Mobile app startup (2 sided marketplace platform) - how to build my user base

For the last 24 months I’ve been working on a startup. It’s a mobile app based platform for small babysitting agencies to automate their business and grow their revenue. It also features some social networking capabilities to create a private ‘super network’ to help parents find babysitters that are friends of friends.

It’s similar to AirBnB, in that parents and babysitters can:

• create profiles (list credentials and so on),
• search/browse profiles,
• post jobs (get offers, accept/decline offers)
• send booking requests,
• handle payments,
• leave feedback.

It also features some unique trust and safety features.

My primary ‘customer’ I’m focused on are small to medium sized agencies (from fully established, to informal ‘facebook group’ type home businesses, to people who want to start a babysitting side business). I’ve found with the small margins and excessive admin theses agencies quickly become overwhelmed and can’t really scale. The platform takes care of bookings, reminders, directions, calendar entries, time sheeting, credit card billing and payment transfers so the agencies can focus on customer care, interviewing/verifying babysitters and really take off.

It's taken my team of 10 two years to build this (and I’ve invested a significant amount of money) in this.

Now, I’m a technologist. In hindsight, I’ve made the mistake of being a perfectionist and ‘gold plating’ this app in that it’s too good and I should I’ve done something much simpler to start with and launched it earlier. On the bright side I have built something that really is amazing, it’s revenue potential is huge and it’s extremely scalable.

However, I’m here now, and I’ve been learning how to market this thing and grow my user base. I’ve got some bare bones marketing basics done, such as defining my user personas, my marketing message, created a landing page and have some basic lead capture.

At the moment I have one premium agency on board, who has 30 babysitters, and another two who have expressed good interest. I also have three investors that are very interested however these guys are want a passive role, whereas what I’d prefer would be someone who can take ownership of growing the business.

My issue is twofold – I’m very time poor, and I’m not experienced in sales. I know the strategy/theory, but don’t have the skills, time or personality.

I’m trying to work out my next move:

1. Continue to build out my marketing Infrastructure (a basic CRM, content creation (YouTube videos, blogs/email newsletters), forum, etc) – outsourcing most of this work to various freelancers and/or an all in one agency (local or global) – although I’d rather stop pouring money into this
2. Hire an outbound sales (telephone) person to cold call and build a relationship (agency with agencies (pay them an hourly rate + commission)
3. Look for a co-founder to help with all of the above (ideally a sales type person)
4. Something else?

 

Option 3 ?

2 years is a long time to build an app. Could have been out much earlier with a MVP and a focus group. I think, you can have all the baby sitters lined up, but you've got to get the mom and pop customers who will be your revenue generating customers and they will probably refer their outgoing (moving) baby sitters to this app. If I were you, I'd be handing out flyers for the app in day care centers. Advertising on
community fb groups. Word of mouth.

Also, Fish tank is about to start its new season. It may be another good option.

Good luck and kudos on getting something good built.