January 2017
Supplement
HBS Case Collection

Hello Alfred: Come Home Happy — Operating the Business Model Exercise

By: Joseph B. Fuller and Christopher Payton

Format:Electronic
| Language:English

Abstract

On a mission to "automate the on-demand economy," Harvard Business School classmates Marcela Sapone and Jessica Beck launched Hello Alfred in 2013 to provide subscribers with an "Alfred" to complete various chores for a monthly fee. In early 2016, the company has built an infrastructure, including a mobile app, to develop Alfreds' routes and respond to customer requests in conjunction with other service providers, for example grocery delivery services, in what the founders describe as their "B2B2C" business model. Alfred won the coveted TechCrunch San Francisco Disrupt Cup in 2014, and by April 2015 had secured $12.5 million in seed and Series A funding. The founders must determine the best growth strategy for Alfred. Should they expand Alfred beyond their present operating cities, New York and Boston, or should they focus on their current markets? Should they increase public visibility to attract more customers, or should they enroll landlords in Alfred and reach consumers in that way?

Keywords

Growth and Development Strategy; Online Technology; Business Startups; Service Operations; Service Industry; New York (city, NY); Boston

Citation

Fuller, Joseph B., and Christopher Payton. "Hello Alfred: Come Home Happy — Operating the Business Model Exercise." Harvard Business School Spreadsheet Supplement 317-705, January 2017.