Tim Hyer is the founder of Rentcycle, a startup based in San Francisco. Rentcycle helps local rental businesses get discovered and lets consumers compare options and book reservations online. The mission is to waste less, share more.
San Francisco is a unique spot. From retro Haight Ashbury to flamboyant Castro to hipster Mission, this city knows how to embrace weird. As accustomed as I've become to the wonders of such diversity, I find I can still be caught off guard. During a recent jog up and down the hilly streets, I saw something that made me do a double-take. Goats? In the middle of the city?? Yes. One can't help but feel farm animals in the middle of a metropolis is strange, even for a town that encourages oddity. What on earth could they be doing here?
Upon further investigation, I found these goats had a purpose: to clear the land of brush and weeds. They were part of a SF-based company, called City Grazing. This company touts goat grazing as an environmentally friendly alternative to mowing, burning or herbicides. Further, the company claims its goats can cover large areas in a shorter period of time than most manpower at a rate of 1/2 acre per 8 hour day (50 goats). Plus, they're cheaper than manual labor, are chemical-free and are popular with parents and children. Even the critter's droppings are in demand!
When I got back from my run, I got on the computer and discovered San Fran is not alone in its love for goats! There's Rent-a-Ruminant in Seattle, Hire-a-Goat in San Diego, Goatmowers in Grand Rapids. You may not believe it, but there's even a search engine specifically dedicated to goat rentals, called Goat Finder at www.goatfinder.com! Who knew this was such a lucrative business! WIRED Magazine covered the Rent-a-Goat concept a couple years back with this video:
Hopefully I taught you something new today, or at least made you chuckle. For those of you who can't stand mowing your lawn, now there's no excuse. You can rent a four legged weed eating machine to do the job for you!
Today, Rentcycle announces its nomination to Entrepreneur Magazine’s annual list of “100 Brilliant Companies” for 2010. Hitting newsstands today, the cover story for the June 2010 issue highlights “brilliant” companies in categories ranging from mobile tech to green business.
In all, 10 fast-growing categories were identified as bringing “jaw-dropping ingenuity to the table.” Value was recognized as a key category, especially during tight economic times. Within this category, Rentcycle was selected as a “company to watch” since the company helps penny-pinching consumers save money renting their favorite things at a fraction of the cost of buying. To date, the marketplace hosts more than 30,000 rental businesses which can be discovered in cities and towns across the United States.
“We are beside ourselves with excitement that Entrepreneur Magazine has included Rentcycle on their list of the most brilliant business ideas of 2010,” shares Tim Hyer, Founder and CEO of Rentcycle. “To be in the company of startups we admire like Groupon and BillShrink is a huge honor and we are pleased to see further validation behind the online rental concept.”
Earlier this year, the newly launched Rentcycle marketplace debuted with 30,000 rental stores from the top 350 cities across the United States. Here, consumers are able to get information about rental businesses ranging from luxury goods to baby equipment. The hope is that a central rental search engine will enlighten consumers by opening their eyes to the variety of goods they can rent versus buy. Did you know you could rent a piano? How ‘bout an expensive designer handbag or dress like those you see on the red carpet? You’ll be shocked to learn you can rent a living Christmas tree each year or even a temporary pet dog. Now there’s a place to locate all these things.
No more Dharma Initiative. No more black smoke. No more flashbacks (or flash sideways or flash forwards, for that matter). Last night, over 13 million viewers tuned in to say goodbye to Jack, Locke, Kate, Sawyer and the other castaways we’ve grown to love during the past six years. Although the 2.5 hour series finale over-delivered in many ways and is now eligible for Emmy nominations, many fanatics refuse to come to terms with “the end” in what has been dubbed post-Lost depression.
In an effort to help these diehard fans cope with the finale, I spent some time researching all of the Lost-related items you can rent. Even though the series is over, who says you can’t surround yourself with the comforts of the show? Here are a few rentable items that can cure even the most island-sick hearts:
Did you know May is national bike month? What better way to welcome spring and summer than on a bicycle! Whether you’re an avid cyclist or a casual beach cruiser, bipedal locomotion is good old-fashioned fun. Whizzing ‘round town on a bike will instantly clear your mind and is a great way to see the outdoors. Plus, it’s one of those life pleasures that bring you right back to childhood.
Although you can’t act like a child at work, you can certainly relive the experience during the commute. Tomorrow is bike-to-work day, held annually on the third Friday of May across the United States and Canada. Some cities, like San Francisco celebrated early, but there’s never a wrong time to bike-to-work. It’s a healthy, safe and green alternative to driving. Be sure to check out events in your city.
