So, I started a company called WorkHere with a lot of help from my friends (Rick Wehrle, the inventor of the job board, and entrepreneur Howard Bates). We’re fixing employment for the masses — think all the people that don’t fit into LinkedIn. People with job titles like truck driver, nurse, shift manager, machine operator, package handler… and on and on.
The employment problem is pretty simple on paper;
Workers can’t find a job they want where they want it.
Employers can’t find people in their backyard to fill jobs.
So employers are dealing with an unprecedented level of turnover. Currently, the labor market is very tight. There’s just 1.3 job seekers per open job (according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics). So when you lose someone, it’s hard to find a replacement.
We’ve built a completely different experience for workers and employers. WorkHere is a work-life social network, built for workers. It’s different. There’s nothing out there like it:
- WorkHere is built on geolocation. Think Zillow, Uber or my favorite, Pokemon Go for jobs. People love it. You can see where the jobs are in just a few seconds.
- Instead of trying to drive employment applications, WorkHere drives connections and engagement between workers and places they want to work. Location matters and getting married on the first date doesn’t work when the person you are dating has options. And every job seeker has options in today’s job market.
- WorkHere is not about the gig economy. It’s about life changing, sustainable employment. Not a four-hour opportunity to make $50 tonight.
So, How’s it working out?
Pretty well.
We launched our product April 28 last year, and limited the market to just Indiana. In just seven months, we picked up over 35,000 workers and have a picked up many great brands as customers.
There’s lots we can and will do better in 2017 … but we’re definitely off to a great start.
