Can a successful business model be replicated in 80 countries? The marketplace for services seems to be the new wave of companies that is revolutionizing the way people hire services.

By Vinil Ramdev

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Shuttertock

The marketplace for services is a fast growing segment in India. Companies like Localoye, UrbanClap, Mr. Right, TimeSaverz, Taskbob, Zimmber, Zepper, Doormint, and Urbanpro are some of the main players in this segment.

Recently, StarOfService, a French MNC with a presence in close to 80 countries, launched its operations in India. The company sees stiff competition in the country, but it is quite excited about the large pool of professionals.

After being successful in France where 3 entrepreneurs bootstrapped with just € 15,000 and kept it operational for 2 years, the company raised € 400,000 in seed capital in November 2014, they then went on to raise another €1.1 million in a Series A round in March 2015.

Today, the company claims to have a presence in close to 80 countries. They made their services available in India less than 4 months ago, and the company already has over 15,000 professionals registered on their website.

Afzal Khan, Area Manager for the Asia Pacific region said, "We are aware of both the challenges and the opportunities that we face in India. Although, India has a massive population, the number of internet users is only 15%. Out of this, many are only mobile. However, we are still pretty optimistic about our growth here. We've always considered ourselves to be a global company and are looking to expand worldwide. I don't think there is any company in our segment that has a presence in 80 different companies. Our international team of country managers give us an edge over our competition."

Replicating their French model Internationally

The company followed a unique strategy in France which the internal team is still very tight-lipped about. They beat some of their bigger competitors with good old fashioned hustling. Toni Paignant, COO of the company said, "In France, we're doing better than our competitors who have big advertising budgets. We've always followed a very lean and agile strategy that has gotten us results. We're seeing good results internationally too. Countries like Indonesia, Italy, India and Germany are growing pretty quickly."

Similar companies like UrbanClap raised $10 million in June this year, Doormint raised $3 million, Zimmber about $2 million, and Taskbob raised about $1.2 million in seed capital. This space is still in its very nascent stage, but the competition seems to be heating up. After JustDial, Getit and other directory sites that were popular about a decade ago, this seems to be the new wave of companies that is revolutionizing the way people hire services.

Vinil Ramdev

Entrepreneur and Business Writer

Vinil Ramdev is an entrepreneur, business writer and marketer. He graduated with a Bachelors degree in Marketing in 2004. Since then, Vinil has been involved in starting and growing several businesses predominantly in retail, marketing, media, advertising and on the internet. His skill for seeing the big picture, and identifying trends and patterns have made him a sort-after consultant for companies who want to grow their business and make their products more discoverable. 

Related Topics

Business Plans

How You Can Use the 80/20 Rule to Unlock Success and Maximize Your Impact

Our success is determined by where we focus our efforts.

Business News

This Influencer Has Nearly 150,000 Instagram Followers and Makes Over $10,000 a Month. There's Just One Catch—She's Not Real.

Aitana López has over 149,000 Instagram followers and brands love her. Is she the future of social media marketing?

Buy a Franchise

Learn the Secrets of Running 20+ Businesses as a Side Hustle — Finding and Nurturing Your 'STIC People'

Explore the critical importance of choosing the right franchise manager and the innovative 'STIC' approach.

Growing a Business

More Than 90% of Startups Don't Make It. This CEO Reveals What It Takes to Not Only Survive — But Thrive.

Learn what it takes to grow a company while also scaling as a leader.

Business Ideas

55 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2023

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2023.

News and Trends

SustVest Aims For INR 100 Crore In AUM Within a Year

The sustainable investment platform, raised $250,000 in a funding round led by WEH Ventures