Every year we get to this point and so often many miss out because they failed to capitalize on the opportunity before hand. I am all about preparedness and waiting out an opportunity. It is now October 13th and I along with my clients I’ve suggested they sign up on any and all gig platforms! From postal services to UPS and FedEx, to GoPuff have access to as many work platforms as possible.
Merchants more than ever will incentivize online shopping guaranteeing various forms of shipping.. Also this will include forms of return shipping as well. With C-19 concerns still in somewhat concern and many department stores having closed down I do no force many of these businesses having the capacity for many shoppers. This will help aid in the delivery demands too, People have been so displaced from family, outdoor activities, etc. that though I believe shopping will be in great demand people will choose events and functions over direct shopping. The pass 9 months have conditioned people more than ever to online shopping and other forms of delivery / pickups.
So, have you considered that many ways to earn extra holiday dollars closing out 2020? Do you believe you can close out on top going into 2021 profitable after-all? If you are self-employed you know more than ever that one source of income, no matter how dependable it seems to be cannot be the end all be all source. I am a firm believer in gig exploration and diversifying gigs on a broad spectrum. Having this access during Covid allowed me not to have to draw on not governmental assistance this entire 8-months. Remember my freelancers and independent contractors, always stay ready!
I will keep saying this and shouting it to the top of my lungs, but we’re living in the best of times as independent contractors, self-employed, giggers, side-hustlers, small business owners, etc. It is as if this time was created specifically for us all and though this time of opportunity is abundant it does come at a cost and readjustments.
For well over a year or two I have been speaking of the importance of gig workers establishing LLC’s. of their own and building a “gig business” of their own. I foreseen the need of the gig economy growing immensely. Some times thinking my calculations may be wrong I always ended up back to the the reality that the gig economy is here to stay and will be the new norm! Now, with Covid-19 my predictions reigns even more true!
So what is the cost of all this? The cost is moreso of an internal one causing for a mental shift and acceptance of this type of work life. As a gig strategist and gig coach the biggest thing that get in the way of most giggers is their need for immediate gratifications and lack of creativity on the platforms. They don’t see all the various aspects of the gig economy that can make them even more profitable, the great thing about this is many of them are exiting the gig economy in droves! This great exodus will become another profitable factor for those of us that do see the massive opportunities within this sector of work. We will begin to see a massive infusion of the professional turned gigger!
In many of my other writings I spoke of mainstream traditional employers embracing the template of the gig economy here’s how/why:
Contracting / Outsourcing employees (in high demand).
Less financial risk with contracted employees.
On-boarding process is quicker.
Doesn’t have to provide traditional incentives for employment.
Serves as a trial run for potential hiring on employees full-time.
Why many contractors are taking advantage of the gig economy:
Flexibility! This is a major one,
Less commitment.
Earn more upfront and use the money to pay into outlets of their choice i.e. retirement, assets, healthcare, etc.
Many can work from home or remotely in the field.
Less demand from authorities and oversight.
Work freely.
The gig economy is not to be limited to delivery services of food and goods, nor limited to rideshare. The gig economy is made up of software engineers, truckers, administratives, virtual assistants, bookkeepers, etc. Covid season has proven this. With the majority of employees working remotely from home this proves to be true. So with this being the case why wouldn’t a business or corporation take this opportunity to minimize costs such as overhead, pay employees more, but as independent contractors? Is this possible? I think it is and know it is! Though with traditional employees still wanting employers to offer great health care options, 401k, and retirement types, that incentive is dying out massively; and employees are preferring their money upfront with the choice of purchasing their own options.
There will be a learning curve and many adjustments as this progress, but I believe if one educates themselves on these options and embrace the gig economy right, they can become highly profitable and more in control of their lives and earnings. The gig economy has a sexiness about it that can catapult you into abundance or serve as a great destruction. What is key is discipline, money management, and creating safe holdings of finances for unexpected issues.
With all the fear and despair I am overly hopeful and cheerful. I talk to people who are so content and defeated in the belief this pandemic has or soon will deplete us of resources and money. I believe it to be the very opposite, especially as a small business owner of multiple types. As a business owner I believe we ought to be excited at this leveling of the playing field how things are now going and growing
How and why I have such a strong positive notion of all this, well for one from the start I was not vested emotionally into all of this. I knew I could not afford to give into a state of fear and uncertainty. I immediately understood the worst case scenario, accepted it, and moved toward mentally the best case scenario that could come out of all of this.
So if you’ve been following me on my Youtube channel the CEO DriveHer, you know I had already began sorta shifting in my various businesses and gigs I work. I felt like something of such a great magnitude, and shift would come into play, but never thought that shift would be a pandemic. I quickly began speaking about the benefits of this catastrophe (I know it sounds cold, but I mean it in a respectful way) and how to build off of it instead of collapsing within it. I spoke well over a month ago on my radio show, here on the blog, and youtube of how this could transmute into a good thing.
Yes there is death around us, but with all due respect not trying to be cruel, but if you have life, if you have a means to earn, create, and be profitable well why aren’t you using the good air God has provided to put yourself to use? I cannot understand for the life of me why people are content with staying cooped up until the government frees you? No! I will push every aspect of Covid season to the limits. Be-it I have a 100 years or one day left of life I will not wait and die with such great opportunities to my avail!
I have witnessed countless small businesses literally seemingly overnight revamp their business through innovative and creative means! Yes, some businesses will die, some will wither away slowly, some will never recoup from this, but I dare ask for some of those businesses is it due to the pandemic or their inability to redefine and recreate their brand and how they service? Look, just because you have a business it does not mean you’re guaranteed success. We all must adapt on some level and the fact of the matter is we just all will not be able to and that’s okay.
Now us newbies, the ones that have been lingering in the shadows waiting for an area opportunity, well here it is! If you are innovative and have the bare necessities to operating a business, well you are in business for sure especially if it is service based that can be virtually carried out. I’ve seen countless brick and mortar business go into a virtual space and they are not only experiencing cost savings, but gaining an influx of new clientele. I must encourage many of you to ride this wave for as long as possible and to be honest this wave will last for some time. I myself invested in hiring a virtual assistant, purchased some new software, and upped my marketing to reach a broader base of individuals they may need my services. When I pulled just a week’s worth of analytics off my website it stated ORDERS were up 1,167% and REVENUE up by 661% and my conversion rate now up to about 33%, mind totally blown! Just me simply doubling down on my skills, creating content and digital products and re-investing in my business I am more profitable than I’ve been in the past 3 months! Be sure to grab my free ebook “THE GEAR UP ON THE GIG BUSINESS” on my website https://www.ceodriveher.shop (click link here) and click below to see the vlog preview of the free ebook. (Be sure to use promo code: FREEBIE)
What about competitors? Well, what about them; right now it is free game for all. Larger companies are sitting on their cushing of cash, not all, but many are good for a while. Even if you have yet to start a business, if you have a service you can provide, a service that ties into the virtual space using technology for accessibility, etc. then you need to quickly establish yourself as a business entity and move on the low cost savings for starting a business now! You literally have no excuse, also I believe for us small businesses that have doubled down and revamped ourselves that our return on our current business(es) will see major major gains before the year end! I am most certain of it, don’t not believe into the lies of a recession and the stock market tanking. This country will have the quickest reemergence ever in history and for those that weighed through the heaviness of it will cash-in greatly!
So, who all stand a chance to gain in the Covid season? I’d say at least 70% of businesses. Look something I’ve noticed is that people are still spending money, and many are working from home that had corporate jobs! Just because you don’t see people in buildings doesn’t mean everyone is chilling at home at the crib. I dare to say many people have gotten hired in this time, whereas before they couldn’t get employment. Look y’all all there was, was a shift of key holders and how things are conducted. Yes unfortunately there are some that are unemployed, laid-off, etc., but many have received provisions for such cases. Don’t allow someone’s elses situation damper on your ability to grow and flourish in this time. Is it fair? No, but when is is ever.
