THE CEO DRIVEHER

WHY SO MANY GIGS?

Be sure to email me at ceodriveher@gmail.com about services.

Hello y’all it is your girl Kimberly ~ The CEO DriveHer and I want to quickly set the record straight on why I encourage you to embrace a wide array of gigs to use on a day by day basis within the gig economy. Some people speak against being a Jack of all Trades so to speak, but as a developing entrepreneur it just may be the very thing that helps to to figure out what avenue will work best for you. As a gig economist having been laid-off 2-years ago of a job of almost 15-years I absolutely love being an entrepreneur. The hardest part of this process for so long was I painfully had to learn how to change my employee mindset to a full entrepreneurial mindset. I had to learn how to budget and plan, planning was easy for me, sticking to the plans what was usually hard because of my bad finance management. This was a means of survival and I did not want to have to go back to work by no means necessary! For an entire year I only used two gig platforms for my income aside from little part-time cafe gigs which never lasted more than 5 weeks or my life-coaching / holistic-wellness practice that was barely registering clients. The two platforms worked were Uber and Lyft, but primarily Uber. I quickly was able to see my burnout rate working these platforms which was somewhere around the 35 hour mark. These platforms are just not sustainable for long work hours at least not for an entrepreneur and writer as myself. These gigs were never meant to be the end-game nor were they a career goal / passion of mine. Sure I really like doing rideshare, I love the flexibility, the ability to generate income extremely quickly, meeting new people and places, but being isn’t my passion I grew depressed. I felt me doing it would eventually set me up to become codependent on the platforms and I feared that. I had walked away from a career that I allowed to make me comfortable and in an instant me and my co-workers were tossed on our asses.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvLLilVlKKdNOMaYNFulk2Q

As I was still finding my niche working on my own companies I began to see that I love variety, I do not like being committed to one solid platform. Diversity in the gig economy granted me a bit more emotional and financial security. As we all know in any moment you can become deactivated on a platform, the app can crash for hours, or demand is extremely low. I experienced to many close-calls to be taking a chance so I began to strategize for the worse case scenarios. There is no greater/empowering feeling than to turn off an app and to turn on another quickly making money on the other while the other is bone dry. Take for instance this scenario, when it is colder here in the south or it’s bad weather sure some people are doing rideshare, but a lot may opt to stay in and order out. This is a great time to capitalize on delivery i.e. Uber Eats, Door Dash, Grub Hub, or Postmates. Sometimes in the winter the demand for rideshare is so low you actually lose money driving folks around, it just isn’t worth it.

So as to why I encourage my fellow gig economist to regularly use an array of platforms to me seems clearly apparent, but I will briefly explain my point of view. Here are a list of them below:

Variety PlayHouse: it makes working gigs fun and you don’t get burnt-out.
Eclectic: this breeds creativity and helps you work more efficiently
Identity: no doubt you will favor one over the other, but if balanced you will not become so emotionally tied to one. You will understand that you are not an employee and may the highest payer win. This is BOSS move!
Trust Fund: this is the gig version of such, worst case scenario you have at best 5 out of the 8 (hypothetically speaking) granting you the ability to generate income.
Experience: this is overlooked often, I am introduced to new places, eateries, people etc. due to many of my gigs. I learn so much simply by having a broad span of experiences through my gigs.
Purpose: for me as a creator and someone building her own platforms and apps, it reminds me to continue to work towards my own goals and businesses. At the end of the day I do not own these various platforms.
Flexibility: a given of course, but so many people believe they have flexibility when in fact they don’t. They work some of these gigs like a full-time job, and though there isn’t actually anything wrong with that, what can happen is codependency and comfortability. In such a volatile roller-coaster market that is just dangerous. Using your flexibility by incorporating an array of gigs limits that from happening in my opinion.

So I propose the question to you! How many gigs are you signed up for? How are you creating a solid gig mix, a healthy gig mix, so that you don’t get burned out? Are you willing to sign-up on multiple platforms even if you don’t see you working it much? I tell you, you may not see how important it is until it is to late. Most people jump ship when the ship is either sinking or needs temporary fixing. Don’t be that person, be open to variety, you own none of these platforms nothing ONLY but your professionalism and due diligence when working as a partner with them. I believe in giving them your best on the clock, but understanding you ultimately are doing it for yourself!

If you’d like coaching from me your Gig Economist Strategist and Coach please email me at ceodriveher@gmail.com I’ll be more than happy to help you to understand and build within the gig economy so that you use these platforms for leverage in funding and building your own entrepreneur dreams.

