Tag: lyft driver

WHEN DELIVERIES TRUMP UBER & LYFT

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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.

IS YOUR CAR AN ASSET? WELL DEPENDS HOW YOU USE IT.

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I believe in this emergence of the gig economy our vehicles and homes, but in this text we’re focusing on our cars, can be liken to the modern day mule. It’s a valuable work-beast if you allow it to be. I am constantly met with an unjust argument that me, you, others are fools for using a car rental service or our own personal vehicles for the gig economy. I often see on my YouTube channel Kimberly CEO DriveHer these statements “what about the wear and tear on you vehicle” “don’t your car depreciates?” “you’re making less money due to wear and tear and fuel costs” the comments are endless and moronic if you ask me. I believe the only ones that see it that way are those that simply have lacked being profitable in the gig economy and rideshare. Newsflash people, every piece of property you buy, own, rental depreciates on some level, even your bodies people. Now this blog will be not be loaded with statistical data and facts, I don’t have analytical numbers and charts to prove my point, but what I do have is common-sense and perspective. I plan to quickly help alter your perception and mind in how you can and ought to use your vehicle in such a way that you make it more of an asset than what it already is. This is opinion based, but opinions based upon facts for certain. So hear me out and hopefully you can begin to yield a greater return on your investment, that being your vehicle a tangible asset.

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Let us begin with the word “asset” asset is defined in Merriam Webster dictionary as a: an item of value owned; which I believe best sums it up! Whether you are renting, leasing, financing, or own your car in this day to make a valuable return on it, you must use it optimally. Cars and meant to be driven. They produce new vehicles and the production of many of them are low quality and cheap, they are not built to last so you may as well work that mule to the death. Yes take care of your car, yes keep up with the maintenance, yes use it wisely, but for goodness sake USE IT! The argument of wear and tear to justify not doing rideshare is just ridiculous. Now if you have a vehicle on it’s last leg maybe you need to stick to primarily deliveries and not rideshare. Be smart, use your vehicle wisely. If you have a beat-up pickup truck maybe gigs like Byrd, LIme, and Roadie are best suited considering the caliber of jobs and heavy loading.

In the rideshare gig community I believe some people tend to overthink this process, you don’t utilize what they have appropriating it properly. Don’t go out purchasing a new vehicle stay on middle ground, remember things will happen. Newer vehicles cost more insurance wise, that’s risky. Your vehicle in the gig economy is an instrument, an investment, keep all costs low in reference to it so that it yields a higher return financially.

I currently use the Uber rental program and really like the option of not have to pay car insurance, nothing is in my name, and that is one less loan on my credit. As a minimalist to some degree this option works best for me. I use the rental for many of my gigs not just Uber. I maintain the vehicle, keep it clean, get it serviced regularly (at no cost to me on the servicing), and keep it damaged free. The entire cost for me to rent it monthly is $980, but if I complete 75-90 rides I get an extra $120 or $195 weekly bonus. If you subtract that I am actually paying less than $400 a month for the rental! Now, it still requires you to work a bit to get all those rides, but the trade off is sweet overall. I get unlimited miles, can take it anywhere I want, work where I want, and use it to do my other gigs!

So, if in the gig economy stop focusing on wear and tear and focus on profitability, focus on how you can make this “modern day mule” your ultimate work horse. Here are some rules to recap on:

  1. Don’t go into debt trying to get the nicest pricest vehicle.
  2. Use what you got and until you can afford to upgrade using cash no financing!
  3. Keep costs low. Use fuel points, cash back rewards on fuel, etc.
  4. Keep up with the maintenance but but in a cost effective way.
  5. Use you vehicle for multiple gigs, not just one.
  6. Start to see how your vehicle brings you value on a daily basis.
  7. Consider which gigs are best for you to do in relation to the type of car you have.

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.

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:

  1. Protect your employment
  2. Grant yourself some job security.
  3. Be cost effective. maximize your earrings, and cost savings.
  4. Take full advantage of the rewards and opportunities that serve businesses more than individuals.
  5. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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!
  6. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. Logo: create an unique logo easily for cheap on http://www.fiverr.com
  3. Purchase a Virtual Office: includes actual address and business line this will vary in need contingent on your business structure.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Certificate of Organization: you usually obtain this through the Secretary of State (you must have this for a DUNS# and Business Checking account)
  7. 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!
  8. 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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:

  1. Do you plan on using multiple gig platforms?
  2. Are you willing to take 1-2 hours to research some data to see what areas may be profitable to you?
  3. 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.
  4. Do you have a daily budget and goal of pay?  
  5. 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!

YOU MUST BE YOUR OWN PRIORITY: PROTECT YOURSELF WOMEN DRIVERS OF UBER & LYFT

I am not going to hold back on this, I don’t care about your views on guns and non-violence, I don’t care that you think it is the job of the employer to protect you against predators; what I care about is you always being prepared for the worse case scenario in any event whether at work or not. Understand that bad things happen, there are evil doers in this world, and these evil beings are opportunists. What you are to do is minimize the opportunities for these bastards to victimize you. You want to make them think twice about trying you!

