We're an early stage start up (two years in) establishing a new service for small business marketers and owners to improve their results. Sensecheck is an online platform that connects small business to a large panel of experienced marketing specialists to get arms-length bite size feedback, perhaps to validate a marketing idea or execution or maybe get input on a plan or idea.
The problem we solve is that:
a) market research can be expensive and time consuming to use on every occasion
b) feedback from colleagues or friends may be biased or sugar coated, and like it or not
c) in the "bubble" of a high pressure small business we are all too close to things to "read the label from inside the jar".
An informed objective perspective from the outside, if affordable like this is, can be a great assistance in avoiding marketing mistakes or improving performance. Particularly for a resource strapped small business.
Big companies have expensive consultants, swanky agencies and so on. Lots of external (and one hope's independent) input to help their marketing. We here in SMEs......simply don't.
Its like the "phone a friend" of small business marketing.