Be sure to read my other blogs and gain a perspective of small business ownership and the gig economy. Also be sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel CEO Driveher and feel free to shop around on my website https://www.ceodriveher.shop and until next time you all be blessed and double down on today’s oppurtunities!
The gig economy is in a great place of opportunity for both platforms and independent contractors.
I want to be the first of those within the gig world to declare that we all are on the brink of the greatest transference of wealth like never before! Unfortunately many giggers, independent contractors, freelancers, and those self-employed will fail to take advantage of all the assistance, loans, grants, and opportunities made available by our current administration.
I have been warring internally as a gigger and entrepreneur, I’ve continued to work within the gig economy focusing primarily on deliveries for Ubereats, DoorDash, and Roadie with far and few rideshare opportunities. I found myself doubling down in this “Covid-19” economy and though it’s been sort of a sharp shift I am earning maybe just 20% less working the same amount of hours in not less as well, but nowhere near as hard. I’ve taken this opportunity to learn different strategies, studying the market, seeing how deliveries are thriving, and how patrons in this downtime are still spending lots of money. Our cities are ghost towns but the virtual online world is booming with business!
As a gig strategist this time of work is providing me with great data and an inside look into the human condition through my work in the gig economy. My finds are amazing and I will later in the future share those findings with you.
But back to my internal war, on one end I struggled with should I allow myself to be susceptible to this climate of uncertainty, I definitely don’t have personal health insurance and the last thing I need to be is sick. As a freelancer, self-employed, gigger, etc. we aren’t allowed sick days, hell we barely take off any days from work, so am I being negligent? On the other hand I have a strong work ethic, and fear comfortability, I seen the possibility of serving within this time and what it may bring about in the future, and that future in my opinion is bright!
As I scroll through online posts and videos I see so many bragging about the “free money” they’re opting in to receive. People are actually excited about the $1200.00 stimulus check and the unemployment insurance. I do believe many people need both of these and should take total advantage of this provision, but as for us giggers, self-employed, entrepreneurs, etc. I dare to second this amenity. I am the owner of numerous businesses as well as work various other gigs that are app based, the last thing I want or need to do is collect unemployment. The unemployment wage is peanuts compared to the SBA grant which is provided on http://www.sba.gov under the disaster relief tab. They are offering a forgivable upfront $10,000.00 grant advance that doesn’t need to be paid for regardless if your loan is approved or not! Now I am not a mathematician, but I easily crunched the numbers in my head and clearly seen the win factor in selecting this over unemployment.
Yes, this is a bold assumption and I totally understand the uncertainty in this current state of affairs, but what do you have to lose that you already haven’t. Most Americans cannot afford to go a week without a paycheck being we live paycheck to paycheck in addition less than that have $1000 or even $300 in a savings account, but if you’ve noticed people are not in the streets starving, there isn’t any rioting, and I’ve not heard of anyone being evicted. We all are managing somehow which is actually quite odd considering the majority of Americans are not working or earnings are significantly lower.
I believe it is because of the guaranteed provisions in place to protect most Americans. Now I’ve heard of some municipalities violating federal and state orders to not shut off utilities, etc. but those stories are far and few. Right now cellphone companies have deferred payment of bills out anywhere from 60 – 90 days, all you have to do is call and ask. Utility companies are ordered to not disconnect essentials such as water, gas, and electric. Cable companies are deferring payments as well. Landlords of both commercial and residential properties are ordered to not pursue any evictions for if I’m not mistaken 60 – 90 days; in addition there are provisions for them for earnings lost due to not meeting their business costs too. So in short the buck has been passed and the majority of cash flow is on pause. With the being said what an awesome opportunity to invest in yourself, your business, your future to ensure you’re never in a situation whereas you do not have access to capital. I believe that time is now upon us and with all the available grants, loans (at low interest), deferment of student loans, and debt. forgiveness please take advantage of this! Also right now online courses, business kits, and resources are extremely cheap. Online sellers are itching to move product and selling things at awesome bargain prices, prices that I don’t think we’ll see again for a long time. You can actually purchase your blog website through WordPress for $1. I myself have invested in 4 kits/business courses to help me in this downtime to reshape, restructure my businesses and mindset. Some of the riches things of value come in the form of information and tools, especially as a business owner!
