The gig economy has gotten the recognition and promotion it so desperately needed, it wasn’t a matter of when but how it would come about. So many ups and downs, lawsuits, and confusing legislations “giggers” were left in limbo until this covid-19 season awaken the lack of identity and purpose in the gig world. One minute you’re classified as just some Uber driven, next you’re an essential worker! What, well how I see it we’ve always been essential, no we do not have a fancy title, no we’re not like our awesome military and law enforcement officers guarding our communities, no we’re not like the nurses working endless days under stressed filled hospitals, but we are serving in an odd capacity that awards some appreciation.
Now, I am no way trying to glorify and gas up us as rideshare drivers, delivery persons, and freelanced digital nomads, by no means, but more-so wanting to highlight how the gig economy worker contributes to society in an unprecedented way. The state of gig work is woven now into our lexicon or way of life; it’s a real thing a real task, so real that well over 57 million individuals partake in the gig economy on some level in the United States, that’s massive, that is over 1/3 of our current workforce. We now see the importance of a virtual workforce, a workforce I seen long ago emerging out of the shadows. With this unfortunate event employers are going to jump on this opportunity to taking their business virtual in every capacity we will see a digitalized brick and mortar and they’re justified to do so.
Now, why do I say side gigs are the new permanent employer I tell you why, because if you do not mind the risk, the ability to manage yourself as a gigger, and be open to temporary assignments then your’ ability to virtually be employed be-it for yourself as an independent contractor or employee, it will be endless. With this said, I warn of those within the gig economy getting to comfortable with 1 or 2 gigs, my philosophy is to incorporate and build a rapport with as many as possible (gig platforms that is). You do not want to get trapped as the employee, spread yourself thin and diversify outside of rideshare and deliveries as gigs.
More employers are seeing the added benefit cost wise in outsourcing various tasks that once would require staff, even teams of staff. A virtual assistant, virtual bookkeeper, software engineer that can remotely handle IT issues is a sure win! Less cost in overhead and expenses, mind you often not having to pay into various payroll taxes and incentives. Both sides has its losses, but for many it’s a win win!
There’s nothing really knew about the gig economy, it has been around for decades, but what it new is how its viewed and what exactly it entells. People like myself see endless opportunities and possibilities within it. From Lyft drivers to Doordash delivery person, to virtual handymen, to online medical services the gig economy takes the win for years to come!
The photos you see are from my ebook written earlier this year titled GIG ALERT, whereas I dive in deep on the various aspects of the gig economy and especially a chapter dedicated to businesses to see its ability to maximize its earnings as well as savings by incorporating the gig business model. For purchase be sure to visit my website at https://www.ceodriveher.shop click on the ebooks tab and purchase among many of my other reads.
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:
More to work in comparison of the two rideshare giants Uber and Lyft. I alone am signed up on eight forms of delivery services.
Versatility, these delivery services are massive granting an abundance of options compared to the only option with rideshare companies is picking up riders.
Underestimated, people have yet to vastly see the financial ability in this area of gig work.
Guaranteed work in certain markets whereas you can lock yourself in on the platform.
Can work multiple apps at one time unlike with rideshare.
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.
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.
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.
Rideshare posture is simply a more formal way of simply saying “daily goal”. The thing about posture is it is always subject to change, it allows for you to properly gauge the current climate via apps and market demands; from your assessment you adjust your daily goal that makes you profitable. Merriam-Webster defines “posture” as (b) conscience mental or outward behavioral attitude. I love that last part “outward behavioral attitude; making the perspective more personal and customized to your own individual style and desire in accomplishing your daily goal.
ARE YOU POSTURING YOURSELF FOR DAILY SUCCESS?
The problem I have found in those I coach within the rideshare/gig economy is most are using tips and generic solutions by other “giggers” in the community trying to make it applicable to their own markets when in fact that can do more harm than good (not all the time but some). What matters is your developed perspective. It is like fitting a square peg into a circle, sure it’ll fit somewhere just not there in the circle. What I encourage is you find your wave in your market find out what each day can grant you, but the only way to doing this is by trial and error on a daily basis over time.
You cannot set nor achieve consistent feasible goals unless you consistently work these various platforms; this is how “rideshare posture” is developed! When you develop rideshare posture you become extremely confident in being profitable regardless of how/how much the market change which can literally be on a daily basis. We simply adjust and ride the torental waves of this gig economy lifestyle.
Rideshare posture if compulated with a solid goal plan allows me to expand and maximize my profitability as well as my time! In the Youtube Community Board I posted the following things to consider when setting your daily goals:
Set your hours.
Minimize breaks.
Decide what you going to make within those hours.
Do not detour from your desired goals.
Drink tons of water and no sugary drinks, this is for mental clarity and focus.
Create a route mix (see post for details on route mix).
Set number of trips in accordance of hours being worked (see post for more details).
These are some basic, foundational goals, add anything to this list just keep them reasonable and attainable. Sometimes, if you’re anything like me we dream in bright color and “over reach” with dreamed up unrealistic goals (lolz), so let’s stay grounded in our desires. Now, this principle can and should be used in all your gig jobs and freelancing opportunities. If you seek coaching or a consultation please email me at ceodriveher@gmail.com to inquire of my prices and services.
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.
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.
THE CEO DRIVEHER 