⚡ Get All Content for 20% Off ⚡

How to Get Your Business on Amazon's New Home Services Platform Amazon is giving small businesses a way to reach customers, but is looking for a particular set of criteria.

By Laura Entis

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Today, Amazon launched its new Home Services platform, where customers can shop for professional help from more than 700 services categories, ranging from plumbing and media installation to fringe services such as goat grazing and aerial yoga.

"In less than 60 seconds, customers can now browse, purchase and schedule hundreds of professional services from wall mounting a new TV to installing a new garbage disposal to house cleaning, directly on Amazon.com," Amazon said in a press release. The platform also lets customers book local service providers through partnerships with handyman site TaskRabbit and auto parts chain Pep Boys.

For small businesses, joining the network could be valuable tool, a way to get more exposure and reach more customers. (More than 85 million Amazon customers are shopping for products that need professional services, the company says.)

Related: Home Improvement Startup Porch Raises $65 Million at $500 Million Valuation

Because Amazon is positioning the service as a trustworthy, vetted platform, it's invite-only: Amazon says it accepts, on average, three out of every 100 service professionals in each metro area and that greenlit pro services have an average customer rating of 4.7 stars.

So how can your business qualify? First, you can apply here. Before you do, however, know that Amazon requires each business to be licensed, insured and pass a five-point background check.

Amazon doesn't state its cut of the service fee, but according to The Verge, a beta version of the platform showed that it was taking 20 percent on standard services, 15 percent on custom and 10 percent on recurring ones.

The new service will compete with startups such as Porch and Handy, which just closed a fresh $15 million in funding.

Related: New Amazon Platform Allows Anyone to Host an Online Giveaway

Laura Entis is a reporter for Fortune.com's Venture section.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Remote Side Hustle a 43-Year-Old Musician Works on for 1 Hour a Day Earns Nearly $3,000 a Month: 'All From the Comfort of Home'

Sam Ziegler wanted to supplement his income as a professional drummer — then his tech skills and desire to help people came together.

Business News

Costco CFO Reveals Uncertain Fate of $1.50 Hot Dog and Soda Combo

CFO Richard Galanti reveals that the price will stay the same — but only "for a while."

Marketing

Ever Wonder Why Certain Websites Rank Higher Than Yours? This SEO Expert Reveals The Secret to Dominating Search Results

It's often the smart use of SEO, now supercharged with AI, particularly in keyword optimization.

Leadership

Former Interrogator Shares 5 Behaviors Liars Exhibit and How to Handle Them

Five deceptive behaviors to look for and how to respond to those behaviors when you encounter them.

Business News

AI Is Impacting Jobs. Here Are the Gigs Affected the Most, According to an Analysis of 5 Million Upwork Postings

The researcher said in the report that freelance jobs were analyzed first because that market will likely see AI's immediate impact.