Why I Started HIÜRD

Most businesses start with a big vision.

Mine started with a scam.

We hired a concrete contractor who quoted us $13,000 to pour a couple of pads in the backyard. He said he needed half upfront—$7,500—to get started. And then… nothing. He didn’t totally disappear, but he’d text every now and then saying he’d show up “this weekend”—and of course, never did.

For three months, I begged him to return the money. Nothing worked. This guy even ended up being featured twice in the news. Still unfazed.

I eventually got my money back—but only because I bought his company’s domain, posted some honest reviews on it, and reminded him of the night he drunk-texted me a screenshot from his own home security camera. He ended up begging me to take the site down.

But that’s a story for another day.

All I remember thinking was: There has to be a better way.

And the more I looked around, the more I realized I wasn’t alone. I kept hearing about people getting scammed by contractors—losing tens of thousands of dollars and getting little (or nothing) in return. It’s like these guys found a legal loophole to steal money and never go to jail for it.

At the same time, I kept running into the opposite kind of problem:

Not big jobs, but small ones.

Things I didn’t have time for—or just didn’t want to do.

Moving a pile of dirt.

Hauling some junk.

Mopping the floors.

Stuff I would’ve happily paid someone $50, $100, even $200 to take care of. But where do you go for random stuff like that?

Landscapers won’t touch a job that small. Calling 10 electricians for one outlet sounds like torture. And a cleaning company isn’t coming out just to mop your kitchen floor.

But deep down, I believed there was someone out there willing to move a pile of dirt for an hour and earn $200. I just needed an easier way to connect people who need help with the people willing to do the work.

That’s when the idea hit me.

HIÜRD was born from that gap—the space between “I need help” and “I can help.” A platform that lets you post a simple (or complex) job, get bids from locals who actually know how to do the work, and—best of all—we’d handle the transaction.

We all know that awkward feeling of chasing down a friend for concert money… or being the piano teacher who has to ask for payment again because the client forgot. That’s why HIÜRD uses PayVault—our in-app system that holds the payment safely and releases it when the job is done. It takes the awkwardness out of the money conversation. Everyone gets paid, fairly and securely.

But HIÜRD isn’t just for homeowners and businesses.

It’s for people.

For moms.

Retirees.

Students.

Part-time workers.

Talented locals who can bake cakes, braid hair, organize closets, fix sprinklers, and just want to make a little extra helping someone in their community.

Because sometimes it’s not about hiring a big company.

Sometimes you just need a neighbor with a shovel.

And sometimes—you are that neighbor.