If you don’t own a bicycle, check out Rentcycle for places to rent in your area. And don't worry if you haven't oiled those chains in awhile. As the expression goes, “it’s like riding a bike!”
During the Q&A portion of a recent startup event, I was asked whether Rentcycle could be used to "rent a monkey." This question brought laughter to the audience and caught me off-guard. As soon as I got home, I Googled "rent a monkey," only to discover a viral online hoax that promised the ability to rent a monkey for a week. If you're bored, the video is pretty funny. At first, I dismissed the whole thing as a joke. But scrolling further down the results page led me to find you actually CAN rent a monkey—professionally trained monkeys with handlers for children's birthday parties. I soon learned monkey rentals are the tip of the iceberg for a new global trend—pet rentals—a topic that's been met with much controversy in the U.S.
Pet rentals have been around for years, particularly in Asia. Korea and Japan are famous for their cat cafés, local coffee shops where patrons pay a fee to cuddle with kittens while enjoying their daily cup-a-joe. An article in Marie Claire states, "The cat cafés have become so popular that more than 150 businesses have sprung up to offer animals for hire—ferrets, turtles, squirrels, monkeys—on an hourly, weekly, or even monthly basis, if you want to bring the critter home." Dogs have been predictably popular, as evidenced by Tokyo dog rental business, Perro Moco. Here, busy professionals living in the cramped city of Tokyo can spend a few hours or a weekend with a furry friend of their choice.Temporary pet sharing seems to benefit both sides of the equation. Humans get companionship without the long-term responsibility and daily hassles associated with ownership. In turn, pets get the love and attention they seek. Since most pets are rescued from pounds, shelters or abandoned homes, they get a new lease on life, along with some much needed care.
This was precisely the motivation behind a U.S.-based company, FlexPetz which introduced dog rentals to cities across America. Despite annual fees of about $1,500 per year, the concept was extremely popular—there was even a waiting list to get selected! FlexPetz made the whole process very convenient—dogs were delivered groomed with pre-packaged meals; owners didn’t need to worry about veterinary bills or buying lots of toys. For obvious reasons, the service was perfect for people who travel a lot, people who live in places that don’t allow pets, and people who want to test if they’re ready for the commitment of owning an animal. Even nursing homes were great candidates for the pet rental service, with weekly scheduled dog visits for residents.Although this arrangement sounds ideal, FlexPetz didn’t go over so well in other cities, like London and Boston. Here, lawmakers and activists took action against pet rental companies, citing the practice as “unethical.” They argued services like FlexPetz promoted the idea of “disposable pets.” Activists from PETA and the ASPCA also got involved, arguing dog renting provides unstable environments for the animals. Since they’re pack animals, the ASPCA argues an inconsistent lifestyle like this can be psychologically traumatizing for the dogs. As one PETA rep stated, "This business exists to make money at the psychological expense of the animal. Besides the possibility of emotional scarring from being bounced from owner to owner, there are concerns about the rental dogs as they age—where do they go when their shelf life expires?" After only a year in business, FlexPetz was forced to shut its doors in 2008, in response to the backlash.
I’m not quite sure where I stand in this debate. I certainly agree with The Humane Society that "animals are not DVDs," but feel, if handled appropriately, there's an opportunity for some kind of solution when it comes to temporary pet sharing. A dog owner myself, of course I’m a proponent of animal rights and the ethical treatment of our four-legged friends. However, the rigorous screening process (background checks, matching process, in-home interviews, trial sessions) practiced by FlexPetz eliminated many of these concerns for me. On top of this, the FlexPetz dogs were rescued from pounds and would have otherwise been euthanized. Seemed these dogs got a chance at a happy life while the people (who were willing to sit for months on a waitlist and spend upwards of $1,500 per year) got an opportunity for companionship. It can be argued that, in many ways, the decision to rent a dog is much more responsible than the decision to own a dog since it acknowledges the time commitment, responsibility and investment of ownership. Although pet renting is controversial, I can’t help but feel the world would be a better place with more opportunities to interact with puppies and kittens :-)
Do you think there's an appropriate and responsible way to handle pet sharing? Would love to hear what you think.
It’s a big week for this small startup. As of Monday, Rentcycle doubled in size, growing from one to two full-time employees. Don’t worry, the company dog is still involved—it’s just taken a back seat to Rentcycle’s latest addition.
