People’s Champion Finalist: Hassle.com

Start-up name: Hassle.com
Founders: Alex Depledge, Tom Nimmo and Jules Coleman
Started in: March 2012
Based in: London            
Business description: Online platform for fully vetted cleaners

The Hassle.com story:

Founded by a trio of former management consultants, Hassle.com has hit on the magic formula that could be set to transform the cleaning industry – and potentially a whole host of others.

Previously, if you wanted to find a cleaner you could either go to one of the large cleaning companies – known for their high prices – or find a local cleaner, who may not be any good. Hassle.com eliminates the dilemma of high prices versus unreliability in one fell swoop; the online platform allows users to browse and book fully vetted and approved cleaners, paying a flat fee of £10 per hour.

It’s a business that works for the cleaners, too – the small margins Hassle.com takes in exchange for its services means they still earn 30% more than minimum wage for jobs, and they gain the flexibility of being self-employed to boot.

The appeal of such a model is self-evident, and it’s not difficult to see how Hassle.com has managed to launch in the major UK cities (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds) and Dublin just four months after launch. European expansion is on the cards, backed by a major $6m Series A funding round from Accel Partners. At the same time, revenues have increased 10 times in 6 months and the team has grown from five to 30 people.

In addition to transforming the UK house-cleaning industry, the trio has lofty ambitions to shake up other sectors with the Hassle.com model. Watch this space.

Why Hassle.com made our 50:

The ‘sharing economy’ is big business, and no-one’s doing it better than Hassle.com. The businesses’ growth threatens to disrupt the outdated models the cleaning industry relies on once and for all, delivering benefits for both cleaners and consumers.

Where to find out more about Hassle.com:

Website: http://www.hassle.com