Time has always been the one thing we can never get back. Some people have more tasks than hours in a day. Others have hours they want to spend meaningfully. That gap is where a time broker comes in. By treating time as a resource that can be shared and exchanged, it changes how people live and work.

A time broker works by connecting the right people. On one side are clients, whether professionals, entrepreneurs, or parents, anyone who ends the day wishing they had more hours. On the other side are assistants, skilled and motivated individuals ready to put their time and talent to work. Wait4me turns this two-sided marketplace into a system where clients can delegate tasks with ease, while local assistants have the freedom to earn money on their schedule. It is more than a typical gig economy app. It is a service marketplace startup that values every hour.

For clients, this kind of service feels like relief. Tasks that pile up, administrative projects, or specialized assignments can all be handled seamlessly. Wait4me functions like an executive assistant app, an errand help app, and a task help app all rolled into one, helping people organize their days around what truly matters. Every task completed is not just work done, it is time regained and space freed to focus on priorities.

For assistants, Wait4me opens doors that the traditional job market rarely offers. They can choose assignments, set their own rates, and work when it fits their schedule. This is more than a side hustle app. It provides skill growth, professional development, and financial independence. Each completed task builds experience, reputation, and future opportunities. Wait4me treats its background-checked assistants as professionals, ensuring their work is respected and fairly compensated.

Trust holds the Wait4me platform together. Clients are not just outsourcing work. They are inviting someone into the rhythm of their daily lives. A reliable time broker takes the guesswork out of delegating, letting clients know their tasks are handled by capable professionals.

What makes the time broker model compelling is its focus on the value of time. With Wait4me, time is no longer an intangible concept. Rather, it becomes something that can be packaged into units that can be bought and sold. Wait4me acts as a productivity app in the truest sense, helping clients not just finish tasks, but think about how their hours are spent and what they gain. By pairing clients with skilled, trustworthy assistants, it gives them focus, breathing room, and the chance to grow. For assistants, it provides fairness, flexibility, and work that actually works for them. As a future of work startup, Wait4me ensures that every hour counts and every task matters, giving clients focus, assistants freedom, and work a human touch.

We at SME BUSINESS REVIEW spoke with Karen Ahrens, co-founder and CEO of Wait4me, to learn how the platform helps people manage their time, connects clients with skilled local assistants, and establishes a new benchmark for the future of work. Here’s what Karen had to say.

Interview Excerpts

How did Wait4me come into existence, and what gap in the market does it fill?

Wait4me was created in anticipation of the economy of tomorrow, where time will be the most valuable commodity. In positioning Wait4me as a time broker for the economy of tomorrow, we have created the North Star for the marketplace of the future. Some people don’t have enough of it, while others have more than they need. We set out to create a marketplace where people can buy and sell time.

It started at the DMV. The co-founder was holding ticket number 42, looking at what seemed like a two-hour wait. He had work to get done and needed to pick up his daughter. Next to him sat a woman who seemed completely at ease. She had a book, her water bottle, and no sense of urgency. They had just called number 19, and she was number 23.

He turned to her and asked, “Would you switch numbers with me if I paid you $30?” She paused, unsure at first, then said, “I have the time. Why not?”

He was done in 30 minutes. She got paid for the time she didn’t mind spending. That made something clear. Time has value, and it can be traded. The question became how to make that work at scale.

CEOs rely on assistants to free up their time so they can focus on what matters most. That directly impacts how effective they are. We asked ourselves why that kind of leverage should be limited to a few.

Wait4me brings that same idea to everyone. It connects people who need time with those who have it. In doing so, it gives individuals more control over how they spend their day. We have taken what was once a luxury and made it accessible to working professionals, small business owners, busy parents, and entrepreneurs like us.

‘We’re building a startup where people, innovation, and opportunity meet.’ Could you share what this means for the company and its users?

We anticipated the fundamental shifts in the economy brought about by machine learning and AI as we built Wait4me. Time and human services are what will become more and more valuable as AI innovations continue to transform our economy. We positioned Wait4me as the north star for what has been thought of as time management. Wait4me is the first time broker, leveraging the most valuable resource and recognizing it as the commodity of the future.

We built Wait4me to provide an easily accessible means for our clients and assistants to buy and sell their time. Our assistants bid on assignments, setting their rate rather than having flat rates or algorithmic pricing imposed on them. Clients can choose assistants based on experience, work style, and the rate that they bid.

How does Wait4me connect users with local personal assistants, and what range of services does it offer?

