

Exec Launches Cleaning-Only App, Expands to Seattle As Housework Is 50% Of Sales - mattsf
http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/12/exec-cleaning-appseattle/

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clauretano
In case anyone was wondering, I used the app to check pricing for my 1br/1ba
with pets near downtown Seattle:

$107 for a one-time cleaning, $214 for a thorough "move out" cleaning.

The earliest appointment available for either was two days out, on the 14th.

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stcredzero
I wonder if the "Eat People" idea is going to effectively get distorted by the
majority in industrialized nations into a 21st century form of domestic
servitude mediated by the Internet?

<http://amzn.com/1591845424>

I used to live in a big apartment building from 1870, with a 2nd set of
servant's stairs in back and servant's quarters on the top floor. With the
Internet, the granularity and other logistics of service are drastically
changed, such that servants don't have to live with you or necessarily
establish long term relationships. (Though these will still work better in
many situations.)

Is the future going to consist of people in the service-sector taking care of
the day to day needs of other people working in tech and automated
manufacturing, with a fringe which has managed to "drop out" somehow?

If so, I hope we will have fixed access to health care for people not in
successful companies with posh health plans.

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mikeash
It's odd to think about what makes someone a "servant" and what is just
providing a valuable service. Nobody makes these comments about contract
programmers, for example, but what's the fundamental difference?

If you pay me to write you a program, that's just typical. If you pay me to
come clean your bathrooms every day, that's more "servant". Paying me to
deliver food is typical, paying me to come cook food using your own kitchen is
not. Is there a real dividing line in there somewhere, or is it just a matter
of societal norms?

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awwstn2
Considering that Justin Kan is the pivot master and Exec's cleaning service
has been so well-received, I wouldn't be surprised if they become a cleaning-
only service.

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parsnips
Reminds me of Seamless.com. In the early days, it was trying to position
itself as a B2B for all services: Catering, Overtime meals, Black Car Service,
Flowers etc.

Turns out that food delivery and catering was the winning idea. Pivot till you
profit.

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AndrewWarner
It feels like Exec is moving towards becoming a cleaning company.

Now when I log into my Exec account, the first thing I see is the booking page
for their cleaning service. Errands are a menu item. I hope that doesn't go
away. It's incredibly convenient to have them run errands for me, like grocery
shopping.

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breckinloggins
Is this what you might call a "soft pivot"?

The idea is that instead of waiting until it's clear your original idea won't
be viable before pivoting, instead you take the most successful part of your
business and differentiate it early (giving it its own brand image and so on)
so that if the broader vision of your offering doesn't pan out, you've
automatically expanded into your most successful niche(s) and, if needed, can
shut the bigger business down without throwing out the baby with the
proverbial bathwater.

Businesses have done this kind of thing for centuries, but since we're in the
startup world, why not give it a name? ;-)