Also checkout my YouTube channel for daily/weekly vlogs on tips and gig strategies. Find me by typing in Kimberly CEO DriveHer. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvLLilVlKKdNOMaYNFulk2Q

YOU ARE NOT THE MORAL POLICE… WE SERVE ALL

As rideshare drivers for Uber or Lyft we get to have closer encounter with the general public than most. We are in a weird construct because of how much we see on a daily basis. Whether in a highly populated metropolitan city or the burbs, we see questionable things; things that have us to question our responsibility in the matter. So many times it burden me as an officer of almost 15 years if I was help aiding in a crime or if a crime is actually being committed and now I am the get-away car. But for the most part I have had to go with the following notion, “I am not the police.”. What is that line whereas you’re to intervene? I say it’s when you can clearly articulate and see a crime is being committed, you have an obligation to informing the authorities. If you recognize questionable / conspicuous activity there are hotlines with the local police or with Uber / Lyft to inform them or even the non emergency number at the local police department. Remember these rideshare companies are very aware of criminals using these platforms as vessels to help aid in their crimes, any information is useful and helpful. From my understanding they have complete units dedicated to investigating such claims.

Now, with that stated and with all that we see, we may not understand it, we may not agree with the lifestyles, but we must ask ourselves; 1. Is a crime taking place? 2. Am I or the rider in danger? 3. Does this need immediate attention from the authorities?

Look people your safety means everything, don’t go intergeting yourself into a situation to soon not having all the details. I know we want to help, but safety is first. I had a subscriber to my YouTube channel ask me “what do you do in those situations, do you just kick the person out of your vehicle?” and the answer is absolutely not! That can make the situation more hostile, aggravating a matter when it can end peacefully. Assess the situation carefully, I assure you, you may have the same situation 10x over, but will most likely handle it 10x differently. Be smart, be wise, be safe, and in some cases stay alive!

Today I don’t want to go into the types of activities that are questionable, but rather touch on a subject matter that is concerning to me and that is drivers not wanting to pick up certain types of riders that are legitimately working. I know some people have questionable professions, and we can select who we choose to pickup, but let’s not always throw the baby out with the bathwater. When working late nights I have picked up gentlemen club dancers, female bartenders, strippers, escorts, and those within the trans community that are dancers/performers.

These individuals are preyed upon and often depend on our services especially late at night or early early mornings. I hear their complaints and distress, I let them vent and here’s why I am writing this blog. I encourage you to watch my YouTube vlog for more detailed information, but to sum up the matter, there are measures we can take to helping servicing them without judgement. Their jobs are not criminal, if you pull up to their establishment or they tell you what it is they do you, are to complete the ride and remain professional at all times

This blog will be followed up in a series to cover all basis in hopes to help drivers feel more secure in pickups and drops off while becoming more aware of their situation awareness so they can properly cipher what’s criminal and what’s not.

CONSISTENT PAY WITH UBER

To consistently make a specific amount of weekly earnings with Uber you must adapt to uncertainty and the variation of financial opportunity waves. This gig is not one that you can profit off having an employee mentality! You must be open and willing to venture out, embark on new strategies, and switch up your work schedules. This gig is awesome for those that have an extremely flexible schedule, the more flexible you are the more earnings you will have. You have to be willing to take the good days along with the bad days and not be detoured when the market is slow or when Uber decides to change, manipulate, or do away with certain things. Be water, be fluid, be flexible quickly having the ability to adapt to change.

Last week was one of those weeks, I was able to quickly assess the tempo and adjust and was able to make the same amount of money. If I ever feel like I am having to force a dollar to be made I immediately stop driving and channel my energy elsewhere in my other businesses. Nothing will piss you off more than working for peanuts waiting for a ping all to make $3 or $5 bucks, it’ll seem as if you’re losing money instead of making it. So like I always say “spread yourself thin” have you multiple outlets and gigs that generate money for you so you don’t feel obligated to drive. Rideshare is fun when you don’t feel like you must do it, it makes the time go by much quicker.

So in short here are some of the things I did to maximize my earrings with Uber. I keep it simple, again not forcing a thing just checking the flow and when a wave comes I ride it all the way out. I took advantage of:

The Quest Promotions obtain the highest achievable levels which added an additional $240.oo bucks.
Work dem tips! I am very personable and pride myself on granting quality service which really up my tips.
Use the Destination Filter to my advantage.
Caught some awesome surges, they are far and few but I can anticipate them well.
Worked late nights 3 times.
Lastly, had one blow out day whereas I worked 10-12 hours!

