they’re better equipped to tackle day-to-day challenges and improve efficiencies in their service business.

Julie Ertz, Olympian and two-time World Cup champion for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team

Registration for the free event is now open: getjobber.com/pdday2021. All registrants are automatically entered to win a set of team tablets, an iPhone 12, new team uniforms, and custom vehicle graphics. Attendees who sign up before March 5 will also qualify to win the early bird prize—a new MacBook Pro laptop.

“Jobber PD Day’s roster of speakers, from prolific authors to world-class athletes, know what it takes to reach the top of their respective fields,” said Sam Pillar, CEO and co-founder of Jobber. “We’ve worked one-on-one with speakers to customize their training to the specific challenges home service entrepreneurs face, to ensure the time they spend at Jobber PD Day will give them immediately useful takeaways.”

The closing keynote session, “Building a Resilient Mindset: A Conversation with Zach and Julie Ertz,” will feature real-world advice for developing and strengthening the most important personal qualities that both athletes and entrepreneurs need to succeed and power through challenges and setbacks. The presentation will cover the Ertzs’ approach to breaking big goals into smaller milestones, how to move on from setbacks, and advice for couples navigating demanding professions.

Zach Ertz, Super Bowl LII Champion and Pro Bowler

Mike Michalowicz will present “Fix This Next: Make the Vital Change that Will Level Up Your Business.” Before age 35, Mike founded and sold two multimillion-dollar businesses, became an angel investor, and then lost it all. Now, Mike is devoted to developing strategies for building healthy, strong companies. His Jobber PD Day session will outline how to utilize his Clockwork system for identifying your largest problems and overcoming your biggest hurdles.

Crystal Washington is a technology strategist and certified futurist who has advised Fortune 500 companies including Google, Microsoft, and GE. She’s known for taking complex digital topics and making them accessible to everyone. In her session, “Nurturing Relationships for Business Success,” she will explain how the key to long-term recovery and growth is nurturing relationships. Crystal will share the Dos and Don’ts of reaching out to clients when stress-levels are in the red, and advise participants on tech tools they can implement to impress peers, clients, partners, and prospects.

To learn more and to register for Jobber PD Day, click here.

Homeowners can now pay for projects in monthly installments, while home service businesses continue to get paid as soon as the job is done

Jobber, the leading provider of home service management software, today announced a partnership with Wisetack to allow home service businesses to offer financing options to their customers. The new consumer financing feature gives homeowners the ability to pay for jobs such as home renovations, landscaping, roof repairs, a new furnace or air conditioner in monthly installments—giving them more flexibility to pursue large projects or deal with urgent and unexpected repairs. While homeowners will have the benefit of paying over time, home service businesses using Jobber will continue to receive full payment for a job as soon as it’s completed.

“Consumer financing is another way that Jobber is helping home service entrepreneurs meet homeowner expectations, compete with bigger competitors, and ultimately be more successful,” said Sam Pillar, CEO & Co-founder at Jobber. “Jobber’s customers can now offer premium services with more confidence, and homeowners can take on projects and repairs with a convenient and flexible payment option. We’re thrilled to add consumer financing to Jobber’s suite of financial solutions and further empower small businesses to deliver great service to their customers.”

“Jobber’s reach among home services professionals means we can be more accessible to more businesses nationwide,” said Bobby Tzekin, CEO & Co-founder of Wisetack. “We’ve gotten really great feedback from the service providers we’ve worked with so far and we’re excited to empower more businesses with this launch.”

Through Jobber, consumer financing can be automatically offered on residential quotes between $500 and $25,000. To apply for monthly financing, homeowners fill out a short application and receive a decision instantly. Annual percentage rates (APR) range from 0 to 29.9 percent and there are no prepayment penalties, origination fees, late fees, or compound interest applied to the homeowner’s account.*

“My customer was extremely grateful to have this consumer financing option,” said Jobber customer Jeff Kerr, owner and operations manager at Marlin Wastewater Services. “The repair came at a really bad time for her, and she was left with a really good feeling. I think it’s an amazingly easy process, too.”

A Jobber-commissioned survey of 1,000 U.S. adults (age 25+) revealed how important the option of consumer financing is to homeowners, and how this offering could mean the difference between a service professional winning and losing a job. In fact, 62% of respondents said that they would choose one home service provider over another if the business offered monthly financing. Additional findings from the study include:

Encouraging Dream Projects for Homeowners

Sixty-three percent (63%) of homeowners indicated that they would be willing to take on a more expensive project if there was a financing option available to them. More than half of homeowners (54%) have put off a project due to lack of funds, while one in four (25%) have considered borrowing against their 401k for a home improvement project.

