Ian Robertson never planned to become the head of a tech company.
It happened as a result of seeking solutions for a common problem in the home inspection industry over his 20 years of experience. In addition to his three home inspection-related companies, he’s now the head of a tech venture whose new home inspection software, Inspector Toolbelt, already has hundreds of users since being released at the end of October.
"We are converting faster than we expected,” Robertson said. “January kind of blew our socks off. We converted over a hundred people in just one week in January. The next week was even higher."
The Inspector Toolbelt software is meant to help home inspectors more easily keep track of jobs and exchange information with consumers. The inspector can record and upload data directly into the software, which their clients can then view.
Inspectors pay $69 per month for unlimited inspections and data storage. Consumers can then find inspectors and connect with them through the app. Consumers can pay through the integrated Square feature. The software can also accommodate rules that change from state to state.
There are many similar software programs on the market, but Robertson said Inspector Toolbelt’s interface is more user friendly, saving time as inspectors typically have to input more than 100 individual photos and pieces of information per job. That saved time allows inspectors to interact more fully with their clients, he said.
"We tested all the home inspection software we could find out there. The average number of taps on your device was anywhere from eight to 16 to be able to take a picture, make a note and give it a rating,” Robertson said.
“Our average tap rate on your device is four to six times. On average, we save a home inspector 10 taps on their device [per item]. So if you have 100 items you put in your report, we save you 1,000 taps on your device. That's a huge time saver."
Robertson started his first home inspection company in his 20s and now has two in eastern and western New York state. As he gained experience marketing his own companies, he decided to start Full View Marketing about a decade ago, which now markets home inspection companies all over the U.S. and Canada. Legally, the Inspector Toolbelt is software of the marketing company, but they operate as separate businesses, he said. The software co-founder is Beon de Nood, whom Robertson met working in the field.
"I'd love to have one of those epic meteoric rises to success. It really just happened. I got good at something and people asked me to do it, and there it is,” Robertson said.
He released the first version of the software, a simple inspection scheduling and admin tool, in 2017. Then in 2020, his company released an inspection app. The new software integrates those programs into a single platform. Now, contractors can use the scheduling portion for free.
"It's not two apps pushed together. It's one seamless, continuous app,” Robertson said. "The vast majority of everybody that was on the old version switched right over to the new version and was thrilled."
There are about 14 people at Inspector Toolbelt, including three that spend time on both the software business and the marketing business. Robertson will likely hire more this year if the growth trend continues.
His companies have always been fully remote, so his employees are scattered throughout the country. He works from his home office in Duanesburg in Schenectady County.
"My whole thing is if you're producing, I don't care if you're on the beach or in an office. It's actually a great hiring benefit, going completely remote. I've actually gotten some very talented people,” Robertson said.
