u/PralineParticular174

We are working on HireNimbus, a platform built for home service pros and homeowners.
A lot of contractors are frustrated with current marketplaces. High lead costs, shared leads, platform fees, and low-quality requests can make it hard to grow a business.
We want HireNimbus to take a different approach.
The goal is to help pros get discovered, connect with real customers, manage jobs, send estimates and invoices, schedule work, and handle payments in one place.

But I don’t want to assume we know what pros need.

If you’re a contractor, handyman, remodeler, or home service business owner, I’d love your feedback.
What do you dislike about the platforms you use today? What would you want HireNimbus to do differently?

Happy to chat here or through DM. Your feedback could directly shape what we build.

 Pay-per-lead directories charge you every single time a customer contacts you—even if it’s a past client who just wants more work done.

With HireNimbus, every contractor gets their own dedicated booking link:

• Share your link on business cards, yard signs, Instagram, or email signatures.
• Past clients click your link to rebook you directly without going through a directory search board.
• You keep 100% of your earnings with zero lead generation charges.

At what point in running your business did you start shifting focus toward repeat client retention?

I’m working on SEO for home service businesses like plumbers, electricians, HVAC companies, handymen, and remodelers.
I’m looking for legitimate backlink opportunities that don’t require paying for placement.
Besides Google Business Profile and the usual local directories, what free sources have actually worked for you?

I’m especially interested in:
Home service or contractor directories
Local business directories
Industry associations
Supplier or partner links
Guest posting opportunities
Local community websites
Not looking for spammy profile links or Web 2.0 links. I’m trying to find links that can bring real SEO value or referral traffic.

Would appreciate any sites or strategies you’ve had success with.

Most platforms make their money when 5 pros bid on the same vague request. 

When designing HireNimbus, we intentionally cut out paid leads entirely. Instead, we focused on what actually wins jobs (which is good for homeowners and good for pros).

But we keep wondering if pros actually prefer to pay per lead vs. flat rate subscriptions. What do you think?

🚀 Nimbus is now the first-ever home services booking platform on ChatGPT!

This is what the beginning of the agentic marketplace looks like.

Through this work with OpenAI, we’re bridging the gap between AI conversations and a truly “done-for-you” experience for homeowners. Most importantly, we’re bringing local service businesses into the future.

If you’re a homeowner in Washington, D.C., the San Francisco Bay Area, or Austin, this is for you! ChatGPT can now book top-quality, pre-vetted pros for you using the Nimbus plugin.

🤩 Let AI go beyond advice. Or listing. Let AI actually get things done for you.

Homeowners already turn to ChatGPT to research repairs, estimate costs, diagnose home projects, and even plan renovations. But booking a professional still means going back to outdated directories, dealing with endless phone tag, verifying everything, and managing everything.

With the Nimbus plugin, ChatGPT handles the entire lifecycle for you - from diagnosis to booking, directly within your chat thread.

No calls. No forms. No wasted spend. Just AI getting things done for you, with a seamless handoff via SMS and the native app.

We're working on a platform for home service businesses, and before building more features, I’d rather hear directly from the people who would actually use it.
Most contractors I talk to are frustrated with platforms that charge for weak leads, make it difficult to build a direct online presence, or keep them dependent on marketplaces.

Instead of just creating another directory, I’m trying to build something that actually helps businesses get found on Google and AI search, showcase their work and reviews, and generate more direct customers.
I’m not here to sell anything. I’m looking for honest feedback.

If you own or manage a home service business:
What’s your biggest frustration with platforms like Thumbtack, Angi, or Yelp?

What would make you actually switch to something new?
What feature would you consider a “must-have”?

I’d really appreciate your thoughts. The people who use these platforms every day are the ones who know what needs to change.

I work with a lot of home service businesses, and one thing I see over and over is this:

Owners spend thousands on trucks, tools, and advertising, but their Google Business Profile gets updated once a year—if that.

Your GBP isn’t just a listing anymore. It’s often the first thing homeowners see, and it’s where Google (and increasingly AI-powered search) pulls information from.
A few things every business should stay on top of:

Keep hours and contact info accurate.
Add new job photos regularly.
Respond to every review.
Update services and service areas.
Post updates consistently.

Check for incorrect edits or outdated information.
A well-maintained profile builds trust and can make a real difference in how often you’re found by potential customers.

We help home service businesses manage and optimize their Google Business Profiles, and it’s surprising how many opportunities we find even on profiles that look “fine” at first glance.

What’s one change you’ve made to your Google Business Profile that had the biggest impact?

I’ve been noticing a shift in how people search for local services.
Instead of searching Google and clicking through 10 websites, more people are asking ChatGPT, Gemini, or other AI assistants questions like:

“Who’s the best HVAC company near me?”
“Recommend a reliable plumber in my area.”
“Find an electrician with great reviews.”

It made me wonder if local SEO alone is going to be enough over the next few years.

My team is building AI tools for home service businesses, and one thing we’ve learned is that many companies have solid reputations but very little information that AI systems can confidently use. Others have inconsistent business data across the web, which seems to hurt their visibility.

For those working in AI or search:
Do you think AI assistants will become the primary way people discover local businesses?
What signals do you think these models rely on most when deciding which businesses to recommend?
I’m interested in hearing different perspectives, especially from people working on LLMs, search, or local discovery.

I’ve noticed a lot of homeowners focus almost entirely on the finished look, but often don’t realize what’s happening behind the scenes—drainage, grading, soil prep, maintenance requirements, etc.
For the pros here, what’s the one thing clients consistently underestimate or misunderstand about landscaping projects?
Curious to hear what comes up most often in your area.

A lot of handymen and contractors seem frustrated with rising lead costs and platform changes.

If Thumbtack, Angi, and similar sites disappeared tomorrow, what would be your plan for getting your next 10 customers?

Google Business Profile?
Referrals?
Facebook Groups?
Local SEO?
Networking?

Curious what is actually working for people right now.

I'm not looking for sponsored recommendations.

Could be software, an app, a scheduling tool, a lead source, a piece of equipment, or even something simple that saved you time or money.

What's something you've adopted in the last few years that you wish you'd started using sooner?

Does anyone else feel like Thumbtack is becoming more difficult for pros to use? Lead costs seem high, many leads don’t respond, and it feels harder to get value from the platform than it used to be.

I’m curious if other pros are having the same experience and what changes you’d like to see from Thumbtack.