Meet Ludo Goarin, Rentcycle’s newly dubbed Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer. For the past eight years, Ludo has run his own web development company, OrangeSites, where he and his team have helped hundreds of clients build strong, sustainable online presences by leveraging online technologies, web design and SEO. A man of many talents, Ludo is more than just a coder. He also brings sales, marketing, business and design experience to the table, making him a key voice when it comes to product strategy and company vision.
After eight years of building websites for other early-stage companies, Ludo is ready to take the plunge and be part of his own startup dream. He believes in the business model for Rentcycle and is eager to create a superior product. One of Ludo’s best qualities is his focus on the user. His plan is to engineer a solution that solves a real need for both businesses and consumers. Ludo brings a sense of worldliness to the Rentcycle team as well. Hailing from France, Ludo attended ESSCA where he received degrees in International Marketing, Languages, as well as a Masters in Business Administration. Research has shown Europe is even more progressive than the U.S. when it comes to renting as a form of commerce, so this French connection might come in handy down the road ☺ Ludo lives with his wife in San Francisco. He takes advantage of the outdoor playground of Northern California as a basketball player, scuba diver and kite surfer. He even finds time for the occasional fishing trip and he now rents all of his equipment! Welcome, Ludo. Rentcycle couldn’t be more thrilled to have you on board!
Cleantech has been called the greatest environmental opportunity of the 21st century—a potential counter-reality to the inconvenient truth of pollution, destruction and global climate change. In a previous post, I touted the ecological benefits of renting. Now I want to talk about the technology sitting at the center of the cleantech universe—solar power. The opportunity to create energy out of a renewable resource as prevalent as sunlight is very promising. It’s also very expensive.
The average cost to manufacture and install a residential solar system is $40,000. Sure, homeowners recoup this investment and more with reduced energy bills, effective immediately. But it’s still a ton of cash to put down up-front. The recession didn’t help a widespread adoption of solar technology. It’s estimated more than $12B in revenues were lost in the solar industry during 2009 alone. What a shame. This green, cost-cutting technology was falling victim to frozen credit, fewer subsidies and massive layoffs. Just like the rest of the economy.So, what’s a solar company to do? All this expensive product with no way to sell it. A few innovative companies realized maybe that was at the heart of the problem—selling. They thought, perhaps there are other (less financially prohibitive) ways to distribute solar technology. Instead of a one-time transaction of $40,000, some solar companies began leasing their systems on long-term contracts.
One of these solar rental pioneers is San Francisco-based SunRun. Under their model, households pay an installation fee (no more than $1K) and agree to a fixed monthly utility and maintenance bill for the next 20 years, during which time they save thousands of dollars. Leases are easily transferred so relocation isn’t a problem. Most new homeowners are happy to lock in electricity costs for the near-term future—a financial no-brainer.Compared with the rest of the industry which tanked in 2009, SunRun’s year-over-year growth was 400% and bookings are expected to triple in 2010. And SunRun isn’t the only solar company to discover the rental opportunity—Sungevity, Citizenre REnU, SolarCity and others are discovering the consumer-friendly benefits of renting.Solar energy. Just another way to reduce, reuse, rent.
Whether we like it or not, we’re all familiar with insurance giant, GEICO and its memorable advertising icons. From the witty gecko to the googly-eyed stack of money, GEICO’s got a way of getting their messages to stick in our minds. Such was the case with their popular caveman campaign. The slogan, “So easy, even a caveman can do it,” led to several hilarious commercials, billboards and even a primetime television show (for part of a season)! Playing off the concept of simple-minded cavemen, GEICO successfully communicated how easy it is to use their product. Clear and concise.
Thanks to vator.tv, Rentcycle recently had the opportunity to produce a video as part of a prize won at the recent Vator Splash startup competition. In collaboration with video production company, StudioNow, Rentcycle created a short animation to highlight the benefits of renting. The funny thing about renting is, despite its clear benefits to save money, space and the environment, few consumers consider it an option. This is partly because there currently is no convenient online solution (we’re working on this ☺) and partly becase few realize just how many things can be rented at a fraction of the cost of buying (literally just about anything you can think of). For this reason, we wanted to create a simple but entertaining piece introducing consumers to the rental opportunity.We needed to tell the story in an easily understandable way so our startup’s new solution could be grasped in about a minute’s time. Like GEICO, we decided on the caveman analogy, not only because it implies simplicity, but also because it references renting’s long history. Whether a pistol in the Wild West, a wig in Elizabethian England or a club in prehistoric times, renting has been around for centuries. Only recently has the trend made a comeback—which is the purpose of this animation. I have to give the creative credit to StudioNow for bringing it all to life. Go ahead and take a look—hopefully it’s as memorable as a GEICO commercial!Special thanks to vator.tv and StudioNow for the hard work and collaboration making this video possible. It was a fun, creative collaboration. Cheers!
