As you know I ran a bit last weekend…OK it was a mere marathon, but when I headed out for my next training run on Monday my legs felt a bit on the heavy side. This got me to thinking that it was a while since I had last had a sports massage to iron out the kinks and keep everything moving smoothly.
Unfortunately I haven’t got a regular place to go since the local place failed to call me back after numerous messages when I was last in need. A real shame as they were within walking distance and this made it quite convenient. As someone who has their own business I like to try and support local businesses, and other entrepreneurs when I can. So I thought I would give a new app I had heard about a go. Enter Bidvine!
Bidvine is a new local services start-up and it has a handy iOS app which I downloaded onto my iPhone (Android coming soon). The concept is simple… you chose the service you need, enter in the relevant details and then local suppliers review this and bid for your business. You have the opportunity to connect with the bidders to discuss things in more detail if you need to, and then you chose the right fit for your needs. What better way to support local people and businesses?
The app is really easy to navigate. First choose the type of service you require from the presented options, or just type into the search box. The services are really well broken down into granular detail, so if you aren’t quite sure of the search term you can easily browse and see what resonates best with what you are looking for. There seems to be sections for all sorts of crazy stuff, including Pokémon Go Walking and Wardrobe Organising!
Once you choose your service, you enter your post code and answer a range of questions relevant to the service. For my sports massage query, these included questions like the reason for the sports massage, the regularity that I might require it and whether I wanted someone to come to me or whether I was happy to travel (and how far). You also get to choose the level of urgency for your need.
The request gets submitted and relevant suppliers get notified of your request so that they can decide if they are able to meet your needs on the timescales you require.
Straight away I received a warning that they didn’t have many relevant suppliers for sports massage logged in my area. It was actually nice to have this heads-up (and to be honest I expected it as I haven’t managed to find a good one locally in my previous searches). They promised to drum up what they could and would forward bids as they came in, with a deadline 4 days later.
So that was it, just a case of sitting back and waiting (or in my case doing a few more short runs with lead legs). Unfortunately on this occasion Bidvine weren’t able to find me a match, but given they are a new company and are probably signing up more main stream category suppliers more easily (cleaning, decorating etc are I am sure all well represented) I don’t see this as a failure. It gives them an indication of a need in an area and will help the team know what areas to target as they build up their supplier database.
I will definitely give Bidvine a go for other services as I need them. At some point we’ll need to get our windows cleaned, and so I think I may give them a shot for that too. It’s going to be a nice way to try and shop local without having to do all the leg work myself. It’s almost like a service concierge service and I think it will be a brilliant service as it gets more established.