So giggers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, contractors, self-employed etc. seize this moment of hidden wealth, double down on the opportunity of “club quarantine” and maximize your earnings by acquiring knowledge and investing in your business(es). We literally have a break from most bills and have the opportunity to still make money. Don’t allow the immediate gratification of sitting at home to just collect an unemployment check fool you to thinking you’re fulfilled and getting over. I assure you if you do so you’ll later regret your actions. Take advantage of the unemployment if you must, but remember it’s for those that need it not those seeking to abuse the systems or get a break from work. For us blessed with able bodies and employment keep doing so until the well dries up, unemployment is available until the end of 2020 so you have plenty of time to determine if its actually needed.
For my coaching, consultations, or any of my other services please visit my website at http://www.ceodriveher.shop and I’d love to help you in learning how to fund your dreams.
From ecommerce, to gig economy, to YouTube, and Instagram fame money is at our fingertips like never before with most not needing to contribute anything of much value. We’ve lived in a decade of fame and riches advertised to be easily obtained with little effort and I believe this notion is causing many to self-destruct in their desires of obtaining financial freedom and peer recognition for success.
I’ve always been in business for myself since a teenager on some level. Whether selling cigarettes on campus, babysitting, to life-coaching and resume building I always looked to earn income on the side and grow a business of some sorts, from my early teenage years throughout my adulthood. I loosely say I’ve been an entrepreneur my entire life because a large portion of me being in business for myself I’ve always had the protection of a traditional job looming in the background, hence clouding my true responsibility of managing and scaling my side businesses. It wasn’t until I went full-time entrepreneur and embracing the gig economy that I gain true perspective of business ownership.
In my observation of business owners, which began with myself I quickly seen I had been a fake, playing the role of a boss, a business woman, when in fact I knew nothing of running a business, especially one to be self-sustaining. Now, almost three years of gig hopping, freelancing, and entrepreneurship has taught me more than than any business school or mentorship program in my opinion. It has truly been trial and error for me, constant investing in thousands of hours of university YouTube, reading numerous books, partaking in online classes, and working alongside those that did not run their businesses right, but learning from their wrongs! I am still learning how to articulate all that I have learned, but one thing is certain my keen ability to see those that are lack luster and not true to their business dealings.
The Pretenders. These individuals are not easy to identify from the surface, but to true business owners you’ll identify them in minutes; in just by asking a few questions they easily reveal themselves without their own knowing. Us business owners tend to be smooth talkers, a-whole-lot of talk and very little actions. We are the kings and queens of procrastination, we live in the clouds and rarely come down to the valley of reality. We have a good game plan, but never execute them, we have all the answers for others, but when we have the answers for ourselves we fail to adhere to them. The Pretenders, can be the worse types, they like the idea of success and often they have everything they need to be successful, but lack implementing the hard work and self-investments required to acquire success.
How to quickly identify “The Pretenders”
All talk no fruit of their labor.
Lacks consistency in their endeavors.
Quickly switching earning options.
Fail to invest in higher education i.e. online courses, workshops, etc.
Have the ability to make money, but half-ass complete opportunities.
Lacks advertising their services through various media outlets.
Slow to move on changes required of them to level-up.
They tend to piggyback or rather lurk in the background of others success somewhat posing it off as their own.
Looks to obtaining clients through mere existence and no true connective approach.
Actually lazy! The lazy part seems hard to identify because they come off highly motivated and active, but in fact they’re just good at moving around looking busy.
