This email took weeks to write. I didn’t know what to title it, or what to include.
Since May of 2006 we have provided a service that, back then, was nowhere to be found. We made a CRM for job seekers. We were pretty open about what we were doing, why, how, etc.
For the last 18 years we’ve developed, redesigned, supported, maintained, etc. JibberJobber. But, the time to do so has come to an end. By the end of 2024, we’ll pull the plug on JibberJobber. We started sending emails out July 1 to notify users of this closure. We’ve been working on a sunset plan so that no one is rushed. We are trying to do right by the users, understanding that many of you have information here that is nowhere else.
The bottom line is, well, the bottom line. We are, and have, paid thousands of dollars a month beyond revenue to keep JibberJobber alive. For a while, this was okay. But it’s not okay anymore and I can’t personally afford to essentially payroll JibberJobber.
I’m not as smart of a CEO as I hoped to be. I never really quite figured out how to make JibberJobber long-term profitable.
Please know that this was an excruciatingly difficult decision. I’ve had some very difficult conversations with key people who helped me get here. My team has been gold medalists (head nod to Paris Olympics) in figuring out a good way to sunset the product and give users time and resources to move to something else. At the end of the day, I’ll count this as one of my greatest successes and one of my greatest failures. I’ll hold my head high, but know that this was a hard, emotional decision that was the right one, but also leaves me feeling a bit defeated.
Why was it one of my greatest failures? Because I couldn’t figure it out. Early on, job board owners, recruiters, etc. would say, “that’s cool but… how are you going to make money???” Job boards were charging $400 PER JOB POSTING. It was money that a company would put on a credit card and consider a fine investment. Meanwhile, I was charging JibberJobber users first $9.95 a month, then $5/month. And I just didn’t have the right numbers to make it profitable. Bad on me for not figuring that out.
But this is one of my greatest successes because of what we were able to do. First and foremost, I came into this space having been a broken, discouraged job seeker. I was appalled at the horrible “tools” or resources job seekers had access to. I wanted to provide a first-class product to people who couldn’t afford much. I know that through the tool, my speaking, and thousands of blog posts (and other articles I’ve written over the years) that I’ve helped people. I think I’ve saved people from drastic decisions (self-harm), saved relationships by providing a real perspective, and given much, much hope to people who were in the depths of hopelessness.
To know that I was helping anyone in one of the hardest parts of life was gratifying.
I must say, because of the great personal cost that keeping JibberJobber up and running was, my wife is the real MVP here. For 18 years she saw money going out to what she calls the “charity arm,” helping people without getting compensation, and moving what would have been personal funds to support JibberJobber. As a stay-at-home mom, this was a great sacrifice she made. But she did so willingly, with hope that one day it would pay off, but more, recognizing that JibberJobber saved lives and instilled hope.
Here are two email templates we’ve sent out to hundreds of thousands of signups (not users)… if you have any questions, please follow the instructions below.
Subject:
JibberJobber closing 12/31/2024 (special notice)
Body:
This email is hard to write. After much thought, conversation, and analysis, we’ve decided to close the JibberJobber app by the end of this year (Dec 2024). We’re writing to you before we make any other announcements to the general user base because you are one of the more active users of JibberJobber and we wanted to let you know first.
I started JibberJobber during my own job search in 2006. When we launched, there were no competitors. There was one guy who started something like JibberJobber but he ended up abandoning what he started once he got a job. I kept working on JibberJobber because landing a job was elusive to me, but moreso, because I was passionately working towards providing job seekers something really valuable and needed in the job search.
I had lofty goals. We survived a lot but the reality is the financials didn’t make a lot of sense. While job boards were charging hundreds of dollars per posting, I was charging between $5 and $10/month to people who felt like $5 was too much to spend on a job search tool. I financed the costs of JibberJobber from my 401k (that’s how entrepreneurs get started, right?), and then through other revenue streams (books, speaking, online courses, etc.).
We know we’ve helped people. We’ve been a beacon of light in a dark, depressing time. I’ll never regret that. I’ve made a lot of friends along the way, and met some amazing people. I’ve been invited on some journeys in peoples’ darkest moments, and seen them come out of the darkness. This has been a cherished part of my career.
But the finances no longer make sense. Trust me that this was not an easy decision. It was years in the making… years of me ignoring the numbers and being hopeful that maybe next quarter, next year, things would turn around. But they never did. And it’s time to cut my losses with the JibberJobber app.
We’ll still have JibberJobber.com (the domain). I’ll keep my blog posts and promote my books, the Job Search Program, and other things, but the app will go away. I know this is not what you want to hear. We are developing a plan to make this as painless as possible, including how you can get your data so you can move to another platform.
Part of this plan is to not rush you. You can move off of JibberJobber as soon as you want but we won’t take it offline until the end of this year, so you have some time to investigate other CRM tools and make the switch.
“I’m sorry” doesn’t feel like enough. I have gone through steps of the grieving process, but this is the right decision to make. I really am sorry that this didn’t work out, that this is how it is ending, and for any pain or stress this will put on your plate as you find and move to an alternative.
If you have any questions, please send them to Lizbeth@JibberJobber.com.
The other email:
Subject:
Important notice: JibberJobber Closing 12/31/2024
Body:
We are writing to inform you about a difficult and important decision regarding the JibberJobber app. After careful consideration, we have decided to close JibberJobber, the CRM, on December 31, 2024.
We are sad to make this announcement. This decision was not made lightly, or quickly, and we deeply regret any inconvenience it may cause. We want to thank you for your support and loyalty over the years.
Important Details:
Closure Date: December 31, 2024
Access to Services: You will continue to have full access to our services until the closure date. Please make sure to download or transfer any important data before this date.
Customer Support: Our customer support team will remain available until December 31, 2024 to assist with any questions or concerns you may have. You can reach us at https://www.jibberjobber.com/contact-us.php
We value each and every one of our users and are grateful for the community we have built together. Thank you for being a part of our journey.
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
So yeah, sincerely. I’m sincerely sorry that I wasn’t smart enough to figure it out. It’s been a crazy, awesome 18 years. I’ve got some figuring out to do to know what’s next, but for now, we’ll help people get transitioned off of JibberJobber.