It’s April 15th once again. As the saying goes, the two certainties in life are death and taxes. Whether you owe the IRS, expect a refund, or are still procrastinating to file before midnight, today marks one of the most dreaded dates on the calendar. Today’s post aims to bring hope to those left scrambling in the wake of our annual affair with the IRS.
Each year, millions are surprised by unexpected tax requirements, forcing cost-cutting measures whenever possible. How are people supposed to maintain the lifestyle they enjoy after being wiped out by the government? In addition to a steady diet of ramen noodles, renting is one solution. Why not enjoy the luxuries of life at a fraction of the price by renting versus buying?
Want the exotic sports car without the exotic price tag? You can rent a Ferrari or Porche.
Want to feel like you belong on the red carpet without the celebrity paycheck? You can rent designer dresses, jewelry, shoes.
Want to keep up with the latest technologies without needing another job to support your geeky habit? You can rent GPS systems, digital cameras, even an iPhone!
Suddenly, your piggy bank can go a lot further. Don’t let a silly tax return crush your big dreams. Renting provides frugal consumers with lots of options.
So put away your pencil, calculator and TurboTax for another year and start planning a happier second half of the month of April. Who knows, maybe you can find a way to work in a tax deduction!
One of the nice things about renting is the simplicity of the concept. The benefits of renting are relatively easy for most people to grasp. We save money by renting when we can't affort to buy. We help the environment by sharing the things we already have, reducing production. Makes sense, right? There's another advantage many overlook when it comes to renting -- space savings. Take a second to think about your home. Now, think about your closets. Are they empty? If you're anything like me, they're stuffed beyond capacity -- usually to the point where I can barely shut the door. Some may say this is because I live in a city apartment and have limited closet space, but I think this lets me and others off the hook way too easily. Whether you have 1 closet or 10 closets, chances are you'll find ways to fill them. Why is it so easy for us to accumulate so much stuff? Because this is how we've been programmed to consume. In order to remain savvy, we're forced to upgrade to the latest tech gadgets that claim to be "the next big thing." In order to remain fashionable, we're forced to keep up with the latest styles that fluctuate drastically from season to seaon. After awhile, we end up with a pile of old iPods and shoes that do nothing but take up space, adding zero value to our lives.
Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind, touches on the current era of humanity as "the age of abundance" where people have way too much stuff -- more than they'd ever need. He discusses this in the context of the self-storage industry -- an industry built around an over-abundance of posessions. He comments, "What is the unmet consumer need that self-storage is trying to satisfy? It is a problem called too much stuff. Not a problem that affected our parents and grandparents. But the self-storage industry in America today, an industry devoted entirely to finding a place to house people’s extra stuff, is a $22.6 billion, that is a B, billion dollar a year industry. The self-storage industry is larger than the motion picture business in this country." I've also read it's an industry that's growing faster than McDonald's. When we get to the point that our material goods exceed the space we need to functionally live -- to the point that we need to purchase additional space exclusively for housing our idle assets -- we should probably admit there's a problem. You've heard of hoarding, right?
Annie Leonard, an activist who has spent the past 10 years traveling the globe fighting environmental threats, created a documentary called The Story of Stuff. In the video, she presents a rapid-fire, often humorous and always engaging story about “all our stuff—where it comes from and where it goes when we throw it away.” The documentary may present a one-sided, extremist viewpoint about the lifecycle of material goods, but it certainly opens up a dialogue around how the production of more and more stuff is destroying our lives and our planet. Leonard's primary thesis states, "you cannot run a linear system on a finite planet indefinitely." We need to introduce a cyclical process -- something that is sustainable.
Fortunately, renting is a cyclical process. You take a material good that has been produced and reuse that product over and over and over, until its value has been fully maximized. More sharing = less production = less waste. I'm not suggesting that renting is the cure-all for our society's obsession with possession. But it's certainly a step in the right direction. What most people don't realize is you can rent just about anything you can buy. From designer dresses to iPhones to Christmas Trees, there's no shortage of rental goods. So next time you need a stereo for a party or a power saw for a home improvement project, consider renting. Your closet (and your planet) will thank you.
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