Why we start provider-first (and what that means for you)

Someone recently asked why we don’t immediately build a comparison tool, a dashboard, and our own customer portal. The short answer: because then it’d be finished before we knew whether people wanted it. The long answer is this piece.

We’re starting provider-first. That means: the first signups are helped through one fixed partner provider. No in-house platform. No tooling. No support team. Not in year one.

Why this is more honest than it sounds

The easy mistake in projects like this is to start building before you know whether there’s demand. You build for six months, you launch, you hear nothing, and then the money’s gone. The post-mortem is always: “We were too early.” But the truth is usually: “We built too much before we knew.”

Provider-first is the opposite approach:

• Prove demand exists first. Signups, postal areas, preferences — that’s evidence.
• Then pick one route that works fast. A fixed provider, a clear condition, a simple payout.
• Only then build heavier. In-house tooling, better margins, better retention — but only if the first route proves it works.

For you this means the first version has fewer flashy features than what we eventually want. But it also means the first version actually works, because it’s small enough to be genuinely finished.

What this does not mean

A few things provider-first does not imply:

• No quality compromise. The partner provider is chosen on both price and conditions. We don’t take the first deal that comes along.
• No hidden fees. If we receive a partner fee or lead fee, it’s stated. That’s how we keep the sign-up list free.
• No lock-in. Provider-first is a starting point, not an end station. People who join now won’t be stuck with something obsolete later.

What the “Year 2” route involves

If the first route works — enough signups, enough switchers, enough feedback — we start on the second layer:

• In-house tooling for comparing providers, without depending on one partner.
• Better conditions through volume: more signups means more negotiating power.
• Higher margin without higher customer price. Margin comes from efficiency, not from more expensive contracts.

That’s the direction. But direction isn’t delivery. We’ll say it out loud once it’s actually there.

What this means for you if you sign up now

Three things:

1. You hear it first when the first provider route goes live.
2. Your input weighs more than someone joining a year from now. We use the postal areas and current providers of the first signups to decide where we start.
3. You pay nothing right now. The sign-up list is and stays free. Only when there’s a concrete paid route will you get an offer — and then you decide.

Why we write about it

Because the business model itself is part of the product. A lowest-price guarantee can only be honest if you know how the underlying model works. If we made money by promoting more expensive contracts, the guarantee would be worthless. That’s exactly why we choose provider-first with transparent partner fees.

Want these updates straight in your inbox the moment they appear? Join the early-access newsletter. And if you have questions about the approach: ask them. Nobody knows this story better than us, but nobody asks sharper questions than the first signups.