Wait4me offers two tiers of service. The main marketplace is app-based, allowing clients to post assignments across a wide range of responsibilities. Assistants provide personal and professional support, including running errands, administrative tasks, reservations, event and party planning, home organization, and schedule management. Clients can assign tasks to assistants they have worked with before or allow new assistants to bid. We carefully match skills and work styles to help clients find the right assistant for each task.

We provide a second, more curated tier of service for our VIP clients. This tier allows us to offer a next-level premium service where Wait4me individually selects the assistants for the daily needs of VIP clients in the entertainment, sports, and business world.

Who can become a Wait4me personal assistant, and how does the platform support them?

Anyone with spare time can download the app and start working as a Wait4me personal assistant. Our clients seek a wide range of skills and work styles. More skilled and experienced assistants will find clients booking them for assignments using those skills, whether that is helping a small business owner with market research or supporting a client with managing domestic projects like renovations. Other assignments, such as running errands, require less professional experience and rely primarily on reliability and great communication.

As Wait4me grows, our TrainUp program helps assistants build skills, gain experience, and master tools that make their time even more valuable to clients.

What tools and features does Wait4me offer to help users plan, track, and communicate about their assignments?

The Wait4me app is designed for simplicity, offering just the features required to get each task done. The app enables clients and assistants to communicate seamlessly through in-app chat before and during an assignment. Once a client posts the details of an assignment, they can track its progress through the app and are notified whenever action is required.

Wait4me is the ultimate time-management app. How do you think it changes the way people use and value their time?

Wait4me has transformed time management into time brokerage, taking it beyond the ordinary. Imagine how you could realize your potential, both professionally and personally, when presented with a means to buy and sell time. As a client, understanding what it means to add hours to your day is life-changing. An early adopter client sent this to us after using Wait4me for the first time: “I hired my first Wait4me Assistant today. On my drive home from work, I can’t explain the feeling, I just exhaled. Wait4me let me add three hours to my day, three hours more of things checked off my list. I could relax with my family tonight and be present.”

For our assistants, recognizing the value of their spare time is both rewarding and empowering. We speak with many who sign up and take on assignments, and a recurring theme is that the work they do for our clients is interesting and allows their skills to shine in ways most gig economy jobs never offer. Importantly, they set their own rates for assignments, giving them full control over their time and earnings.

What were the biggest challenges you faced along the way, and how did you overcome them?

Our founding team and advisory board have vast experience and diverse expertise. The challenges we have encountered are manageable when you are surrounded by such brilliance. That said, launching a start-up is never easy, and when mid-launch massive fires swept through Los Angeles, destroying my house, I definitely felt like I was being put to the test. From this, I learned the power of perseverance, resilience, and the strength we possess when guided by a true vision and passion.

What sets Wait4me apart in the on-demand personal assistance market?

From a tactical perspective, Wait4me operates in a league of its own among on-demand personal assistant services. Our premium service gives clients direct access to skilled local assistants who deliver the perfect fit for their needs. Unlike many competitors that rely on remote or offshore assistants, or even AI, our marketplace connects clients with real, local talent who can earn a fair wage. AI and remote staffing handle many tasks, but picking up dry cleaning, decorating an office for a holiday party, or sorting through an aging parent’s pantry for expired items requires assistants who are present, capable, and trusted.

What truly sets us apart is the paradigm shift we are bringing to how time is valued. Time is the most valuable human resource, and by turning it into a marketplace, Wait4me is setting the standard for the economy of tomorrow.

What are Wait4me’s plans and priorities for the next five years?

The next five years for Wait4me will see market expansion across the US and into global markets. Additionally, we have a product roadmap to bring further innovations to the platform, always keeping an eye on simplicity and supporting our clients and assistants. Lastly, we will launch a program within Wait4me to actively include the economically disenfranchised in this marketplace, supporting target groups who face barriers to employment.

Talk to Us

Wait4me is available on the App Store and Google Play. For more information, please visit our official website or reach out to contact@uwait4me.com for inquiries and partnerships.

ABOUT | KAREN AHRENS 

Karen Ahrens, co-founder, serves as the CEO of Wait4me. She has had a professional career spanning system design and development for automotive companies, software companies, and eventually digital and precision marketing, notably running global e-CRM programs for Fortune 100 companies. She spent 12 years in digital and precision marketing within the Omnicom Group, eventually leaving her position as President of the Precision Marketing Group to focus on Wait4me. She has deep experience in global digital marketing programs, including technical build and rollout.

Karen spent over 10 years living and working in Paris, France, where her son was born. She now lives in Los Angeles, finding her balance running the canyon trails of the Santa Monica Mountains.