Telco product distributor, Informal Solution Providers has announced its acquisition of micro-jobbing platform, M4JAM (Money for Jam). Informal Solution Providers will trade under the name M4JAM.
The acquisition helps turn Informal Solution’s plan to build an active ecosystem that attracts and retains members by virtue of its real and immediate value, into a reality. It also adds an exciting dimension to Informal Solution’s business plan by facilitating activation and growth in its existing one million active user base.
Informal Solution chair, Andy Payne, comments: “We were looking to add product to our existing proposition and required a channel to reach our market more dynamically. We were building our own platform when we came across M4JAM. We then realised their application was a near perfect match to our requirements, but with a lot of added appeal.”
M4JAM is a platform for any micro-entrepreneur, offering the following services:
* Matches micro-jobs with “jobbers”;
* Provides opportunities to activate personal networks (through its “jobber army” functionality);
* Crowdsources data at alarming speeds;
* Offers exciting (and game-like) map-driven job functionality; and
* Allows jobbers to earn on the way to work, at work and while they sleep.
According to Payne, “jobs on demand” is a likely (if not certain) future trend and empowering, one job at a time, must be the way to go. “I expect the formal job market to embrace this trend as, for a lot of us, it will become a necessity just to cover essentials,” he says.
CEO of Informal Solution, Richard Dunn, adds: “Through the M4JAM platform, we have the potential to be one of the biggest job creators in South Africa. We will positively contribute towards addressing the terrible social issues that come with unemployment and underemployment.” He continues, “Too much talent is lost (permanently), through the youth of this country not having any real commercial opportunity. By building this ecosystem we plan to take this issue head-on.”
M4JAM is focused on enhancing the platform to ensure it attracts and retains jobbers. “Once they enter our network, it’s up to us to keep them there,” Dunn says. “So we are going to make sure their behaviour is rewarded and that there’s enough value in the ecosystem for them to keep engaging.”
M4JAM’s existing community of 130 000 jobbers can expect several exciting new features and value propositions.
The platform will be enhanced over the next few months. In the meantime, Dunn encourages existing jobbers to complete the non-paid jobs. “We are crowdsourcing ideas around our re-launch. Our intention is to give our jobbers a voice and allow them to be part of the exciting new direction that M4JAM is embarking on.”
