Alex Ryzer: LocalStudent Is an Online Platform That Lets Homeowners Hire Students for On-demand Services Like Lawn Mowing, Leaf Cleanup, and Snow Removal

LocalStudent is an online platform that lets homeowners hire students for on-demand services like lawn mowing, leaf cleanup, and snow removal.

We are committed to providing customers with top quality services, while providing students the opportunity to earn great pay while working flexible hours.

Tell us about yourself?

I co-founded LocalStudent back in August of 2018 while I was a student at Ryerson University studying Business and Entrepreneurship.

I, like many other students my age found that traditional student jobs like stocking shelves or flipping burgers didn’t work for students. They have inflexible hours, low pay, and micromanaging bosses. I founded LocalStudent to solve this problem, and change the model of student work.

If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

I would tell myself to spend more time reading. I’ve had more time recently to read, and it’s a great way to learn more through other peoples experiences.

What problem does your business solve?

We offer on-demand home services at a click of a button. Compared to traditional home service companies with contracts and service minimums, LocalStudent is uniquely poised to provide on-demand services to home owners while providing students with flexible work opportunities.

What is the inspiration behind your business?

I spoke a bit about this in the about me section, but the real inspiration for LocalStudent came from the lack of good jobs available for students.

LocalStudent provides complete flexibility and autonomy for our students, allowing them to choose the homes they service, and the hours they work.

What is your magic sauce?

LocalStudent is committed to customer satisfaction, and providing a complete variety of home services.

We offer year round services with lawn mowing in the summer, cleanups in the fall and spring, and snow removal in the winter. Our students are committed to working with our clients year round to service all their landscaping needs.

What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?

We are currently expanding geographically, as we are based out of Toronto, ON, and service all major cities in Ontario.

We intend to expand throughout Canada and The United States over the next 5 years. We also intend to expand into other services in the future, providing different on-demand services like dog walking or tutoring.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?

The main challenge our business has faced is the seasonality pertaining to our work. As we offer different services each season we have faced issues surrounding rehiring students for each season.

Many students are only looking for part-time or summer work, so finding students in off seasons can be difficult.

How do people get involved/buy into your vision?

Ontario residents looking for lawn mowing services can get a free quote at www.localstudent.com or by calling us at 647-479-5003, and Ontario students looking for work can apply to join our team at www.localstudent.com/apply !