Step Aside Yelp. A New Kid Is On The Block.

Can you trust the reviews on Angie’s List? Are the ratings left on HomeAdvisor accurate? Were the write ups on Yelp made by real people? Ratings and reviews sites have become many of our go-to sources for deciding everything from where to get our hair cut to where to buy our next car. But, according to the team at Seattle startup Fresh Chalk, reviews left by total strangers leave a lot to be desired.

With the goal of being the go-to source for trusted recommendations for local pros everywhere, Fresh Chalk lets users connect to friends and family to get instant access to vendors they can be confident will do a great job. Users can see who their connections recommend across service categories, letting them choose vendors with complete peace of mind.

Listed businesses include recommendations not just from Fresh Chalk users but also ratings from across the internet, letting users see the top-ten businesses in any category in their local area, based on a score aggregated from sources including Yelp, Google, BBB, Angie’s List, and RateMD. It also lets users read recommendations from Fresh Chalk users they don’t know and even ask questions of them.

Liz Pearce, Fresh Chalk’s Co-Founder and CEO, says that the site is a response to the typical uncertainty that comes with getting local pro recommendations today. “When you text someone or ask for recommendations on Facebook or Nextdoor, the responses quickly disappear into the void of the internet. When you use Yelp or Home Advisor, you don’t know who to trust, because those platforms are littered with fake reviews.” According to Pearce, Fresh Chalk mitigates these issues. “With Fresh Chalk, users get a central location to keep tabs on all the pros their friends and family trust. Additionally, our users choose who to follow, and we expect people who post inauthentic reviews will have very few followers.”

The brainchild of one of Fresh Chalk’s founders who grew tired of sending around a spreadsheet he used to track all of the home professional he used, the site aims to be a resource not just for individual users but also to the businesses listed there. For small businesses with tight marketing budgets, Fresh Chalk is a way to get referrals to prospective customers from some of their best customers.

Pearce adds, “Fresh Chalk works best when everyone in the community contributes at least a few recommendations. That way, even when you only have a few connections on the platform to start, you still have access to a bunch of great recommendations.” It’s a core reason why Fresh Chalk uses a karma score. For individual users, the karma score is a reflection of how much they’ve participated in the community by adding reviews, having people follow them, and having their posts liked. Businesses have karma scores too, which reflect their overall reputation on the internet.

Fresh Chalk already has hundreds of thousands of businesses listed in ten major metro areas, and includes more than 250 categories spanning everything from home, health, auto, and wellness to kids, finance, and special occasions. According to Pearce, the current categories were a deliberate choice. “We’re focused on helping people find recommendations for professionals they really need to trust - those who will be taking care of their families and homes, hopefully for many years.”

To find local professionals with a little help from your friends, visit www.freshchalk.com.