Scottsdale, Ariz., December 15, 2025 – Everyone has that go-to plumber, that amazing hairstylist, or the dog walker they swear by. We love recommending our favorite small businesses to friends and family. But what if those casual recommendations could actually put cash in your pocket?

Today marks the launch of the Refer A Friend App, a new platform that aims to amplify and streamline the most powerful, yet often unrewarded, form of marketing: word-of-mouth referrals.

This app is about a fundamental shift in how small businesses acquire customers and how everyday people can earn from their trusted networks. The Refer A Friend App promises a “win-win-win” scenario: users turn referrals into cash, friends and family easily connect with trusted service providers, and businesses receive new customers at a fraction of typical lead costs – only paying after they get paid. Is this the ultimate democratization of local business marketing?

The brainchild behind this platform is Ryan Zeleznak, whose background in business, real estate, and sales repeatedly exposed the struggle of finding trusted local professionals. “For any company, word-of-mouth advertising is invaluable, yet it’s often difficult for entrepreneurs to tap into this resource effectively,” Zeleznak explained.

His solution? Empowering everyday people, from stay-at-home parents to solo entrepreneurs or those seeking a side hustle, to turn their personal networks into valuable business assets, all while fueling their passion for independent businesses.

Here’s how this intriguing new system works:

• Users join for free and create their personal referral marketplace.
• They then invite trusted professionals they genuinely recommend to join their marketplace and accept leads.
• Users share this curated list with friends, neighbors, and associates, expanding their reach via the “My Friends” tab to view each other’s referral marketplaces.
• Critically, users earn up to 10% commission when a professional completes a job from one of their referrals.
• Professionals, in turn, pay referral fees (up to 20%) after they complete a job and are paid.

Consider the 33 million small business owners in the U.S. who routinely spend thousands on advertising and lead generation, sometimes just to break even. Christian Jewkes, partner and CMO, highlights this problem: “Small businesses operate on thin margins, and advertising to attract new customers is costly.”

The Refer A Friend App is designed to solve this, doing the work even when businesses are “off the clock,” reducing marketing costs, and providing a platform to easily track customer acquisition and retention. It effectively leverages the most powerful, cost-effective tool at their disposal: authentic word-of-mouth.

This isn’t just about earning extra cash; it’s about formalizing and valuing the genuine connections people make. By combining the power of personal recommendations with an easy-to-use digital platform, Refer A Friend aims to help both businesses and consumers thrive.

The platform is live now at www.referafriendapp.net/ with Apps on the App Store and Google Play Store.

Could your trusted network be your next income stream?