DELIVERIES IN THE GIG ECONOMY CAN BE A CASH COW & GRANT YOU HUMILITY SIMULTANEOUSLY

the wins….

The delivery aspect of the gig economy I believe is overlooked and underrated. Maybe because of our culture viewing the proverbial “delivery boy” as the low income high schooler side job, no real effort required or needed, just go from point A to point B, easy enough; right? Well I will show you in short how much monies are left on the table because of pride. In this era, in this day academia accomplishments and status still reigns, but at what costs? So many people are choosing jobs/careers/work for status and not essential living, not quality of life, not even money, but reverence from family and peers. Success is cloaked in an illusionary tale and the gig economy has aided in my ability to see what true success is.

I must be honest, I am writing this from both perspectives, I was that judgemental person that thought of these gigs as worthless having no ability to add to the development of an individual’s professional career. Now, do not be mistaken you must, you must, you must ultimately see how to use the gig economy to leverage and develop in your profession of choice; allow its intricate paths to be a guide towards your success. If your only fulfillment in the gig economy is money it will be short lived and not as profitable as you’d like for it to be.

It took me awhile to see the endless possibilities in the gig economy. Once I got over my bitterness, depression, and lack of worth due to my layoff of my job of 15 years, I was truly transitioning as a person in so many ways. It has been 2 years and 6 months roughly since my layoff and I am still learning aspects of myself as an entrepreneur, leader, employee, and individual. I have learned more in this period of my life than any other. I have compounded information, data, and experiences that I would’ve never obtained if not for the gig economy, and I am grateful for that. I thought as an officer dealing with the general public and criminals (usually in crisis) granted me a wealth of knowledge, and it did, but it was one-sided. In law-enforcement I had lost hope, compassion, and patience for people, for society, for government. The gig economy cultivated my ability to care again, to have some patience, and most of all to serve others.

You are probably asking “what the hell does this have to do with the gig economy being a “cash cow”” well I will tell you. I say it’s a cash cow when you see the benefits in it that helps develop you as an individual, you begin to see the fault lines of opportunity so you perfect your craft to be profitable. I have met and watch on YouTube many drivers that for some reason or another make decent/mediocre money doing gigs, but they are unfulfilled as individuals primarily because they lack from my observation, mastery of the gig economy and personal development. They are so fixated on being their own boss that it clouds their ability to be a servant to their craft. They appear to believe they’re owed something, when in fact their entitlement mentality keeps them in a loop of despair and unprofitable. Whether you like it or not, whether you agree of not the gig economy primarily is a gig that requires you to serve others. The good thing about this is the ability to generate more tips for the great service you grant to others. Tips generate $400 – $500 extra to my monthly earnings. My positive attitude, smiling, and common courtesy I attribute to this.

Another aspect of the “cash cow” ability is knowing how to sign up on as many platforms as possible and developing in each one as much as possible; that is in accordance to your market. This takes skills. You must know when it is best to work each. You develop a six sense on these platforms, effortlessly you’ll be able to earn.

I see myself as a professional! I don’t think less of myself or anyone else for that matter for earning a honorable wage, but as a professional we must be and maintain humility, serving in this capacity does exactly this for me. The earning aspect is high and easy when you simply consider the following:

  1. Serving. I assure you you will not like everyone and you will come in contact with some disgruntle individuals, but sometimes those were my best tippers. I have come to learned that most of the time it isn’t personal they are dealing with their own stuff and realize their actions.
  2. Skillset. This takes skills, trial and error, and discipline. The market changes constantly and you must be able to discern the contents tempos.
  3. Goal Setting. This should be done weekly and mini ones set daily. Shoot for numbers. Body counts are my favorite. I know on average every trip averages out for me $10 a ride; 20 rides/deliveries can equal $200.
  4. Time. You must commit the time daily on days of choice. Factor in at least on peak hours slot of the day and work it for at least 2-3 hours. Learn to meed demands at these times in accordance to your market.
  5. Multiple Platforms. You must serve on at least 3-5 delivery platforms in my opinion. Again the demands changes and you don’t want to box yourself in with just one platform.

