New app aims to help struggling contractors bounce back

CHICAGO, Ill. — COVID-19 rocked tiny businesses. Mom-and-pop contractors were deed particularly hard. Now, an app is helping them link with customers successful a caller way.

Working with his hands has been a invited alteration for Steve Banyamin.

“Four years ago, I was moving for a luck 15 institution doing B2B sales,” helium said. “I conscionable hustled. I’d beryllium putting 55, 60 hours of enactment a week and it’s stressful.”

These days, helium runs his ain contracting business.

“You spot maine now, sweating, I’m swinging hammers, it’s dusty, but it’s a antithetic benignant of intelligence stress. I’m overmuch happier now,” said Banyamin.

Most of his enactment comes from connection of mouth, but that tin permission immoderate holes successful his schedule. When helium doesn’t work, helium doesn’t get paid.

“There was a spread successful betwixt wherever I was benignant of like, 'Oh man, what americium I going to do? I’ve got nary occupation lined up and the bills aren’t going away,'” said Banyamin.

The pandemic exacerbated that uncertainty.

Unemployment successful the operation manufacture spiked during the pandemic, from 5.5% successful February 2020, to much than 16% by April. It continued to hover astir 10% done the opening of this year.

But present helium has immoderate assistance via a caller app called ChoreRelief. It connects contractors with imaginable clients.

“So, you acceptable up an relationship and arsenic soon arsenic an accidental comes successful and fits your criteria, your skillset, arsenic good arsenic the work country you would similar to execute work at, we notify you immediately. All you person to bash is unfastened the app,” said Tarik Khribech, the laminitis of Chore Relief. “And past conscionable nonstop them what is simply a just bid, and if they judge your offer, congratulations."

It’s conscionable 1 of the companies Khribech has started since helium emigrated to the US from Morocco.

“Growing up arsenic a kid, I was ever the hustler. If I person thing and you similar it, I’m blessed to merchantability it for a profit,” said Khribech. “I bargain something, I flip it, I merchantability it. You telephone maine successful the mediate of the night. You spot maine walking down the mediate of the thoroughfare with the brand-new sneakers my member conscionable sent maine from America and you springiness maine a terms for it, I’ll spell location barefoot.”

Now, helium wants to springiness a boost to contractors similar Banyamin who are hustling to gain a living.

“A batch of the radical don’t person the fund oregon the selling experience, but you cognize what they each person successful common? They person smartphones. So that’s erstwhile the thought came, let’s physique an ecosystem that empowers these tiny ma and popular shops, tiny businesses,” said Khribech.

That ecosystem is helping Banyamin and different contractors similar him to physique and prolong their business.

“Because of ChoreRelief and immoderate of the different apps that I use, concern is plentiful. So, it’s ne'er the lawsuit wherever I don’t cognize however I’m going to marque that money. It’s much about, 'Oh man, I anticipation I person capable radical to help,'” said Banyamin.