Client Overview
Type of Marketplace: Peer-to-peer rental platform for event equipment (e.g., projectors, lighting, audio gear)
Stage: Early post-launch, struggling to gain transactional traction despite promising user signups
Geography: Multi-city rollout in Canada.
Founding Team Size & Stack: 3 founders (1 tech, 1 ops, 1 BD), no growth lead; built on a custom MERN stack
Buyer/Seller Dynamics: Hyperlocal, supply-heavy model — high equipment availability, low trust in transaction process. Majority of demand was event planners and small business owners with unpredictable frequency of need.
Role & Duration
Role: Fractional Marketplace Architect (GTM + Liquidity Strategy)
Duration: 90 days (plus light advisory for 60 days post-engagement)
The Challenge
This wasn’t a growth problem. It was a platform orchestration problem hiding inside a “why aren’t users converting?” question.
The client had strong early traffic and organic interest from both supply and demand — but platform transactions were stagnant. CAC was low due to word-of-mouth and niche partnerships, but conversion rates were painfully low on both sides.
- Demand-side users (event organizers) would sign up, browse, but leave without booking.
- Supply-side (owners of high-quality rental gear) were frustrated with inconsistent inquiries and started going inactive.
- Liquidity wasn’t uniform — in some zip codes, there was oversupply. In others, there were zero credible listings.
And most critically: trust was the silent killer. Both sides hesitated at the point of transaction because they didn’t fully believe the platform could protect their interests.
Normal growth tactics — SEO, paid acquisition, email drips — would have made the problem worse. Until supply and demand were properly matched, every new user would be a wasted interaction.
The founders were in the weeds, trying to chase “more traffic,” but what they needed was a system that translated category-specific demand into local, trust-backed transactions — at scale.
Strategic & Operational Approach
1. Re-mapped marketplace dynamics around use-case liquidity, not geography
Rather than trying to match every user in every city, I identified the most transaction-ready use case: corporate offsite events.
- These users had budget, recurring need, and low price sensitivity.
- The same 12 types of equipment were repeatedly searched across cities.
We designed a category-first, geo-second matching system. We concentrated supply-side activation on those 12 SKUs in high-volume cities, creating instant perceived liquidity.
2. Redesigned onboarding for both sides to build trust and compress time-to-transaction
- Supply onboarding was rebuilt around “instant book” capability and standardized terms, which we created through lightweight vendor agreements and insurance language.
- Demand-side onboarding was focused on guided listings, curated bundles, and verified suppliers — not just a marketplace search bar.
Each user now saw clear next steps, real humans behind the profiles, and a reason to transact today.
3. Created a ‘liquidity unlock playbook’ for high-potential zip codes
Rather than try to “scale the whole map,” I built a repeatable 3-week growth sprint for new cities:
- Week 1: Targeted supplier activation using manual outreach + curated profiles
- Week 2: Launch offer for demand-side (free delivery or bundled pricing)
- Week 3: First-transaction guarantee and case study content from local users
This process created intentional market density, not scattered growth. It’s how we built fast traction in 6 more cities — without burning capital.
4. Installed cross-functional rituals to avoid future ops overload
Most startups hire for ops after growth breaks the system. We did it in reverse.
I worked with the product and ops leads to build internal playbooks and Slack-based alerts for:
- Vendor inactivity
- Unbooked inquiries
- Trust-risk signals (e.g., repeated disputes or refund requests)
This allowed the small team to maintain high-touch trust standards without bloating headcount or spinning up a “support org.”
Results & Business Impact
- GMV grew from ~$25K/month to over $200K/month within 75 days
- Vendor activation rate improved 3.1x (from 12% to 39%) due to clearer onboarding and real demand signals
- Buyer first-transaction speed decreased from 9.4 days to 2.8 days
- Trust-based conversion (where user rated platform 8+/10 for confidence) increased by 58%
- Churn dropped significantly: Over 60% of vendors who transacted once came back within 30 days with new availability or reactivation
Most importantly, the growth was repeatable. By Month 3, the founders could launch in a new city using the “liquidity unlock” sprint without me. They no longer needed to brute-force early traction.
Why Partnering With Me Was the Advantage
When marketplaces stall, most founders throw fuel at the fire — more users, more ad spend, more campaigns.
But that’s noise without structure.
I don’t build noise. I build engines.
This project worked because I didn’t treat growth as a marketing function — I treated it as system orchestration.
- I built trust into the mechanics of the platform, not the copy.
- I treated unit economics like a diagnostic tool, not a spreadsheet artifact.
- I designed onboarding for momentum, not just conversion.
That’s what real marketplace architecture looks like: understanding where your liquidity is born, and building systems that protect and expand it.
If you’re building a marketplace and tired of vanity growth, I’ll help you install the systems that turn liquidity into profit — and users into advocates.
This isn’t agency work. It’s operator-grade growth architecture — and it’s what your platform actually needs.
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