HOW NOT TO GET DEACTIVATED WITH UBER

Often I don’t believe it is considered or believed to be possible until it actually happens to a rideshare partner; that being deactivation. Most drivers believe they are in full control and indispensable like they won’t be cancelled out and replaced at the drop of a hat. Drivers must remember within this “partnership” there is a level of standard and expectancy on their part. At the end of the day Uber must protect their brand even if the cost is removing you off the platform. This gig is a game of a dime a dozen. It’s nothing personal it’s business. Being that it is business you must do everything on your part to maintain your side of the business agreement and then some. Remember, yes you are you own boss essentially, but contractually you must perform at a certain height of standards. The riders are deserving of a high criteria of service and you are obligated to providing that if within the guidelines of rideshare.

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In layman terms how not to get deactivated is simple. This blog post is not to go back and forth about how Uber treats its partners this blog is moreso how you treat the customer which is a great portion of the criteria when driving for Uber. Here are the simple fundamentals that for the most part limit the probability of you being deactivated.

Tidy & Clean vehicles. You don’t have to have the newest model nor a high-end vehicle, but you’ll be amazed at how a well polished look and clean seats and shiny dashboard affects how a rider rate you.
Look the part! Please look somewhat professional/casual. People invest in those that invest in themselves. A well polished person is highly impressionable, it can make you standout from others hence getting higher ratings and big tips!
Effective Communication. I’ve had drivers that mumble or better yet from the moment I got in their vehicle not say one damn word! This is highly offensive being I am giving you my earn money.
Don’t cherry pick! Uber is cracking down hard on the abusers, knocking those off from airport pickups to ultimately kicking you off the platform indefinitely. Cherry picking cause distrust with riders that most likely will hop over to another platform. To Uber losing the riders confidence in using the app is a great financial lost they cannot afford to have.
Play by the rules! Look you don’t have to like the platform nor the requirements but you DO have the option of not partnering. The top rules are: maintain a high acceptance rate, try to minimize cancellations as much as possible, keep a high rating score of 4.9+, and over deliver in small ways.
If you know your vehicle needs maintenancing DO NOT PUT IT OFF! Get your vehicle fixed ASAP; in the long run it will catch up to you and cause you to get deactivated then you’ll really be in a bind.

Now I know this blog sounds like some kiss up ass writing on the part of Uber, but I assure you it is not! I am on the side the of driver, I am about playing chess not checkers and there’s nothing like checkmate when doing business with a company such as Uber. Ultimately you are in control and believe it or not you have more control over the narrative and the trajectory of your rideshare business. What’s key is knowing how to take those controllers and make it work on your behalf. I don’t mind playing Uber’s game as long as I get what I WANT out of the deal and their criterias don’t infringe on my time, money, and purpose! Like I always say…. “finesse that shit” if drivers got smarter and stepped their game up the platform can be highly profitable and rewarding. Don’t fear deactivation if you are doing what you’re supposed to do, your stats will speak for themselves. Yes we get screwed on some riders and we wish we hadn’t taken it, but for every one, two, or three rides like that there so many great ones.

HOW TO MAKE $200+ A DAY WITH UBER CONSISTENTLY

So the race is on! I have major major goals and I want to take advantage of the rideshare market right now and so should you! Some say driving rideshare is a losing game, that you’re actually losing money, but not it you do it right! I am on a mission to prove to my fellow rideshare ladies and gig economist that it can be highly profitable when strategically done. You cannot think of the gig economy in the traditional mindset, you cannot put on your employee hat if you want to get serious about making money. These gigs such as Uber is high-risk and if you want to make serious cash you will have to work split shifts and sometimes long hours i.e nine hours is what I consider long. This environment is volatile going up and down constantly there simply aren’t any guarantees, but if you work off of skill, instinct, and have great customer service you can make that money hunty, consistently.

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I am anticipating a slow summer so I am banking up in my rideshare business NOW! This summer the greater demands will be with grocery and meal deliveries, so FYI I hope you’re signed up for platforms like GrubHub, DoorDash, Insta-Cart, Postmates, etc. I’ll do a write up later on these platforms, but today we’re going to focus on reaching and maintaining these high income earnings DAILY! Daily goals must be set and you must be dead set on meeting it. Now your market may be busy or slower, but I assure you if you apply the following principles you can and will make what ever reasonable goal you set out to accomplish when driving for Uber.

Be willing to commit 7-9 hours each day. Take 1-2 breaks 15-30 minutes this is not calculated into the hours you commit to working.
Find the bonus zones particularly in the middle so you can get 3-5 rides within them to qualify for the extra duckets.
Stop ignoring your riders, great them, smile and make eye contact, service them within reason.
Take notice of your tips! I make on average $70 – $150 extra in tips a week due to my ability to grant quality service.
Know your stuff. Use the best navigational system (WAZE) especially when in prime time hours like rush hour. People love it when I get around traffic and work logistically.
Be open to taking a few Pool-Rides, this is not for money but body count so you get those bonuses. When it’s dead I’ll pick up a few solely for this reason. Those few extra rides surprisingly will put you over the top!
Take power naps. Driving is very draining, 20 minute power naps will refresh you in the most amazing way.
Eat lite fresh foods, no snacks, no gas station treats, and no sugary drinks. Ladies the preservatives in these foods and unknown sugars spike your insulin levels and send you crashing making you tired, irritabl, and create mental fogginess.
Stay hydrated! This keeps you alert, but warning you will have to get good at finding bushes to pee in. At this point I have no shame peeing on the side of the road lol.
Focus on getting as many asses in the seats! I shoot for 20 a day because on average each ride averages to $9-$10 bucks.

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This $200+ is a general amount that I’ve found most are open to, your market may differ so assess what would is feasible for to obtain. I strongly suggest you don’t simply work one platform, work multiple platforms and set goals for each of them weekly. Be open to creating a solid gig mix of side hustles so you do not become co-dependent on 1 or 2 platforms. You will need a break from rideshare trust me, the hustle is good but extremely draining, so much so it can affect you mental state. Having other gigs keep money coming in while you take a small break from time to time. Lastly. only do this 4-5 days a week, this type of goal trying to obtain everyday will take a lot out of you, remember keep a good balance!

UBER SAFETY FEATURE GOES UNUSED: AWESOME TOOL FOR FEMALE RIDERS & DRIVERS

If you’ve ever been victimized on the smallest scale often it’s not the actual event that is tormenting, but rather the constant thought of “what could I’ve done different” that cycles through your mind, especially as a woman. Hi, I am Kimberly Nuzingah Bradley an ex-officer that worked within a jail facility in multiple capacities and yes I too have been the victim of assault (a number of times) so I am speaking from first hand knowledge. I am a practicing Life-Coach and Holistic Wellness Coach that serve women of all ages and backgrounds. In addition as I continually build my practice my true passion is writing; I use various types of gig economy jobs to help fund my dreams. Of all the various gig jobs that I do hands down UBER and LYFT are the larger of them all and the riskiest. When I do rideshare I tend to utilize UBER the most both for riding and driving, the functionality of the app I am just more accustomed to. In this blog I want to quickly share with you a feature in the UBER app I believe is vastly overlooked and barely used. The feature I speak of is in the app for both rider and driver and it’s known as the “Share my Ride” tab. The setup takes literally less than a 30 seconds and is a great form of accountability. Above is a small clip from my youtube channel The CEO DriveHer on how to set it up for both user types beit rider/driver. Now I have specified “women” only because that is my target audience, but this feature is of course for everyone.

The setup is so simply the last thing you needed was a video tutorial, but for my newbies I wanted them to go right into the app without fail and quickly set this up. Dads, fathers, uncles, grandpapas, brother, and sons of the world if you have young teenage daughters 17+ and above, mother, sister, wife, etc. this feature is a must! This maps their travel in realtime and holds them accountable too. I know some people don’t like the tracking idea, but it’s all about accountability and safety. If someone is traveling 2-3 miles up the road, but the trip is taking 35 minutes you may want to phone in and check on the person.

To set-up the “Share my Ride” feature it’s this simple in the UBER app:

Log into account.
Click on you profile pic. (for Drivers only)
Click on tab at left corner w/3 lines (for Riders only)
Click on tab that say Account.
Scroll down to App Settings and click.
About 5 rows down is the SHARE TRIP icon, click on it.
Once in follow the setup instructions and customize as you like.

Mind you the app is always being updated and/or looks different for different account holders. Not sure how this workers with corporate accounts, but for personal UBER accountants the above instructions should relatively be this method.

For my female drivers you ladies rock, but I know like me you can get a bit to comfortable doing this and we tend to get a little lack in our day to day dealings when doing rideshare. We must always be alert and aware of who is getting in our vehicles. One time I use the app to my advantage, I had a dude that was making strong advances and would not back down in his requests for my number and to take me out. I was able to squeeze in the fact (casually) of how all my rides are monitored and shared for my safety. Now do I believe he was going to do physical harm to me? No. But to be on the safe side I wan’t to plant the seed that there is a monitoring system along side if someone has it, along side of a dash cam. I believe if these monitoring systems are used more often the word will get out that they too are being watched be it driver or rider.

Let’s continue to put safety first ladies, I am not trying to scare anyone. It seems like a look but in fact it isn’t. If you set yourself to use/take security measures all the time in your day to day activities it becomes 2nd nature, it becomes part of you! Remember to always go off you instinct, never silence that internal voice, it’s quiet but speaks volumes. Take care and stay tune to daily and weekly blogs and vlogs in reference to creating passive income, maximizing the gig economy and freelance culture, and rider and driver safety.

RIDESHARE SAFETY FOR WOMEN RIDERS & DRIVERS

Is a female driver really better to have than a male driver? Do you feel safe as a female rider and/or driver? What can you do yourself to ensure your own safety? Are there tools to help reinforce our safety and are you using those tools?

My questions and suggestions are endless! This blog couldn’t possible contain them so I’ll be revisiting this subject matter over and over again from various viewpoints and perspectives. For the pass week or two the subject matter with riders is about the young college student in South Carolina horribly murdered by someone who she thought was her UBER driver. I will not be diving into the issue, but I must be clear to express that matter is least likely to happen to any of you. This lone individual that committed this heinous crime was an opportunist, a monster, on the prowl and took the opportunity to carry out his sick drive.

Some of you may know, but I have almost 14+ years in law enforcement serving in multiple capacities having dealt with all types of criminals as an officer. If there is anything I can say about most criminals it’ll have to be they often commit their crimes due to the individuals taking control of this situation. If you give them an inch they damn sure will take a mile and then some! Now ladies I will first have to help you get out of your mind that male rideshare drivers are creepers. Don’t carry around that notion. I know plenty of great male drivers that would never violate you. That also go for female rideshare drivers, do not fear being victimized sure some men will overstep their boundaries, but ultimately you have control and you must know how to own that control.

It is my goal to show both you women rideshare drivers and riders how to ensure your own safety. Today we are going to focus on two aspects of being able to do so and here they are.

PRESENCE!
VERBAL COMMANDS!

Ladies anytime I’ve been somewhat victimized it was on a micro level. No one has ever put their hands on me, but they have been pushy and in aggressive in their approach sexually. Often these men have had a bit too much to drink, but never was I not able to assert myself and speak up for myself to take control of the situation. Don’t just limit these suggestions to rideshare, but use it in your everyday dealings. I am not one to be easily offended, but I refuse to be disrespected. In this day not even passive aggression should be tolerated, nip it in the bud ASAP!

Presence, is a very powerful weaponry. In my years of law enforcement one thing was clear to of those that were victimized and that is they lacked presence, they had no situational awareness and was a bit to carefree. Predators look for this so that they have full advantage of taking advantage of you. As a female rider and driver, assert your presence, make eye contact always, speak clear, and don’t engage in conversation that is not professional. Sit straight up and always appear to be attentive. Head up, shoulders back, and get your face out of your cell phone. If you are a female rider pay attention to the navigation and don’t go to sleep in the car. Verbal Commands, speak up and assert your voice, not don’t be mean but be direct in your tone. If anyone tries to divert the conversation to a more sexual flirtatatous context, quickly assess the situation and avoid any form of response that will have them to think they can pursue the conversation further. Vocalize you’re not interested nor do you entertain such conversations. Be weary of those that overly compliment your beauty, features, clothing, etc. Always take control of the situation and be prepared to stand firm on your standards, establish firm boundaries and never allow them to be crossed by NO ONE! Some people will try to violate you and honestly believe they did nothing wrong because you chose to avoid speaking up for yourself. They will literally say “well they never said nothing”.

