Why I set up scuseme Cambridge?
As a local resident one of the questions I am asked most frequently is “why did I set up scuseme Cambridge?”. The answer is simple. Despite living here for over 20 years, it can be difficult to find trusted tradespeople and home services. I have lost count of the many times I have heard friends and colleagues asking one another “can you recommend a ….”. Of course, the first point of reference should always be to ask someone you know; but what if you are new to Cambridge, or your regular tradesperson is no longer available?
Local and trusted
As a local resident I set up scuseme Cambridge to provide a free and reliable place to connect with the help that you need. I have a vested interest in Cambridge, I have worked here and I have a family here. I wanted to build a business that builds on the relationships and local knowledge that I have acquired over the years. But, unlike other recommendation websites, scuseme is about using people that have a vested interest in the community. I often bump into scuseme recommended tradespeople in and around Cambridge. They are people who I have met up with to personally vet and that face to face interaction builds trust.
Another reason behind the business was in response to the increasing incidents I read about where cowboy traders take advantage of the vulnerable. I have experienced this in the past and it is very distressing. I set up scuseme to provide a safe source of trusted tradespeople and home services. Especially for people who may feel vulnerable, scuseme is not just an online service, anyone can connect with scuseme on the phone. Indeed I have even met with a number of customers in person to get testimonials. The reputation of scuseme is growing and because Cambridge is well connected, my good reputation is precious.
It is a fact that the risk of getting a cowboy trader is hugely inflated if you use someone who disappears after the work is done. Every person on my site is known to scuseme personnel personally. They represent the best of their trades in terms of the excellent value, experience, and customer care. I personally meet all our tradespeople and experts; that way you can be confident the recommendation and I build real relationships with my team. There is no one on my site that I wouldn’t happily have in my own home.
Cambridge back then
I’ve lived in Cambridge for over 20 years. I love it here. I’ve got some close friends and I feel really at home, especially in the vibrant community around Mill Road. When I arrived with my husband in 1996 it was all new to me. Having lived and worked in London, young free and single, the pace seemed slow and a social life seemed a long way off. Back then I worked at the Science Park in Melbourn and although I met (and remain friends with) some great people, nearly everyone relied on cars. I missed a spontaneous social life. The ghostly abandoned car park on a Friday evening always depressed me; where was the Friday night piss-up?
Our neighbours were welcoming and great helping us get to know the area. And when our family life started, new friendships blossomed as they tend to. Gradually my neighbourhood became and remains my ‘village’ with all the great things that a small and intimate community brings with it.
How do things get done?
One thing that takes time is knowing how things done. I would ask neighbours, colleagues and friends for recommendations for odd jobs; my husband is useless at this stuff, although he maintains that my unplugging him from the mains one fateful afternoon when changing a broken bulb sealed our relationship. And of course, the internet soon became an essential. But amassing a group of reliable and trust-worthy professionals took a while and involved some costly mistakes.
The idea for scuseme
So I remember what it can be like moving to a new area, and I think I am (I try to be) a good neighbour. When our next door neighbours started renting out their house, we had a regular turn-over of new families. I soon became the person they called on for help. That’s when I came up with the idea for scuseme: helping others kick start the relationship with Cambridge that took me such a long time.
With Cambridge growing so quickly I developed scuseme as a service that would replicate an on-line word-of-mouth recommendation – like a friendly neighbour. It was easy to come up with a name because my daughter used it all the time as a toddler to constantly ask questions. scuseme now provides Cambridge residents with a wonderful source of local talented tradespeople and home services and the word is spreading.
Looking ahead
My challenge now is to continue to grow the business so that it covers every conceivable local service. We have introduced services including accounting and book-keeping, chimney sweepers, photographers, tutors and we are about to launch a firewood online ordering service with a local firm. Exciting times are ahead.
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