Pearl.com is a really new upstart in the online information space. In fact, they’re really a front-runner in what they offer: Professional answers to professional questions.
I already know what many of you might be thinking: Surely this is another Ask.com, or Yahoo! Answers type deal – perhaps with a small twist. Thankfully, Pearl is nothing like the aforementioned sites. Check out this featured article: Online Resource for Expert Advice Lines up More Than $50 Million in Financing!
That article alone should tell you that angel investors don’t see the site and its ideals as a drab copy of a concept that sounds good, but really doesn’t add much value to cyberspace surfers. Fifty-million dollars!
First, Pearl actually takes time (and money) to check out their sources. The professionals that offer their services to Pearl’s network of clients include: lawyers, doctors, mechanics, engineers, veterinarians, computer techs, life skills professionals, marketing experts, home repair gurus – and many others. Pearl hires an outside consultancy firm to investigate each of the near 10,000 professionals who get paid to advise their clients.
This vetting process adds a definite element of professionalism that isn’t found on other “ask and get an answer” type websites out there. If you ask a Pediatrist on Pearl claiming 30 years of experience, what he thinks is causing a sharp pain in your foot, you can be sure that he’s had a thorough background check done before he gets to you.
That’s not a bad start for Andy Kurtzig, Pearl’s founder and owner of sister site justanswer.com. Kurtzig started justanswer back in the early 2000’s. With a new wife and baby in tow, he came to the conclusion that he shouldn’t have to call his family doctor in the middle of the night to find out if his child’s cough was serious, or just signature symptoms of a colicky infant. Justanswer was born and his life was never the same after.
Pearl charges it’s customers between $10 – 90 dollars currently for answers to their questions – based on the complexity involved and the industry rate of the professional who answers. To give you a basic idea, retired veterinarian Dr. Michael Salkin makes over $100 per day answering a few questions, and he only gets half the rate charged to the customer – Pearl gets the other half.
Certainly Pearl.com has a bright future in the online “question and answer” space, and anyone whose out there thinking about starting a similar business would be best to study Mr. Andy Kurtzig’s values and marketing acumen before attempting such an endeavor themselves!