WHEN DELIVERIES TRUMP UBER & LYFT

Photo by Sunyu Kim on Pexels.com

Hello my fellow giggers! This write-up will be brief, but highly informative in hopes to get you to consider taking advantage of ALL aspects of the gig economy. So many times we become so fixated on one-or-two gigs which forces us by default to become complacent granting a false sense of security within a gig. I believe a major contributor to the whole burn-out factor in the rideshare community is heavily due to being “stuck” in one aspect of the gig. There’s nothing there to break up the redunantcy, at least for most of the drivers I’ve come across. There’s just limiting reward and motivation outside of making a quick buck. Rideshare is like a race dog at a dog track, the shot goes off and the rabbit on a stick hangs out leading the race dogs along the track at a speed that they’ll never quite catch up to. So how do we combat this? How do we stay motivated to fund our dreams? How do we get continued value outside of just a quick buck? Here’s how… diversity! Yes we hear diversify in many aspects of life, but for us entrepreneurs, creators, giggers, freelancers, etc. we are a unique blend of workers, we like variety, we love not having to invest in the same ole same ole day to day work-life and that can be a blessing and a curse. Why not make your world more colorful with work options. See the real problem is we do not like the feeling of being trapped and committed to one way of income outside of our passions and own business endeavors.

This form of mental fatigue and boredom is the absolute worse, it kills your drive and creativity exponentially simply because we fear and feel the subtle creeping of JOB. So I have yet come to a position within my own business to live off so I must still “drive to fund my dreams” and survive. For me to work I must be vested and have a sincere form of enjoyment to optimally perform, it’s part of my work ethic deeply ingrained into me. I made a promise to myself that I will not work unhappy, the value I grant must be matched on some level and I cannot compromise myself for a dollar if the work becomes a major stressor. The gig economy is volatile, a rollercoaster ride with no seat belts so you must be willing to move and adapt to it’s rapid changes or you’ll have a mental shitstorm that will cause you to live in a panic.

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So deliveries, these modes of freelance/contracted work are just as lucrative and grant 20-times the options due to the various platforms available for you to work. With rideshare it almost a monopoly being the only major players are Uber and Lyft. If you’ve been on these platforms you may need anxiety medication for all the shit it puts you through as a driver. The degree of deception and uncertainty creates a hostile work environment and so much left unknown especially due to the few options of rideshare platforms, but when you venture into the delivery aspects your options become grander and you feel less like an indentured servant, you again are in control and with pun intended “in the drivers seat” of your ability to make money optimally.

How does app delivery services trump rideshare? Let’s review:

  1. More to work in comparison of the two rideshare giants Uber and Lyft. I alone am signed up on eight forms of delivery services.
  2. Versatility, these delivery services are massive granting an abundance of options compared to the only option with rideshare companies is picking up riders.
  3. Underestimated, people have yet to vastly see the financial ability in this area of gig work.
  4. Guaranteed work in certain markets whereas you can lock yourself in on the platform.
  5. Can work multiple apps at one time unlike with rideshare.
  6. Less stressful! This is a big one for me, though I am a communicator dealing with humans especially rude ones forces you to a must needed break.
  7. More time and flexibility. I literally take client calls, listen to audible books, answer phone calls while working, not being locked into the “job” like with rideshare. Sometimes to make a substantial amount of money you must stay plugged in on the platform which limits your ability to do other things.
  8. Platforms do get saturated, but nowhere near as saturated as rideshare platforms.

I can go on and on, the data is substantial that affims deliveries to rideshare are better hands-down. Now if your preference is rideshare and you take up no issues with it, by all means keep doing what you do, just know to have at least five other means of generating income, at least sitting on the backburner ready for you to execute at any moment. I see drivers get wrongfully deactivated off rideshare platforms or come into car issues that prevent them to work temporarily, both of these situations happen to me and I am please to say I was able to not stop a beat from working to fund my dreams.