Hidrent on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost, who is the founder and how you can hire a firefighter as a handyman
When it comes to getting odd jobs done in and around the house, everyone knows a person who has had a bad experience or two. Therefore, people should be particular about letting strangers access their homes; there is no telling what can happen, and safety comes first. To solve this issue, there is Hidrent, a service that lets you hire off-duty firefighters to help you with a range of tasks, whatever they might be.
Now, the question is, will Hidrent be able to impress Mark Cuban, Nirav Tolia, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner or Robert Herjavec?
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What is Hidrent?
As reported by Forbes, the average firefighter salary is $53,240, making it slightly lesser than the U.S. median household income at $57,652. Seeing that firefighters are given downtime between their shifts, signing up with Hidrent allows them to make some additional incoming through odd jobs that they are equipped to handle. As per Hidrent's website "Firefighters are uniquely qualified to continue serving their community during their time off. Most firefighters work 24 hours on duty, followed by 48 hours off duty. Hiring an off-duty firefighter will supplement their income and leverage their skills and expertise – while you get the help you need from someone you can trust to get the job done right." The site also mentions that firefighters go through thorough background checks -- this helps ensure that the help you hire can be trusted.
Who is the founder?
Dave Heimbuch is the CEO of Hydrant. Interestingly enough, he isn't a firefighter himself, but comes from a tech background. His journey with Hidrent began when he realised that firefighters get downtime from the job and thus pick up second jobs to bring in income. In a conversation with Voyage Dallas, he revealed that his brother in law, a firefighter, showed him that there was a market for creating something unique.
"While talking with my brother-in-law (a firefighter in the Cincinnati area) about the repairs, he mentioned that he and other firefighters at his station all do this type of work. I followed up with more questions about firefighters and learned that their schedules allow them 20 days off each month and most have second jobs to keep busy and supplement their incomes." he explained. "Drawing on my Marketing background I asked him what firefighters use to promote their services, and he indicated that they primarily use referrals and word of mouth." he added.
However Heimbuch, listing their services on other apps could get competitive. So he found a solution -- create a unique platform entirely. "Knowing firefighters deserve better, we set out to create a home service app that was exclusive to firefighters who were looking for opportunities to work during their off-duty days." he added.
What's the cost and where to book Hidrent services from?
Hidrent offers a range of services, such as light fixture work starting from $173 - $262, general handyman work from $178 - $392, moving furniture from $156 - $456, smoke detector maintenance from $121 - $287, hauling things around from $139 - $294 and even gutter cleaning from $158 - $192. You can explore the rest of their services here on their website and book them via the app.
Where is Hidrent now?
"We have seen our revenues double from Q1 2020 to Q2 2020 with the onset of COVID-19. More and more people are being careful with who they let into their homes, but they still need help with certain tasks. Plus, I think quarantine has made more people eager to fix up their house which has contributed to the increase in our business as well." Heimbuch explained in a conversation with Apiko.
Who is likely to steal the deal?
Seeing that Hidrent functions as an app and website, making it e-commerce, there is a good chance that Nirav Tolia might be the one to take the bait.
'Shark Tank' Season 13 Episode 6 airs on ABC on November 12, 2021, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like Hidrent, Fish Fixe, HelloPrenup and Deux.
Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.