Pretenders look for help and even welcome it, but once instructions are given they’re slow to move upon suggestions and actions. Pretenders are often highly skilled and gifted individuals, but the problem I believe is they lack from a variation of work ethics. Remember when I opened up in the beginning of the blog with the worker types from this past decade, a bunch of individuals with money at their fingertips with an high expectation of gaining income /clients with little effort. This seems to be the new playbook of ecommerce and business, due less make more, provide little effort and value but inflate costs and make it big! There’s only one major factor, many aren’t being profitable in their approach, and instead of becoming cognizant of the needed change they’ll double down on their methods continuing to earn less to little with this inflated fallacy of business success. Us as entrepreneurs are constant dreamers, creators, of grand ideas for making money, but that execution part and commitment to constant investing is faint.
I have a business that tagline is “Driving to Fund our Dreams”, those there at the CEO DriveHer understand that often we must invest our time diligently elsewhere to make our dreams a reality elsewhere. We’re committed to investing/funding our businesses through learning, earning, and planning; nothing is given all is earned! So I ask you, are you pretending, are you acting like a boss or are you a boss, do you understand that business ownership is not glamorous, nor easy, and when done for earning income you must actually have passion and skill to consistently scale your business for permanent growth. You sir or mam constantly throwing darts in the dark masked as a “boss” or “business owner” will be short lived if you continue to pretend while in your endeavors.
For more blogs and vlogs checkout my website at http://www.ceodriveher.shop where I provide media content on IG and YouTube, also be sure to checkout my services if you need help in the gig economy or business consulting for entry level business owners.
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:
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.
Skillset. This takes skills, trial and error, and discipline. The market changes constantly and you must be able to discern the contents tempos.
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.
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.
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.
If you ever wanted a great reason to restart anything or to get a fresh start on what you’ve already been doing, then Monday should be a great reason for you too. Mondays are filled with possibilities, you get to from scratch map, plan, set, and visualize your goals and intentions. Monday starts the countdown of a seven day plumb-line (a measuring instrument), it allows you to measure short-term and long-term goals.
Monday – Write out your plans, map your week, itemize your goals from greatest to least. Write out what is of most importance and how much time you need to commit to it for completion. You also want to set a budget! What needs to be paid, what are you planning to invest in, figure out how much money do you need to make this week. As a gigger, freelancer, entrepreneur we have an income that has many variables, so this is key. You do not want to be playing catch-up on anything. If there are bills that need to be paid, go ahead and pay them! If you have to cut back on expenses and you clearly see this, DO IT! Don’t assume the money is coming in, this creates a more stressful environment on yourself mentally.
Tuesday – Execute hard! Go full throttle on you mapped out goals, go as hard as you can, work that day like you have 1-hour to turn in your last assignment which is the biggest grade of the semester. This is a method I use because I notice it gets me way ahead of the curve ball later in the week, plus it sets the tone for good momentum.
Wednesday – REPEAT Tuesday. Review your Monday Mapping plan and see where you are on the plan, are you making progress, are you behind. Read over it daily so you’re reminded of what needs to be done and you don’t risk forgetting.
Thursday – Calculate what percentage of your goals have been completed. See what needs to be dropped and can be reassigned. This happens, don’t worry focus on what can be done and completed. Until you get good at setting measurable goals you often will have to tweak them. Again don’t feel like a failure, we tend to over stretch over reach on our goals, that’s okay; over time you’ll get better and know instinctively what needs to be niched down so that you’re successful accomplishing your mapped out goals/plans.
Friday – Reflect, reflect, reflect. Be real with yourself, ask yourself if you’ve given your best to your goals, have you stuck to landig? Now, while reflecting you’re still working, but working with full intention of completing tasks. Seeing where you can add more umph and drive to what it is you’re doing. Are you gassed up or all gassed out? Calibrate yourself and again be realistic, but know how and when to push yourself more. This degree of self-awareness and mental calibration breeds self-honesty plus you see areas in which you may need to outsource. We cannot do it all, but initially as business owners it is not a must it is vital to the success of our business(es).
