Starting out or trying to scale a business puts owners in a frustrating Catch 22 position: you know reputation is important to earning new clients, but it’s difficult to build that reputation without first having clients.

The good news: no one really starts from nothing. We all know people, have help, have people who’ve worked with us that the rest of the world just doesn’t know about yet. The question is – how do you bridge the knowledge gap and have people trust you without any history of direct interaction?

Meritwork is a trust-based, services marketplace that connects service providers and consumers quickly, and as though they already had a great level of familiarity with one another.

After completing a brief profile, a simple search on Meritwork makes it easy to find any kind of service provider – be it developer, dog trainer, graphic designer, or teacher, etc. Search results tell the seeker if the two sides share any personal connections. Each service has a star rating. What’s more, if there is a network connection, Meritwork will display loads of useful information such as, what – say, Leslie – thought of the service, how often she’s worked with them, and other useful info.

Think LinkedIn mashed with Yelp. You have reviews and ratings to help you find great services, but also second degree recommendations and testimonials that make it much easier to feel confident in choosing whom to work with. In their own words, “Being on Meritwork is the equivalent of everyone you know asking everyone they know if they need your services or can provide a service for you, without actually bothering anyone.”

Ever tell someone about the massage therapist you went to, only to hear an acquaintance say something like, “I wish I had known you were looking for a massage therapist. I have a great one I could have recommended.” So aggravating to learn this information after the fact, right?

Meritwork spares you the misfires, uncovering the best possible connections that often go overlooked or just take too much work to discover. It also goes a key step beyond bringing service providers and consumers to one another’s attention by allowing parties to communicate directly with one another. Make offers, accept or reject offers, and negotiate details, all using the same tool.

Users can also solicit offers publicly to find the best deal if the perfect arrangement isn’t immediately visible. So, you find the right people at the right time and place, for the right price. No ads or sponsored links try to steer you in the wrong direction. Instead, Meritwork guides you straight toward the people that you’re most likely to trust.

Want to grow your business through trust, the fast way? Want to find great services that you can trust immediately? Hop onboard Meritwork’s beta train at app.meritwork.com.

Photo Credits

Meritwork | Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock