When I first signed up to be a Thumbtack Pro, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I knew I’d be paying for leads, I knew I’d be showing up to strangers’ homes, and I knew I’d be putting my skills—and my reputation—on the line every time I accepted a job. What I didn’t know was how much I would actually learn along the way.
Using Thumbtack has been a real learning journey.
The process itself is straightforward: you pay for leads, you reach out, you show up, and you do the work. But the real value isn’t just in landing jobs—it’s in what happens once you’re there. Every house is different. Every homeowner has a different problem, a different expectation, and a different way their home has aged, settled, or been repaired (sometimes poorly) over the years.
By going into these homes and completing jobs, I’ve learned more about houses than I ever had before. Not just surface-level stuff, but how homes actually function in real life—how plumbing connects, how electrical shortcuts cause issues later, how framing decisions matter, how moisture travels, and how small problems turn into big ones when they’re ignored.
Some leads turn into great jobs. Some don’t pan out. Some homeowners ghost you. Some price-shop. That’s just part of the game. Paying for leads definitely makes you more selective and more intentional about the work you take on. You start thinking like a business owner, not just someone doing odd jobs.
What surprised me most was how much confidence comes from repetition. Showing up, diagnosing problems, explaining solutions, and actually fixing things builds real-world experience fast. There’s no substitute for walking into a house you’ve never seen before and figuring it out on the spot.
Overall, being a Thumbtack Pro has pushed me to grow—both professionally and personally. It’s taught me how to communicate better with customers, price my work more accurately, and understand homes in a way you just can’t learn from videos or manuals alone.
It hasn’t been perfect, but it’s been worth it. And looking back, I can honestly say I’m more knowledgeable, more capable, and more confident because of it.
MARK SOTOMAYOR 