Gigwage

Gig Wage Customer Spotlight: Chess at Three

For many parents, chess is a game that is far too difficult or time consuming to teach children. So, the founders of Chess at Three found an easy and approachable way to teach young children this complex game. It just so happens they have hired many contractors to do the worked. We spoke with Jon Sieber, co-founder and CEO of Chess at Three, one of our valued API customers about how he is using the contractor workforce to innovate education.

A little about you:

GW: Introduce yourself and your business.

JS: My name is Jon Sieber. I am the co-founder and CEO of Chess at Three. Chess at Three believes in the power of storytelling as an educational tool. We tell stories that help transform the chess pieces into a memorable cast of characters. These characters have unique qualities that help children understand how chess pieces move. Through our fun, engaging stories, children learn about chess, sportsmanship, grit, and math.

“Hiring and working with tutors or contractors that are as excited as you are about your product will really help your idea take off.”

“Hiring and working with tutors or contractors that are as excited as you are about your product will really help your idea take off.”

GW: What is your business’s mission?

JS: We provide “a-ha” moments to children. An “a-ha” moment is a moment of self-discovery in which a child translates a theme heard from a story into a real world concept. We don’t teach rules, rather, we let children discover.

GW: How did you decide to start your business?

JS: Our business was started in 2010 when we realized that children at the age of three were unable and unwilling to learn chess the traditional way. When we would teach chess through rules we constantly heard the question, “Why?” Why does the king move one step at a time? Why can the queen move any direction? Why can’t I put my King into danger? We wrote stories to answer these questions so kids could discover these principles.

GW: How is your company different from your competitors?

JS: Chess is traditionally taught to children age 6 and up in a more scholastic setting. We start at age three and teach everything through our fun, engaging stories.

GW: How has COVID-19 impacted your business?

JS: Almost immediately after the first case was announced in the United States, parents felt uncomfortable with tutors entering their homes. We pivoted into digital lessons for our private 1-on-1 clients as well as our school partnerships.

“When launching a new business, chase every lead and walk down every path.”

GW: Where will your company be in 5 years?

JS: We hope to be in more cities than the three major ones we are in (New York, Los Angeles, and Hong Kong). We also hope to extend our unique approach to education to other subjects such as music, math, and science.

GW: What key factors have led to your success?

JS: Our tutors are the most incredible people in the world. Each time they tell one of our stories they bring the character to light in their own unique and silly way. Hiring and working with tutors or contractors that are as excited as you are about your product will really help your idea take off.

Also, saying “yes!” When launching a new business, chase every lead and walk down every path. We joke that we were building our plane while we were flying it, but that attitude helped us go places and develop tools that we may never have developed.

GW: What advice do you have for businesses who employ contractors?

JS: Treat every contractor you work with the way you want to be treated. Some of our contractors have been with us for 8+ years. We pay them extremely well and are honest, communicative, and transparent with everyone we work with.

“Gig Wage came along and took a several day, bi-weekly project and made it simple.”

Your thoughts on Us:

GW: What problem(s) were you trying to solve with our product?

JS: There was no good way to pay out individuals who work different hours and make different amounts. We were spending mountains of time every two weeks trying to figure out contractor payments that it really was overwhelming. Gig Wage came along and took a several day, bi-weekly project and made it simple.

GW: How does our product or service stand out from other options?

JS: There are no other options for paying contractors efficiently! We looked and were so frustrated with the options out there. We are so thankful for Gig Wage.

“Treat every contractor you work with the way you want to be treated.”

GW: What made you happiest about working with our company? What is your biggest success story?

JS: As I mentioned, you took a very difficult and time-consuming project and made it simple. When you are running a business, the amount of pots you have your hand in can make things disjointed and extra time-consuming. By being able to take a task like paying over 140 contractors and make it easy, that is a huge success!

GW: What was your experience integrating the Gig Wage API into your platform? Was it easy?

JS: It was a smooth experience. The documentation was clear and the Gig Wage team was there every step of the way to answer any questions I had!

We’re PROUD to work with companies like Chess at Three who use innovation and the contractor workforce to make a difference. We look forward to the many incredible things to come from Chess at Three and hope to see their lessons everywhere soon.

You can find Chess at Three on their website, on social media at @chessat3, and can purchase their board game with their sister company HERE.

Written by

Lucy Hart