The future of marketplaces & getting clients

The global workforce is becoming more & more fragmented. We live in a technologically-driven world, and the magnitude of our online landscape has made it easier than ever before to reach new customers on a massive scale.

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This ease & accessibility to reach customers has lowered the barriers to entry as it pertains to distributing what can be sold & offered to people around the world. You can see an example of this phenomena with the high number of people who have ditched their 9-5 to go independent; or at the minimum, picked up freelancing work on the side. In 2021, over 50 million Americans chose to freelance, which equals nearly 34% of the entire workforce (eight years ago, this number was just 15%).

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Too much fragmentation, however, is a big problem. For example, millions of taxi drivers starting their own 1-person taxi company makes it difficult to match-make demand (rider) & supply (driver). Consumers inevitably gravitate to marketplaces they know & trust in order to find products, services, partners, vendors, and more. Sellers consequentially flock to where the customers are. This is evidenced by the dramatic growth of online platforms in the past decade like Etsy, Fiverr, and Upwork.

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Our bet is that marketplaces that bring people together are a critical & valuable component in the future; and that the rise of D2C-style distribution will stagnate & decline in coming years. This means that platforms that enable this style of distribution - like Shopify - will also decline (stock down 75% YTD), unless they undergo a significant pivot, as Shopify contributes to the aforementioned fragmented supply base.

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Our belief is that "doing it alone" is highly detrimental to the success of any company, agency, freelancer, or provider of any product, service, or offering. The intense & increasing competitive supply base ushers in a profound need for reliable & trustworthy marketplaces.

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“Alone we go fast, together we go far.”

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To be clear and to not over-inflate the value of marketplaces: being on any marketplace does not guarantee success, but it is a significant component. In short, we believe it is a necessary component - but not a standalone sufficient component - for sustained success.

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As total global spend in outsourcing & shared services approaches $1 trillion by 2025, 50Pros exists primarily to enable top companies to discover & hire top agencies/firms for any initiative, project, or task.

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The 3-party relationship of a marketplace (supply side, demand side, and the marketplace provider) is a delicate one. Its foundation is built on an intentionality in being customer-centric, trust, and ultimately supporting each other. We are 100% committed to our mission in bringing top companies & people together, and we look forward to serving you!