At the end of the day ladies you want to be the one going home. The rideshare gig in my opinion is not for fair hearted weaklings, you gotta have some balls to be willing to use your personal vehicle (POV), pick-up strangers in sometimes the most conspicuous places, drive them to an unknown location however far away at all times of the day. If you are reading/watching this to consider doing rideshare and you’re easily fearful this may not be the gig for you and that is alright, but for those of us that are using these various gig type jobs as leverage to building our brands and companies to fund our dreams I encourage you to watch my vlog. My YouTube channel is CEO DRIVEHER, and continue reading this blog.

Now, here is my disclaimer please read all rideshare and gig job rules and requirements and abide by them on all platforms you use, but also learn and know your city and state’s laws that justify actions taken by you if ever in a position you must protect yourself. I am not suggesting violating any of these platforms rules but there are some gray areas you can use to your advantage. I have a law enforcement background of almost 15 years, I am certified through the state of Georgia in a number of areas and having hundreds of hours of training in self-defense, criminal studies, firearms, etc. I started out driving primarily working late nights sometimes till 4am which are seemingly high risk hours picking up and dropping off in some “risky / questionable” areas. My fear factor is not high and I believe I’ve minimized the chances of me being victimized is due to my background and being able to do some of the things I am about to share. But let us first discuss what you are not to do under any circumstance:

  1. Don’t go Rogue: never do cash rides never never never do it, at least the app serves as some form of accountability. If a rider suggest you taking cash instead of using the app be prepared to deal with the consequences.
  2. Don’t give Personal data: unless you are certain that the connect is legit and you can vet the person, just don’t do it. I’ve had many men call me through the app after a trip or try to contact me for dates which is just creepy.
  3. Don’t be a Sucker: some folks are just gullible and naive, don’t believe them no matter what they offer you, I’ve had men offer hundreds of dollars to hang out or come up to their place for drinks and small talk (again creepy). The attention and flattery can be alluring, but don’t give in to it, always remain professional and professionally declining their offers.

So I am going to litely to go over what I outlined in my YouTube vlog as some things I strongly suggest you do to ensure you are protected and confident enough whether in rideshare or any other place of work to take control of a matter that may be a threat to you. As a jailer for many years serving in various positions and ranks as an officer I studied “criminals” from afar. I watched how they preyed on others, I listened to their phone calls, I’ve read and studied police reports of how some of these criminals viciously carried out their crimes, particularly crimes against women. My father who is currently a high ranking officer serving as a Captain over criminal investigations always insisted since as a little girl that I protect myself and always be aware of my surroundings (known as situational awareness). As times get worse in the world I become more and more cognizant of always being on guard. Listed below are some of my suggestions to minimize being a victim.

  1. Set the tone and be able to vocalize your contention in a matter you’re not comfortable with. Instincts are everything, don’t doubt your gut. It’s okay to be frightened and have fear, fear is simply a gauge that allows you to calibrate and make a judgement call in a situation. Instincts can save your life, stop sparing people’s feeling and be upfront if you disagree with something like allowing the passenger to sit in the front seat, or making you drive in unfamiliar area that is not on the navigation, or sexual advances; speak up!
  2. Eye contact allows entry into the soul; vet the individuals and drop off location. Make strong eye contact, it is a proven that it can ward off predators, they don’t want the nightmare and constant reflection of themselves in your eyes. Criminals don’t like eye contact plus they don’t want you to be able to identify them if need be. I force strong eye contact for a few seconds and while confirming the drop off location again I make eye contact.
  3. Toughen up mama! Don’t be passive aggressive! Set strong boundaries for yourself. As a life-coach I pride myself on teaching this, if I may I want to encourage you to literally write down your boundaries that you don’t want violated and repeat them to yourself daily. This will allow you to stay true to them and not compromise. Your body, your space, your car, your rules!
  4. Your body and and spirit’s disposition is key. Have a strong presence and voice. Don’t be timid in your speech, be confident. You can be personable and nice yet assertive. This includes how you’re dressed and how well you’ve maintained your vehicle; if you look and feel respectable most people will honor that in return and as we say in the streets “they won’t try you!”.
  5. Part-take in some form of self-defense on a weekly basis and workout. This will build your confidence and prepare you for those moments of if and when you’re in flight or fright mode. I also suggest carrying a weapon of some form (I will discuss this more in detail in another blog, but as a disclaimer please follow the guidelines in regards to weapons of whichever rideshare platform you’re using.) A weapon can be anything *side smirk* if you know how to use it to save your life! I still suggest firearms training reason being is firearms are not just learning how to accurately shoot on target, but how to possibly disarm an individual or if they drop their weapon how you can use it against them, etc. It is highly informative and can allow you to react quickly in the unfortunate event a firearm is pulled out on. I also suggest training on the use of knives, but some self-defense classes incorporate this being rape predators tend to arm themselves with them.

Whelp I hope I haven’t scared you off and you see my position. As a driver for the most part I feel safe and I haven’t had a lot of incidents reason being I possess various skills that I feel grants some securities. Should these platforms do a better job at vetting riders? Yes. Should these platforms how riders accountable for inappropriate actions towards drivers? Yes. Should the bare the responsibility of protecting drivers? Damn right, but they just aren’t. So in the interim and as legislation forces their hand in various matters you must bare the responsibility yourself ladies or just opt out from this type of gig.