From what I've read there are a few lessons: (1) what is your value as a middleman, and why wouldn't providers go around you? (2) Make sure customers are happy.

From what I've read there are a few lessons: (1) what is your value as a middleman, and why wouldn't providers go around you? (2) Make sure customers are happy. Homejoy didn't get reliable cleaners, which hurt their brand. (3) Adjust to regulatory changes. Homejoy claims switching from workers from 1099 to employees caused them to close. Uber does well on all these. Customers don't need a regular driver, they just need any car right now. Uber is 10X better than taxi service and customers love it. Uber aggressively crashes through regulatory hurdles. Homejoy failed, but Handy and Amazon Home Services and Thumbtack are still around. Google might jump in, too. So it might be an issue with Homejoy, not with the business model.