Enabling Emergency Repairs

Sixty-six percent (66%) of respondents would be more likely to use monthly financing for emergency work, such as fixing a damaged roof or burst pipe. Nearly one in four homeowners (24%) said they have less than $500 available for emergency home repairs and 39% said they have $1,000 or less. Homeowners aged 45 -54 have the lowest amount of cash available for emergency repairs with more than half (53%) indicating reserves of $1,000 or less.

Younger Homeowners Value Consumer Financing

Throughout the survey, younger respondents (25-34) displayed stronger opinions around the ability to finance home service projects. Eighty percent (80%) would pick a home service provider over another because they offered monthly financing—eighteen points above the overall average. Seventy-seven percent (77%) of homeowners in this age bracket would also take on more expensive projects if they could pay in monthly installments. More than half (53%) have put a home service project on a credit card so they could pay for it over time.

Consumer financing is available to Jobber customers in the U.S. who meet the eligibility requirements and are approved by Wisetack. To learn more about how this feature can benefit your plumbing, HVAC, landscaping or other home service business, visit: getjobber.com/features/consumer-financing/

Jobber’s 2020 Home Service Economic Report highlights the COVID-19 pandemic’s initial impact on Home Service, as well as the category’s path to recovery

Jobber, the leading provider of home service management software, today released the Home Service Economic Report: 2020 Review, which showcases market trends and insights pertaining to the performance of the Home Service category throughout 2020. Although Home Service experienced a significant decline in year-over-year growth in March and April when stay-at-home directives were implemented across the U.S., the category ended the year exceeding pre-pandemic growth levels.

According to the report, median revenue in Home Service saw consistent positive growth beginning in June, and reached a record high for the year in December with 23% growth year-over-year. New work scheduled, an early indicator of the health of Home Service businesses, peaked in June with 17% growth year-over-year, then continued to see consistent positive growth throughout the second half of the year.

“While so many small businesses were sadly forced to close shop in 2020, most Home Service businesses endured,” said Sam Pillar, CEO and co-founder of Jobber. “All the major metrics we track for Home Service, including consumer demand, employment and revenue, point to an overall category recovery as we kick off 2021. If 2020 is any indication, service providers are a resilient group that can overcome challenges that may surface in the year ahead.”

Jobber’s Home Service Economic Reports are compiled using proprietary data aggregated from over 100,000 Home Service professionals that use the platform. That data, along with various sources of government data, are used to assess the performance of the Home Service category, and compare it against other major categories (Restaurants, General Merchandise Stores, Automotive, Clothing Stores, and Grocery Stores). The report also provides insights into key segments such as Cleaning, Contracting, and Green; and looks into industry trends related to technology adoption and how they are affecting Home Service businesses’ ability to get work, do work, invoice and get paid.

Key findings from the report include:

• Home Service has proven to be resilient—Despite its initial decline, Home Service has proven to be one of the most stable categories aside from Grocery Stores and General Merchandise Stores amidst economic uncertainty.
• Consumers spending more on Home Service—Sparked by renewed homeowner interest to improve indoor and outdoor living spaces, consumer spending in Home Service out-performed most major categories in the second half of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019.
• Technology adoption on the rise—Digital work requests saw accelerated growth through 2020 after a decline in March and April. Data also shows an increase in electronic customer communication in the form of visit reminders, which saw 30% year-over year growth in April and May, despite the fact that actual visits declined during this period.
• Online payments continue to grow—Consumer payments with credit and debit cards grew faster than overall revenue growth in the second half of 2020.
• Commercial cleaning outperformed residential—Residential cleaning was the industry most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, while commercial cleaning contract work was comparatively stable.
• Contracting warranty services showed stability—Warranty services proved to be the most steady type of work in the Contracting segment while inspection/consultation for new work was the most volatile.
• The Green segment experienced record growth—The Green segment, which includes landscaping, lawn care, and other outdoor services, is the only segment that saw year-over-year growth in median revenue every month during 2020. This growth accelerated in Q4, hitting a record 32% year-over-year growth in December.

“When the COVID-19 pandemic hit back in March, we weren’t sure how our customers’ businesses would perform,” said Abheek Dhawan, VP, Business Operations at Jobber. “Although service businesses experienced record declines at the onset of the pandemic, they managed to weather the storm rather effectively to end 2020 on a positive note. It’s especially promising to see the increase in technology adoption, as it means that not only are service professionals surviving, but also further investing in their businesses. We suspect that the trend towards technology adoption, which has accelerated due to the pandemic, will continue into 2021 and beyond.”

To download the Home Service Economic Report: 2020 Retrospective, visit: https://getjobber.com/home-service-reports/january-2021/