One time I had a CoCa-Cola executive who had been drinking get way outta line. It was a long trip from like Atlanta to Duluth on a Thursday night or so. At first I took his advances as typical drunk guy talk and I casually dismissed it. He then leads into suggesting sex for pay and how he’s willing to tip me greatly ($200-$300 bucks whatever I like) for “extra service”. I kept acting dumb because I literally wanted him to make clear of what he was asking. Once tired of his shit I quickly took control of the situation and began reading his ass his last rights so to speak. I advised him of the rules and how someone especially of his caliber should not be doing this. The irony is his wife called in the middle of all this! I told him I’d have to stop the trip if he continued. His drunk ass for the last 10 minutes of the ride of so kept apologizing, he then realized I wasn’t some dumb little girl looking to trick off to make some extra cash. I think some of these jerks think we are desperate for money and willing to do anything so they passively try to take advantage of those in rideshare. He clearly grew fearful of me opening my mouth, I even think he used the CoCa-Cola corporate account so surely he didn’t want this to get back to them. He asked me to drop him off down the street from his house (guess he forgot the address is in the app), so I did so, rated him a 1 and left clear notes on the rider in the app.

When I ruminate on the incident I know where I messed up, I allowed his conversation to go to far assuming he’s drunk, he’ll pass out, he don’t know what he’s saying when in fact he was fully conscious of his actions! I was a bit to friendly and should’ve addressed the matter ASAP! I felt dirty and as if I knew better, I wanted to rip that dudes face off after thinking about it more. I grew angry at myself for underestimating him and being to passive in my approach. Sometimes it’s the mental aftermath that is damaging causing you to question yourself over and over again, so don’t let that be you! Take control, have a firm presence, meaning be in the moment and fully aware, and vocalize anything you do not like or agree with regardless of the consequences!

UBER CANCELLATION FEES & HOW RIDERS CAN AVOID THEM

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Well hey hey hey, have you ever been hit with the cancellation bug? I am a rideshare driver and occasional rider and yes I’ve been the victim of the cancellation bug. As a driver I knew I was at fault for not communicating my location as the rider when it happen to me. I was at a large bank preoccupied on my phone. The bank sat at the corner of a major road and had 2 sides for parking and pickup. The driver never reached out to me nor was it his responsibility to do so. Reaching out to riders is a courtesy not a mandate (LYFT we must call on regular rides but not shared rides). I think it’s our due diligence to do, but that’s the luxury of gig jobs like ridesharing, we can do as we like at our discretion. I was at fault and took the loss, but in this blog I am going to advise you on how to not be the victim of the cancellation bug. For more in depth reasons and ways to avoid cancellation click on the above link for my vlog which is deeply detailed. Click above link!

I believe for the most part drivers don’t want to cancel out rides, there has been a few times I almost cancelled due to wait time and the payout was vastly in my favor. Sometimes the rider seen the inconvenience and greatly tip me, other times it was a long distance trip or had a higher surge than normal. I try to be understanding and put myself in the place of the rider. If I make a courtesy call or text usually I can discern the matter and I am willing to wait. It is those riders that care not to communicate back or totally disregard our time that annoys us rideshare drivers. What we’re asking for is basically communication, respect of time, and understanding of how most rideshare platforms works. We are not the traditional taxi by no means at all, we do not get paid on time! I want you to maximize your rideshare experience, enjoy it, and keeps more dollars in your pockets, so here we go!

THINGS YOU DO THAT CAUSES CANCELLATION FEES:

STOP PINNING your location while still in your office building or apartment. Don’t do this it throws off the GPS showing to possibly be on another street or area oppose to where you are walking to. This causes wasted time and drivers will give up.
DO NOT request an UBER while in an elevator. The elevators tend to take a long time in large office buildings and apartment building. Usually the driver is now forced to waste gas and circle the block and it’s just not worth it. Get to the lobby then send request for rideshare of your choice.
DON’T BELIEVE the arrival time. I have literally shown up 10 minutes earlier than what was projected to the rider, remember it’s just an estimated time. Be ready, be prepared.
STAND distinctly in pickup area! Stand out from the crowd, we cannot drive asking everyone we pass for their name.
(MY FAVORITE) Use the TEXTING feature!!! Communication is everything, text your clothing, where you’re standing, how many people standing w/you, etc. especially in busy areas.
Coordinate w/those you’ve requested an UBER or LYFT for. How can we know who to get if you don’t tell us it’s someone besides you. If you’re a male requesting us to pickup your wife, yet we do to the name see BOB well we’re looking for a male not female.
WALK at least a .25 of a mile outside of major events! If can’t get to you or get to the location and you’re not there I assure you we are cancelling and taking that fee for our lost time. Plus the surge will be lower. *wink wink*
DO NOT REQUEST AN UBER WHILE AT BAGGAGE CLAIM!!!! I refuse to explain as to why, but basically it’s not worth the wait. Walk to the assign rideshare pickup lot then send request.
KNOW ASSIGNED PICKUP LOTS AT MAJOR EVENTS. We are fined high fees in some of these areas if we pickup outside of the assigned lots.
DO NOT CALL OR APPROACH MY VEHICLE W/ATTITUDE!!! Please be respectful!
WRAP UP YA SOCIAL SESSIONS. We are not waiting for you to finish your conversation nor cigarette. This is rude, BE READY!!! When you clearly show disregard for our time that is one of the ultimate forms of disrespect. We don’t care about the .09 cents a minute we get for waiting.

