The founder and CEO explains how his business matches the needs of the customer with that of the builder based on a vast number of parameters to ensure satisfaction on both sides
Anyone living in urban Hong Kong is accustomed to the chorus of drilling, hammering and sawing sounds of home renovation, but Benny Liu’s startup tries to make sure that shouting and swearing don’t accompany the din. HK Decoman works like a dating app between customer and contractor, matching each based on a vast number of parameters to ensure satisfaction on both sides. Here, Liu explains how his business idea came about, and why he always knew he was destined to be an entrepreneur.
We try to minimise the gap between expectation and reality. The biggest pain point in the renovation industry is the mismatch between the client and the sifu. Every [contractor] has the thing they’re good at. Without our platform’s help with matching, they’d accept any job, as they need the money. Using questionnaires, we help both sides by matching the most suitable consumer and the most suitable supplier.
I know nothing about interior design or renovation. More than 90 per cent of our staff don’t know anything [about the topic] either. I graduated in 2008, co-founded a digital marketing agency, then exited in 2016. I wanted to create something that would allow me to communicate with the consumer directly and add technology to a traditional industry.
After I sold the shares of my first company, I planned to take rest and renovate my apartment. I tried to research online and found nothing I needed. I asked around and found everyone was facing the same problem. I thought, “I’m going to build this platform myself.” Until last year, I still hadn’t had time to renovate my own home because the platform was developing so fast.
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