One year in and one of Morgantown’s most innovative business startups is thriving in it’s simple mission to shorten your to-do list.
Mon Help is celebrating its first year of business in Morgantown, and owner Chris Walls is excited about the prospects of year two. “Next Spring, Summer, I’ll definitely have to have people help me do the work. I’m just so incredibly busy!”
Mon Help started in 2015 with a unique business idea: help people accomplish chores and tasks they simply didn’t have the time or ability to do. Grocery store visits, post office runs, trips to the bank, dry cleaning pickups- those errands are the tip of the iceberg for the tasks that Mon Help can perform.
“Think of getting your oil changed while you’re at work” explains Chris, “you can take an hour of your hard earned PTO and do it, or you can pay me to do it for you and save that hour for the beach. That really stinks- I know a lot of people who have to take PTO to do personal things at work. Why not save that PTO for the beach and let me take care of it for you”
There simply aren’t many business like Mon Help, and that’s the case nationwide. “One of the challenges for me is that this business doesn’t exist” shared Chris. “It’s a constant education. There’s no model for this. It’s so different. But when you tell people about it, they say ‘what a great idea!'”
Some readers may be familiar with the Task Rabbit app available in larger markets, where busy folks can post small jobs or errands which are completed by vetted strangers. One way that Mon Help competes against apps like Task Rabbit is through Chris’s commitment to relationship and trust. To do business in Monongalia County, Chris recognized that a trustworthy reputation was essential in building a client base.
“When people hand me their social security check, which is the only money they’re getting that month, and they hand it to me with a deposit slip and say ‘take this to the bank’, that person really trusts me! If you don’t have that trust, you’re done” asserts Chris. Much of Mon Help’s success in its first year has come from client referrals, and Chris is quick to brag that he hasn’t lost a client yet.
The tasks that Mon Help can do are only limited to the imagination of the client. Chris has done it all from walking dogs to power washing decks. The majority of Mon Help’s clients are retirees and families with young children, though people from all walks of life use the service. The only area Mon Help can’t provide assistance is with in-home health care. “I can’t do medical,” clarifies Chris. “You gotta see a doctor. I can’t pick up prescriptions, you need an in-home nurse for that. But will I check that Auntie took her pill after I drop off a load of groceries for her? That I can do.”
Mon Help has grown so fast, it’s likely that Chris will have to expand his business as people start to think about spring cleaning. “For a one-man show, I can only do so many things. I can’t post jobs I’ve completed to Facebook anymore- it’s insanity, I’ll get work for three weeks with one post. I’ve got my current client base, and that takes priority.”
“This is really cheezy,” adds Chris, “you might not believe me, but I’ve always wanted to help people in my life. For someone to truly say ‘thank you so much,’ I don’t know, there’s something about it. I love doing it. I’m helping people in their actual day-to-day lives.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Mon Help, or if you’ve got a box on your to-do list to check, visit www.monhelp.com for more information, or follow the business on Facebook.