Ultimately we’re out here to make money, drivers don’t make that much on average, they are using their own resources as independent contractors with the rideshare platforms. I love granting great service and giving an awesome rideshare experience, but this is a business, our business and we must be profitable. Wasted time is the death of us. We make most of our money off mileage, but in being able to have quick turn around on those miles; long wait times adds up and just isn’t worth the wait. I hope this piece grants you some understanding and we can continue to bridge the gap between riders and drivers so for the both of us that continuity makes for a better rideshare experience. Take care and be sure to subscribe to my blog and youtube channel!

IS YOUR GIG JOB(s) A LLC?

In this day of the ultimate gig economist, contracted worker, independent contractors, digital nomads, etc., if you fall in any of these categories it is a must you establish your business construct as a LLC. Now, let me preface this with that I am not a financial advisor nor am a business lawyer, these are simply my opinions drafted from my own personal experiences, research, and conclusions. You are free to do what best fits your need, I just want you all to weigh your options so that you:

Protect your employment
Grant yourself some job security.
Be cost effective. maximize your earrings, and cost savings.
Take full advantage of the rewards and opportunities that serve businesses more than individuals.
Limit co-mingling and maintain good bookkeeping.

What is a LLC.? LLC stands for Limited Liability Company which is a corporate structure in the United States whereby the owners are not personally liable for the compan’s debts or liabilities. They have the characteristics of a corporation with those of a partnership or sole proprietorship. Every state differs a bit but the benefits outweigh any other option if you’re an individual (sole proprietor) owner of a company.

Why to create a LLC. compulating all your gig jobs allowing your LLC. to serve as an umbrella/cover (insurance policy) over your businesses. Establishing a LLC. is releatively easy and cost less than $500 which includes everything, but I will explain how to later in this blog. You want to create a LLC. for legal protection, but mainly to use as leverage for your own personal and business finances. Once LLC. is established you can easily acquire the following:

Fuel Cards: these are really good for bookkeeping purposes and you save more money on fuel cost. Most of us are using our own vehicles to complete these gigs.
Electronics: when you use your business credit for tools i.e. phones, computers, laptops, instruments, apps, etc. you can really build business credit and save build using entities such as Dell, Apple, Microsoft etc. They are really good about extended credit which is helpful when you’re first building credit. As a digital nomad and freelance writer this is big for me because I use 2 cell phones, 1 ipad, a laptop, and numerous software. In the event I need a replacement or better equipment I’d prefer to use my LLC. business line of credit instead of straining my own.
Affiliate Partnerships: this allows other businesses to see that you have established a legitimate business and there’s some accountability on your part. Hence they’ll want to do more business with you or even invest in your company.
Better Tax Incentives: hands down if you run your books right and you leverage it right you’ll be able to really save! Rideshare drivers are now seeing tax laws change on mileage and tax write-offs that now is chipping away at their returns.
Financial Protection: this is a highly informative area and varies from state to state so I suggest you research this area for yourself, but to summarize it’s better someone come after your company than you as an individual!
Multiple Streams of Income: self-explanatory, you can structure your business in such diverse ways that allows you to create content, passive income, and merchandise.

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In short I will outline what you need to become established as an LLC., now this is a generic listing being certain requirements differ in various states some more lenient while others can be heavy-handed in acquiring; overall it’s still relatively easy. Ok to get started I suggest the following in this order:

