About Yoohoo.Guru

Built in Johnson City by a chemical engineer turned founder who got tired of the Craigslist sketchy-listing roulette. What started as "there has to be a better way to find someone to help me move a couch" became a vision for how neighbors should be able to help each other.

What "yoohoo, guru!?" means

“Yoohoo!” — it's what you'd shout across the fence to get your neighbor's attention. That friendly call for help, no apps required.

“Guru” — our family of Sasquatch experts, each one specializing in something useful. The Chef Guru, the Tech Guru, the Garden Guru. They represent the real people in your community who know how to do the thing you need done.

Put them together: “Yoohoo, guru!?” — the neighborly way to find local help.

Why a marketplace, not a directory

Directories are phone books. You find a name, make a call, hope they're legit, pay cash, pray it works out. No accountability, no protection, no recourse.

A marketplace puts structure around the transaction: verified identities, escrowed payments, two-sided reviews, dispute resolution. When something goes wrong (and sometimes it will), there's a system to make it right.

What Phase 1 looks like

We're starting intentionally narrow: Johnson City only, low-risk categories only, no background checks yet. This lets us launch fast, learn fast, and build the reputation system that will eventually make background checks less necessary anyway.

The tradeoff is honesty. We tell you exactly what we verify and what we don't. You decide if that's enough for the job you're posting or applying to.

Where we're going next

• Coach Guru — paid skill teaching, local or remote. Coming Phase 3.
• Hero Gurus Foundation — free accessibility skill teaching through a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Coming Phase 4.