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KAYWEB Angels portfolio company, You Need My Guy will bring word-of-mouth networking to the web with www.youneedmyguy.com.

Here is their launch press release:

NEW YORK: From time to time, people need to hire a service provider. A plumber, real estate attorney, florist, insurance agent—a stylist to cut their hair. Most have been there. Folks need to bring someone onto their property, or to perform a professional service like an accountant or golf coach, but just don’t know who to call.

It would be nice for people to have access to all of their friends’ little black books, full of the providers that they trust the most to get a job done well. But, it takes time to ask close connections, and most don’t spend the time to do it.

That’s why You Need My Guy was created—a brand new way to find (and promote) the right person for the task at hand.

“The thing is, not much has been done to bring that backyard, over the fence, word of mouth to the web, until You Need My Guy" said Joe Cassara, Founder & CEO of the company.

Consider this: a few weeks ago, Mike Gastin, who owns a creative agency in Rochester, NY, listed his handyman Norm on YouNeedMyGuy.com, and wrote a short review.

Another user, who was searching YouNeedMyGuy.com for a handyman, saw that they knew someone that uses Norm, saw that it was Mike, read Mike’s review and contacted Norm. Just a few days later, Mike sent out this tweet:

@MikeGastin: Just learned that my handy man got a job because I listed him on @YouNeedMyGuy! How cool is that?

With You Need My Guy, Norm, who isn’t a marketing guru by any stretch, generated word-of-mouth buzz thanks to Mike.

Here’s how it works:

• Users create an account that links to at least one of their social networks (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), and identify “their guys” i.e., the people that they love doing business with
• Other users searching the site can see which people within their networks rely on these providers as “their guy”, allowing decisions to be made based on word of mouth, not on a service provider's ad budget
• "Guys" can upgrade to a premium account for added features

National Growth:

With brand evangelists in major markets across the U.S., You Need My Guy is focusing on growing in regional markets through initial startup communities, media buzz and extensive network outreach.

Get started for free at http://www.youneedmyguy.com.


About You Need My Guy: 
You Need My Guy is run by Joe Cassara, who founded the company alongside KAYWEB Angels, who invested as a development partner. For media inquiries, please contact Joe at 585.329.4419 or joe(at)youneedmyguy(dot)com.