Saturday – Coast on out! Ride the wave accept what you’ve done and begin to polish up and close out all tasks left or completion.
Sunday – Rest & Reflect. While going into reboot mode, at this point you’ve slowed down, you’ve accepted your projections, you’ve accepted what you’ve completed or not completed, and you are game planning mentally of what you can do better next week.
In closing I know this may seem like a lot, but in fact what I am asking of you may require only 10-15 minutes of your day exempting Monday which may require 60-minutes and that’s okay. You committing 60-minutes to the rest of your week on a Monday can save you hours of your time and money. Don’t sell yourself short by skipping this weekly ritual. Many businesses, corporations, and government entities use Mondays as a means to power-up and motivate their staff. I worked in government and we always set agendas, quotas, plans of execution so that we all could work optimally. If you’re going to be in business for yourself you must begin to do this immediately! Go in God’s speed, be motivated my fellow entrepreneurs!
So I decided two weeks ago to do a small experiment on implementing shift work in the gig economy seeking to figure out the following. 1. Will it increase earnings. 2. Is it a better method in regards to granting an individual more time on the back end. 3. Can you be just as strategic. At the end of it all my conclusion actually surprised me in the oddest way.
So I began this experiment on a Thursday and it was in my opinion an utter fail from the start. Did I make a lot of money over the course of those 4 days, well yes of course, but I made the same amount just a little more than usual. In short my findings proved that working 12-hour shifts doing one solid platform be-it Uber, Lyft, of Door Dash is pointless unless in odd situations whereas the demand is an all time high, but that is rare. I will maintain my firm belief that strategy out weighs work hours in exchange for higher earned income.
First issue with working 12-hour shift, if there is dead time you’re stuck and left to just wait it out when in fact if you stay to strategic split shifts you in turn can make more of a profit, have more time to expend on what you want, and incorporate a nice mix of other gigs. Second issue with working 12-hour shifts, SLEEP deprived! This by far was exhausting and for someone like me that likes to be mobile and fluid in my day-to-day activity this limited me severely. Sitting in a vehicle just isn’t sustainable and extremely unhealthy. As a holistic wellness coach I notice I got more lazy, I started to swell up, and my eating was off big time. A big factor to consider with rideshare or any gig for that matter, for the most part the demands come in waves. Staying logged on in down-time is literally a waste of time, as a business owner you’re best investing that time in other endeavors and contributing more time to resting up. Third with 12-hour shifts, irritability and lack of mental clarity and sharpness. It seemed as if my days were running in to one big lump. I literally felt like a slave to the road, which defeats the point of doing this gig. I refuse to be an employee to it. I work on my rules, terms, and when I wanna.
The surprising overall effect! So after a day or two of recouping I noticed after a few days I was able to work longer hours effortlessly. Working the 12-hour shifts caused me to become adapted in a new way in regards to how I went about doing rideshare. I use to space out my time hoping off and on and not following through on time when logged in. I seen myself declining fewer rides and trusting the process. When logged in I was committed for the long haul. My work time went from averaging 4-5 hours a day to 7-8 hours a day. I was more targeted and strategic in my earnings. I made more money is less than the time I had when working those 12-hour shifts. In all the greatest thing taken from those twelves is I was able to push myself more seeing what I was capable of doing. Me being uncomfortable those few days was enough to quickly condition me to work more efficiently.
So in my humble opinion if your only option is rideshare and you don’t seek to do anything else and don’t mind long dead time then it just may work out for you, but I can guarantee it is not suitable for the long time. If you’re an entrepreneur like myself this is like dying a slow and painful death completely tormenting to the entrepreneurial soul because we seek to be profitable every waking moment. Wasted time is dollars, taking away from us committing time in other avenues.
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!
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:
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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!”.
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.
THE CEO DRIVEHER 