Taking on Yelp, Angi, and the entire local business advertising industry
Imagine searching "roof repair" and getting results based purely on which businesses actually offer that service.
No Paid Placement. No Advertisements. No Pay to Play.
If a business has low profile views, they get boosted to the top — as long as they match what the consumer is looking for.
The Problem
For far too long, small local businesses have had almost no exposure unless they have a big budget.
- Website? Takes months or years and thousands of dollars to reach the first page of Google — and when they finally get there, they get pushed down by ads.
- Yelp? You need to pay to show up. And good luck keeping your reviews if you stop paying.
- Angi / Thumbtack / HomeAdvisor? They sell you leads — but they sell the same lead to multiple businesses. You're not getting exposure, you're in a bidding war.
My Hope
My hope is to make local businesses findable. Whether it's a restaurant, a bar, a plumber, a roofer, an adjuster — if they serve their community, they deserve to be found.
But how do I compete with billion-dollar companies as a bootstrapped solo founder? The answer is simple — I don't compete with them.
It's up to local businesses to decide to support this mission. I've been in their position, and they should ask themselves:
Are they really trying to help me grow, or are they just making money off my desire to grow?
Feel free to ask questions or share tips. I appreciate you reading — it feels good to tell my story. There is a lot more, but this is just the beginning.
The Directory: honisto.com
Still pre-revenue.
