Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, people everywhere are picking up new skills and rediscovering long lost hobbies that they may not have had time for before. However, in sports, quality instruction is expensive and not accessible for most especially while practicing social distancing. Our customer, Givego, challenged that benchmark and set out a clear mission — to empower the world to learn. Givego users will have the ability to connect with some of the world’s best professional athletes, most sought after coaches and instructors, all from the palm of their hand. We recently spoke to the Founder & CEO of Givego, Willie Ford, on how he’s built an on-demand talent marketplace and what his experience has been like navigating a company through a pandemic.
A little about you:
GW: Introduce yourself and your business.
WF: My name is Willie Ford. I'm the Founder & CEO of Givego.
I am a 2X NCAA All American, and 40 under 40 from Sporting Goods Business. Sports have played a huge role in my life- along with my 3 sisters. Julia, Mattie, and Lily are all incredible athletes. Julia is an Olympian, and Mattie and Julia were D1 athletes, too.
When I was running POC, I realized we needed to build a company to help people get better at the things they loved- things that get them excited. We have started in sports. We connect world-renowned talent with the masses, with the objective of helping our experts (solopreneurs) make more money while making our users better- easily. We’re an on-demand talent marketplace.
GW:What is your business’s mission?
Our Mission is to empower the world to learn.
WF: I was running POC’s business in North America. We dealt with hundreds of professional athletes- and it became clear that only a few were making enough money to live a comfortable life- let alone fund their career.
Having seen first hand, my sister, having to raise money to just fund her career, I knew I had to start a business that allowed these experts to make money, in a way that easily fits into their schedule. They have lots of little slots of downtime in their schedules, but they don’t have big blocks. We had to find a way to take advantage of these blocks while empowering them to enhance their brand by connecting with their fans, audience, and the general public through our technology to make them better.
We started this business because we saw a need to help people access top talent and coaching while empowering the experts to make money in a convenient and meaningful way.
GW: What key factors have led to your success?
WF: We treat our experts really well. Givego’s technology allows them to make money and connect with the masses in an efficient and convenient way.
Givego’s technology solves two main problems, both of which impact lives. World-class instruction is expensive, it’s not accessible and it’s hard to coordinate. Givego solves this problem by providing hundreds of world-class experts to its users, all from its proprietary app.
GW: What advice do you have for businesses that employ contractors?
WF: Treat them really well. They are your lifeblood.
Empower them to provide great experiences to your customers.
Give them a voice. Listen to their feedback, learn from them, and involve them in your product roadmap.
Partner with companies like Gig Wage which makes it easy for you to manage payments and taxes. These partners help you focus on your customer and contractors.
GW: How has COVID-19 impacted or shifted your business?
WF: Covid has increased our users’ comfortability with virtual connections, at all ages. Our business is rooted in the idea that meaningful connections are possible through virtual experiences.
GW: What is it like running a business during a time of social unrest, injustice, and inequality?
WF: You have to lead with integrity, respect, and truth. Always take the high road. Be empathetic and know that stress & anxiety levels are high. Provide hope and positivity by leading by example and being the change you want to see in the world.
Your thoughts on Us:
GW: What problem(s) were you trying to solve with our product?
WF: Easy, affordable, and convenient payment solutions for our growing team of contractors. Easy for us, easy for the contractor. Your platform is exactly what we’ve been looking for since the beginning.
GW: How does our product or service stand out from other options?
WF: I feel like we’ve tried them all! When we found your solution, we celebrated as it’s exactly the technology we had been looking for. And, the customer service and team are incredible.
GW: What made you happiest about working with our company? What is your biggest success story?
WF: The team at Gig Wage is helpful, nice, and truly enjoyable to work with. We transitioned to Gig Wage in just a few days. Our contractors were really excited to see the solution, too. The biggest success has been the positive feedback and time that it has opened up for our accounting department. Our payments are now efficient, accurate, and easy!
We’re incredibly excited to work with companies like Givego that use innovation and the gig marketplace to help people practice their craft, as well as empower experts to make extra income in a meaningful way. We look forward to your success and can’t wait to see what’s to come in the future.
Download their app HERE. You can also find Givego on their website and on social media at @teamgivego.