Business Name (make sure you verify it hasn’t been trademarked at
http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4801:opytx7.1.1 from the https://www.uspto.gov/trademark website for trademarks and patents.
Logo: create an unique logo easily for cheap on http://www.fiverr.com
Purchase a Virtual Office: includes actual address and business line this will vary in need contingent on your business structure.
Website & Domain Name: you can purchase this for cheap, no need to be fancy, you can always upgrade, keep it simple to like a landing page or 2-3 pages listing products/service, about page, and pricing. Again keep it simple.
Bio: this needs to be professionally done, you’ll be surprise how many seeks out your credentials. This needs to be short, sweet, but highly informative. FYI I do these professionally part of my http://www.knbresume.com business. If you need one I’d love to write one up for you.
Certificate of Organization: you usually obtain this through the Secretary of State (you must have this for a DUNS# and Business Checking account)
EIN#, Duns & Bradstreet Number: this is your tax i.d. AND IT IS FREE (beware of sites that charge, only go to the IRS website
https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayer-identification-numbers-tin after received apply for your DUNS# at
https://www.dnb.com/ this will allow you not to have to use yourself as a personal guarantee to obtain business credit. Both are free!
Legal Docs: this simple depending on your business, start off with Release of Liability forms, and Non-Disclosures. These help protect you and your intellectual properties.

GAME PLANNING YOUR GIGS FOR THE WEEKEND (VIDEO INCLUDED)

Most gig economist bet on highly profitable days, among those days are weekends and holidays. The problem is they themselves and everyone else are banking on the same thing sometimes causing highly saturated markets causing little to no money being made. You cannot bet blindly, you cannot afford to assume the pickings will be plentiful, trust me I use to do that until I started having a form of strategic planning to maximize my profitability in the gig economy business especially as it pertains to rideshare.

ASSESSING: I say this all the time, but it is key, you must be able to gauge the climates in which you work, yes both natural element climate and economic climate. There are many variables that play into this but for the sake of keeping a short blog I will stick to these few:

Weather, if you’ve done gig jobs weather plays a big part in the construct. If you do gigs such as GrubHub, UberEats, DoorDash, you usually will see a spike in demand because people choose not to travel in the rain especially here in Atlanta when the driving is horrific in the rain. Depending on the time of day you can really make bank.
Events, this seems easy, but you must be strategic here as well. Sure you can simply wait outside of venues hoping to catch a unicorn ride or slight surge but I can assure you a lot of wasted time. I believe if I am out my wheels need to be moving at all times! When you check out the events are sure to check out the venues too, take note of the capacity and see if online the events were sold out. This will help you really see if it’s worth working the area.
Hotels, call your local hotels and ask the help desk if they are booked to capacity or go online and see what rooms are available and the price. If high prices I can assure you the capacity level is high. They raise the prices due to demand!

Assessing the local economy and possible demands will help you game plan. Sometimes I do the complete opposite of what I know most will do. Take for instance big concerts, I avoid them especially at a venue that holds 40,000+, the reason being I know most drivers will flock there in hopes of making big bucks. What ends up happening is the driver is left in gridlock traffic and the probability of a rider going over 10 miles is slim. Unless the pickup is somewhat early and the pickup is strategically placed it just not worth it. I, on the other hand, will work 5-8 outside of that area catching the bleed overs making often much more than those stuck in standstill traffic.

Take for instance the Shaky Knees concert that will be her May 3rd, 4th, and 5th. The draws in a nice crowd full of locals and out of towners. This crowd will be widely spread out and the pick-up area is well organized so it will be worth working. I know this because I’ve already done my research and can somewhat gauge the demands.

Another thing a lot of gig workers that tend to do more of the food delivery services will hop on driving more this weekend, which will leave me the opportunity to play the other side of the field in slow times with rideshare. The human conditions can be very easy to predict, so I use that to my advantage. So let me ask you the following:

Do you plan on using multiple gig platforms?
Are you willing to take 1-2 hours to research some data to see what areas may be profitable to you?
Have you assessed the climate of the weekend? What’s coming to town? i.e. Here in Atlanta we have a 3 day music festival/concert, Amazon is hosting a free conference which has brought thousands, there are other major conferences in town, and Sunday is Cinco De Mayo; as for the weather it is projected to rain Friday, Saturday possible thunderstorms, and more rain on Sunday. All these variable make a huge impact on how one is to work their selected gigs.
Do you have a daily budget and goal of pay?
Do you have specific times you want to work? This is important, you don’t want to just be driving around off and on you ought to and must set time schedules as to when you do your gigs. If you don’t you will burn out!

In all make your assessing measurable, keep it simple, think of a plan, write down the plan, execute the plan. Always leave room for flexibility and chance; if anything changes or through you off at least you have your plan to revise and assess. This will help you with future plans and what will begin to happen is you’ll start noticing trends, profitability, and consumer patterns. This is how you develop a 6 sense if you will for these gigs. I strongly suggest you write down your assessment / strategic plan either on 1 full sheet of paper or in your notes on your cell phone. This will keep you on task and focused on the bigger picture!