Peazy banks on easy access to mobile services

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This article was published 11/06/2024 (492 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As training and marketing manager at Marymound Inc., Deanne Evans is always looking for ways to let the social service agency’s 360 staff members know they are appreciated.

Last month, at an annual wellness day, Marymound staffers had access to massage therapists, estheticians, a yoga instructor, reflexologist and reiki.

It was all booked through new online portal Peazy.com (as in easy-peasy) started by a trio of Winnipeg entrepreneurs, including Yvan Boisjoli, one of the co-founders of Bold Commerce.

The goal is to build a build a marketplace for mobile service providers that is all about bringing wellness services to the workplace or home.

Now, in addition to the wellness days, Marymound books auto care and massage days, leaving it to employees to book their own time on the Peazy platform.

“It’s been a huge perk for our staff,” Evans said.

Like many of the services digital technologies can make possible, part of the challenge is just getting people comfortable with accepting a different way of doing things.

“I use it all the time,” Boisjoli said. “Once people try it, they’re never going to want to go back.”

The original idea was to focus exclusively on bringing services to the workplace so, as Boisjoli said, people could get things done and have more free time on the weekends.

“The services offered on Peazy are about wellness and well-being or saving time,” said Boisjoli. “We thought about what are the service that would help employees save time, so when they go home they can focus on themselves or their family.”

The business launched in September, after close to two years of development in partnership with Jeff Vilar, founder of Naida Communications, a sales and marketing consultancy, and Zach Lowden, a former Bold staffer and developer.

With an eye to providing convenience — as well as well-being — the idea is when a mobile service provider such as Wheeler AutoCare is in a neighbourhood or workplace switching out winter tires for a client, everyone else signed up the Peazy platform would be notified the service was in that neighbourhood.

“Once people try it, they’re never going to want to go back.”–Yvan Boisjoli

Rather than drive all across town from one client to the next, Wheeler AutoCare can conserve fuel — and greenhouse gas emissions — and maximize its professional time.

Jaeson Wheeler had been operating the mobile auto service for about a year before he was contacted by Peazy.

“I was doing perfectly fine without Peazy, but its sounded like a good idea,” he said. “I do see it as an opportunity as it gets better known. In time, I could see myself having multiple trucks operating out of a shop.”

It’s still early going, but, for instance, Wheeler has had some daylong bookings through Peazy at businesses where he spends the day in its staff parking lot going from one car to the next changing tires.

Boisjoli said Peazy is just starting to build its service provider roster and is currently offering massage therapy, dry cleaning service, mobile physiotherapy, car services and hair cuts.

Right now, it’s looking for more hair stylists, estheticians and pet groomers, who are in high demand,

“We’ve got some good customers using it and great service providers who are all giving us great feedback,” Boisjoli said. “But we’re still trying to find our product market fit.”

Starting any new venture that provides a service in a uncommon way requires changing mindsets.

“Uber did that. Skip (the Dishes) did that, that’s what Peazy is doing,” said Vilar. “These kinds of marketplaces are now commonplace and they are here to stay.”

And as far as the stresses of standing up a new business from scratch, Boisjoli has done it before and relishes the environment. He said it remains to be seen if his experience from Bold will make it any easier.

“It hasn’t yet played out that way,” he said jokingly, but pointed out the rate of success for second-time founders is much higher.

Although Boisjoli is no longer CEO of Bold Commerce, he is still very much involved in the successful digital commerce company. He’s thoughtful about the manner in which he and his three co-founders built that company.

“When I transitioned out, I just kept thinking that I have learned so much with everything that I’ve gone through with Bold,” he said. “I wondered what it would it be like if I actually had a second chance at starting a company and what could I do with that.”

Bold had the advantage of earning modest revenues almost from the beginning and was able to grow the company for some time on internal resources.

Peazy is “running really, really lean” he said.

“We are not raising money,” said Boisjoli. “We want to make sure we are in a position when we do decide to raise where we can execute exactly what we want to execute.”

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca