Released on: January 14, 2008, 1:26 pm

Press Release Author: PHPR Ltd

Industry: Internet & Online

Press Release Summary: PHPR Ltd wins online skills marketplace provider,
PeoplePerHour.com\'s PR business.

Press Release Body: PHPR serves online and technical businesses all over the UK from
an Edinburgh base. Their latest client, London-based PeoplePerHour.com's innovative
system matches buyers of services (such as small businesses) to freelance and small
business providers directly, through an online bidding system designed to encourage
providers to pitch their most effective solutions at their keenest prices.
eBay-style user ratings and feedback provide quality control, and PeoplePerHour's
unique escrow system provides credit protection to both sides.
Providers are typically freelance professionals or small specialist businesses with
skills on offer including web development & programming, design, admin support,
writing (including translations and transcriptions), marketing & PR, plus research.
Xenios Thrasyvoulou, PeoplePerHour.com CEO and co-founder says, "Penny Haywood at
PHPR was already using our site and demonstrated an in-depth understanding of our
business, combined with an innovative approach to media relations that matched our
own approach to business."
PeoplePerHouse.com Background Information:
Founded in 2007 by two Cambridge graduates: Xenios Thrasyvoulou and Simos Kitiris,
PeoplePerHour.com are targeting an estimated £5 billion opportunity. That's based on
the Federation of Small Business (FSB) figures for 2006 showing the total annual
spend on part-time, agency workers and casual labour in the UK across all businesses
was £70 billion a year. 4.4 million small businesses in the UK are currently growing
by 10% annually and account for 35% of the UK workforce, but only 44% of the small
business workforce is in full-time employment.
PeoplePerHour are already the UK leaders for the online skills market. To date
nearly 1,000 projects posted by UK businesses on PeoplePerHour.com have been
successfully completed by a selection of 2,500+ registered providers from the UK
(49%), and (in decreasing order) from US, India, Argentina and Spain, enabling UK
small businesses to tap into a global labour market.
Buyers choose from an average of five bids per project posted and in many cases can
access CV, photo, description, sample work and referee contact details.
PeoplePerHour.com ensures providers get paid on completion through a combination of
their unique escrow facility plus PayPal.
The company has already attracted £350,000 of seed investment from prominent angel
investors and is in discussions with a number of VCs.
PeoplePerHour practises what it preaches. Their team consists of developers in
India, designers in the US, a virtual assistant, PR agent and bookkeeper - all from
the site.
Busiest work categories are (in descending order): Web Development & Programming,
Design, Admin Support, Writing (including Translations and Transcriptions),
Marketing & PR, and Research.
The typical buyer runs a small business (usually less than 20 people). No sectoral
bias: companies seem to vary from boutique financial firms, Internet companies,
property and PR agencies. See PeoplePerHour in action on www.peopleperhour.com



Web Site: http://www.peopleperhour.com

Contact Details: For further comment, interviews, or photos please contact Penny at
PHPR on 0131 669 5190 or email penny@phpr.co.uk.
PHPR Ltd, Communications House, 3 Lower Joppa, Edinburgh, EH15 2ER. UK.