Refer A Friend App makes word-of-mouth referrals — the most powerful form of marketing — simple and scalable for small businesses. Users join for free and build their own personal referral marketplace, inviting trusted professionals they want to recommend.

“Those professionals join, accept leads, and users share their curated list with friends, neighbors and colleagues. When a referred professional completes a job, users earn up to 10% commission. Professionals only pay referral fees after the work is done and they’ve been paid,” explains Ryan Zeleznak.

Zeleznak founded the platform in December 2024 — and launched one year later — bringing together his background in business, real estate and sales. His experience, particularly with managing properties and running ice cream shops, highlighted a recurring challenge: finding trusted professionals like plumbers, electricians or carpenters.

Then it occurred to him to question: Why do companies pay influencers and marketers for referrals, but everyday people get nothing when they recommend a reliable business or professional to a friend?

“We’re constantly referring people to services we love — electricians, handymen, stylists, mechanics, you name it,” Zeleznak observes. “Word of mouth is a driving force for small businesses, yet the people making those vital connections rarely receive anything in return. That thought didn’t go away. I kept wondering and searching for a way for everyday people to benefit from the value they create by helping small businesses grow. If loyal customers could share in that success through incentives, would it lead to more engagement and enthusiasm for businesses?

“That’s when the idea for Refer A Friend began to take shape.”

And a new challenge surfaced: patience. “The biggest challenge I have encountered is the ‘hurry-up-and-wait’ period while updates are being made on the technical side of the app. While I have a lot of knowledge on the business side, there is still a lot to learn on the job and I had to rely on the professionals who make sure everything runs smoothly. Having patience was the best way to face these issues.”

As Zeleznak explains, “For any company, word-of-mouth advertising is invaluable, yet it’s often difficult for entrepreneurs to tap into this resource effectively. Our platform gives people the tools to create their own marketplace, invite service professionals and earn money for making those connections.”