VEXXIT
RECONNECTING THE DOTS Resilience sparks growth for professional and consumer matching business BY TRINA REHBERG BOYKO
I magine launching a new business you’ve worked for years to develop, and just as it starts to flourish, the world is hit with a pandemic. That’s what happened to Vexxit, a Winnipeg company that uses machine intelligence to match consumers with professionals who can provide the services they need. Established in January 2020, Vexxit was only a few months old when the province went into lockdown in March. “At first, you’re like — what?” says Julie Rempel, vice-president of marketing and partnerships. “What does this mean? How long is this going to last? We have members who are ready to meet with people. What do you mean we can’t meet with people?” After the initial shock, the team at Vexxit did what it’s done since the very beginning — it adapted and grew under changing circumstances. The original idea behind Vexxit was to offer mentoring and education to young professionals. However, further market research gave the founders a better idea, when they discovered a need for opportunities where professionals and consumers could connect. They altered their path to accommodate this need, partnering with local technology companies
and developing an algorithm that would become the core of their business. Vexxit’s algorithm pairs consumers with professionals, including accountants, financial advisors, lawyers and consultants. The match is based on hard skills, such as areas of expertise and professional accreditations, and on soft skills, such as personal interests and service expectations. Consumers are then matched with three professionals, which allows them to pick
missing, given the current situation. “It was an immediate pivot, where we looked at what we have and what people need,” says Rempel. “We became that solution.” Vexxit reached out to its professional contacts to develop content for two new microsites. Both sites feature informative articles and videos that give professionals a platform to showcase their knowledge while increasing their exposure and educating
“The true value of what we do is in the help and advice that we offer. What we ultimately want to have as the result is happier people and happier professionals.”
from a personalized pool rather than cold- call a variety of professionals who might not be an ideal fit for their needs. While much of Vexxit’s business is conducted online, founders realized the inability to meet, learn and network in person could have negatively impacted its customers, so the company used surveys to find out how it could deliver on what was
others. Vexxitbusiness.com concentrates on people, process, strategy and technology, while Vexxitlife.com tackles financial, relationship and work issues. Both sites are accessible free of charge. In addition to these websites, Vexxit offers webinars and a newly launched podcast for more learning opportunities. All that content translates to added value for
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WINTER 2020
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