uber driver – THE CEO DRIVEHER

NO MORE FUNDING MY DREAMS, NOW IS TIME TO ALLOW MY DREAMS TO FUND MY LIFE

Here at the CEO DriveHer community our tagline is “Driving to Fund our Dreams”, but have you ever considered when that time would have you to fully transition in being solely sustained, dependent on the income of your business dream? Well I have over and over again and can now say I have officially reached that point and I am terrified, but ready for the full transition into full-time entrepreneurship. I’ve done enough in the gig economy and it is now time to utilize that knowledge obtained in it putting it to use. I was good at leveraging the platform, but like most things and most humans sorta became codependent in it all. The saying “a creator of habit” never rang so true and like some habits you outgrow them, sometimes forceabley.

So now that I have stepped away from the gig economy, what now? How do I manage without it now? Well I tell you how, I am thrusting myself face forward! I have nothing to lose, but everything to gain at this juncture in my life. I must admit I was still playing it safe working part-time in the gig economy, but was beginning to even hate the few hours I was on the various platforms, not because of the gig economy, but more so I was plagued with mental torment of not finishing and working on my true passions and goals. Can you believe it, here it is I am making money, doing well in the gig economy, but failing to work my dreams! Yes I funding them, but I wasn’t working them to my full capacity, as a writer and aspiring author dreaming of writing numerous New York Times Best Sellers, honestly work was getting in the way of my thought process and creativity. As a writer and creator it’s a bit complicated in regards to the process of developing in projects. There was so much that always needed to be done, but then I’d think of a bill that needs to be paid, investment in other software or add-ons for my businesses, and it was this constant feeling of running in a circle and getting nothing done, spending money to make money and seeing no return and if so, it didn’t last long. I knew with clarity that I had reached a point of drawing the line in the sand and having to call it quits for now in the gig economy, and honestly it is kinda forced. I’ve been at this point in my life before and it always works out for my betterment. But, I am almost petrified, I feel gripped with fear, but I am in survival mode and know I must move forward in this. Movement in thrusting myself in this position in life is my only option and I am willing to do it with vigor. God has me in all of this! I am literally casting all my doubts, fears, thoughts, business plans, ideas, even my writing into his hands. I throw my hands up and trust he, God, is throwing his marvelous hand down towards me to lift me up out of the wreckage of fear.

My dreams I know are multi-million if not billion dollar concepts, my books will sell massively and my clientele will be too numerous to count yet even fathom, I know this to be fact, I see it, I hear it, I feel it! Something I know to be so true seems so distant, yet so within my own reach. What is this called? What is this conundrum? I don’t have the answers, but what I do know is I must move on faith and not look back for now. The gig economy is on the backburner as for working within the field, I am solely focusing on creating content and information to help other giggers, entrepreneurs, freelancers, etc. using my gift of speaking and writing to maximize my reach.

So what is it that I am looking forward to? I am looking forward to having a solid schedule! No more late nights and working into the early morning. No more working off hours and filling my weekends with gig work. I plan of expanding my social life and enjoying activities I’ve placed on the backburner for so long. I am looking forward to going to bed early and early morning workouts like I use to do. I am looking forward to only working for myself and creating all the day long. I am looking forward to putting that same driver, hustling, go pro mentality to my businesses at 200%, this use to bother me the most because I knew if I gave my businesses a fraction of the attention I gave my gigs I’d be producing like crazy and making money hand over fist! I have come to the conclusion that the gig economy at some point began to serve as a security blanket of sorts, a blanket that’s now ripped from off me leaving me exposed to my dreams to manifest them in their totality.

Is it now time for you to let go of that job, the gig, the part-time, that side hustle, and now time for you to put in that work in your own passions? Was that not the point, working to fund your dreams right? Whelp all the money that’s been made is beginning to dry up to force your hand to allow your dreams to now fund your life. I am now going, who else?

If you need help transition out of the traditional workforce into the gig economy, or out of the gig economy into your business checkout my services provided on both sites http://www.ceodriveher.shop and http://www.knbresume.com where I offer an array of services to help you build your business and maximize your earnings!

SLOW MARKET VS WEAK STRATEGY: WHICH IS IT

Right now many drivers and delivers are at their wits ends because of the market. In many markets their only saving grace is inclement weather which helps drive demand, while running some drivers off the road (pun intended) in fear of damaging their vehicle. When the market appears to slow down particularly like times like this after major holidays whereas patrons pull back on their spending; I believe it serves as a true testament to your know-how and inner hustler ability. Do you have what it takes to still earn decent or even big without exhausting ungodly amounts on time on the platform, forced to take anything all to earn a buck? In this quick read I want you to take some things into consideration, truly evaluate your market, see your strengths as well as your weaknesses in the gig economy. Observe and learn from others. I want you to identify if you’re just casting your net into shallow waters hoping for a large almost beached whale, or all you willing to sharpen your skills to pocket strategies that allows you to maximize your earnings regardless if slow or peak season.

How to measure whether your market is slow and your strategy is weak. For one talk to other pro-drivers or observe them via online, see what they’re earning, check the hours they’re putting in. Don’t compare yourself to them entirely, simply calculate from seeing on average how many rides they’re clearing a day, how many days they’re committed too, are they part-time or full-time, etc. I’ve come to learn that high, consistent earners tend to be disciplined, they do not vere off the disciplined path to often. They have a knack for riding the waves of the gig economy not allowing low-demand to deter them nor allow high-demand to make them to comfortable. See how and what drivers/delivers are complaining about, don’t chime in just listen to them via in person or social media, get a balance perspective. Be realistic, understand you signed up in a market that is highly volatile and unstable, you must have a realistic baseline for earning in each change of demands in accordance to the season. Take for instance in my Atlanta gig market for me to average $100 bucks a day between 4 – 7 hours is phenomenal, especially if I chose to use a strategy that minimize fuel. The market is sorta-slow in essence demand is still present, but at very specific times, the demand is locked in split shifts as well as more drivers feel heart-up to make an earning. The scales are tipped a bit, but to the skilled driver it’s not pressed to earn nicely on a daily basis. Skilled drivers, strategic drivers see the market for what it is and act accordingly.

How to strengthen your driver and delivery game I must admit is a variable matter due to the fact each market differs, but I believe some of these generic tips to consider will help you stay fairly or become profitable. It is simple so don’t overthink it. Again see the market for what it is and accept it, don’t over exert yourself. What may look like to be more in earnings if you spend more time on the platform may in fact cause you more in fuel, time, and wear and tear on your vehicle; not to mention the wear and tear on your body. I’d rather spare $50 bucks than work another 10 for $50 bucks, just isn’t worth it. Know your worth. If you’ve ever have a bag of tricks in that money bag of yours I must stress that now is the time to use it. The so call don’ts may be proper do’s at this juncture. Here are so things to strengthen your driver/delivery game:

Stop shutting off the app. Now outside of my bulking strategy I am all for powering down regularly and strategizing. Being demand can be far and few leave the app on.
Moving cars make money, but I suggest extending your wait times in certain areas 3-5 minutes. Don’t be so quick to drive off after a drop-off or delivery. I’ve gotten pings in what seemed to be the most unlikely of places.
Work the city when brought into the city. Some people if they stay in the outer perimeter of a metro area will B-line themselves to highly populated areas and thought that makes sense, I want you to consider that E V E R Y O N E else has had that brilliant idea. This causes saturation of some sort and you most likely expended a great deal of fuel and time making your way into the city. Make every mile count!
Piggy backing on bullet point prior I have a strategy called BUCKS IN THE BURBS. This one is highly underestimated, but does require you to be knowledgeable of the community and those surrounding it. This is like a treasure chest of money when worked right. Here in Atlanta and the metro suburban areas are set up like little mini sub-cities. Community developments weigh in heavy in accommodating their residence and creating an environment and social life that will keep tax dollars and monies spent circulating within their city instead of the money going elsewhere. Take for instance Cumming, GA, Woodstock, GA, Roswell, GA these cities are 30-50 miles outside of Atlanta with a thriving nightlife, full of pubs, and family oriented spaces. These areas often have mini surges and high demands that’ll leave you running back and forth from bar to burbs.
Develop strategies if you have not this is the time. If you can learn to be profitable this is good training ground. It is easy to get money when it is plentiful, but your skill serves as a true testament when the market is tough. This is a great time to learn the market, drive in communities you never have and to explore.
Be patient with riders, some people a trigger happy always quick to cancel a ride for that cancellation fee, but that ride may be worth $50 bucks and you traded it out for $4 bucks, not a smart move and pretty amature move. Sit your ego aside.
Lastly, don’t work no more than 8 hours straight and incorporate working one or both of the rush hours committing 3 hours to the high peak hours no matter what. I make the bulk of my money doing this doing the week. I drive in what I deemed for myself the most undesirable time of the day but my start time is anywhere from 2-4pm ending from 7-9pm. I clear a nice chunk of earnings and ironically not using much fuel. I do strategize in how I move direction wise, but nonetheless I work these hours diligently 3-4 days out of the weak.

So there you have it in a nutshell! I hope you this blog has encouraged you and granted you some awesome reminders and takeaways so that you can remain less stressed and pressed to earning a dollar. Work smart not hard, persistence and observation is key in the gig economy. If at all you’re needing any assistance in developing your own strategies or need an outside perspective to earning, may I suggest heading over to my website http://www.ceodriveher.shop and setting up a consultation for $35. It’ll be the best investment towards mastering the gig economy.

APPS YOU NEED AS AN ENTREPRENEUR IN THE GIG ECONOMY

I am calling this the supa dupa of management, apps that is. Often you hear me speak of business management and the need for constant accountability of finances, time, and data. Entrepreneurs, giggers, freelancers fall for the age old trick of feeling a sense of accomplishment when in fact we’ve done absolutely nothing in comparison to what we thought or think we’re doing. Being self-employed is attractive, seductive, alluring, and can easily grant a false sense of production, because let’s be honest “we’re always busy” with some aspect of our business or the business of others. We go from here to there, drained; seemingly masterminding (talking about what we gonna do) with others yet still getting nothing done. So how can we actually measure our daily productions, information, and income without all the in depth data analysis and time consuming reports? Well, I believe by the use of some simple, easy to use, and free/low costing apps to help you gain perspective on in your gig business life.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you find some way to squeeze in some new app. I am an app groupie, but often I do a cleansing evaluating those I use on a regular basis from those that are taking up space. I am going to briefly showcase some apps that you may want to consider for use that are multifunctional and simple for you daily accountability needs. Some of these apps do cost or have free versions, but I will be honest I found it worth paying the low annual fee if applicable, your investment will yield you a greater return. I have come to realize, growing wise in the notion that we tend to value and use those things which we actually pay/invest in. You want to maximize the operation of these apps so you can maximize your efforts and gain more efficiency and time in your life and business life.

Before I begin suggesting apps for use I must say I am only speaking from being an iOS user. If you use android check and see if available and if not may I suggest reading up on some reviews of apps of its caliber in comparison and consider using those, you may find some that are actually better!

Hours (yes that is the app’s name). This app allows you to list all your gigs and color code them. You can ad in work hours, break, and amount earned. The only thing is you’re only allowed 5 gigs to list so I suggest you list only your 5 top earners or rather those that require a lot of your time weekly. You clock in and out like a real job and can export the data into Microsoft Excel program if you choose. The paid version which is $19.99 annually on iOS is unlimited and well worth it.
House of Gigs. It is a little plain Jane(ish) but I must say my favorite because it’s so simple and you can enter all the info at the end of the day regardless of how large or small the gig was. This app is free and creates awesome goals and charts for you and your earnings. This app is so simple and you can list an unlimited amount of gigs. I do some gigs like Roadie, which is considered an “on the go gig”. The Roadie app doesn’t do a go breakdown of hours worked and earnings in my opinion especially when I literally may only pick up 2-5 gigs a weekly on the platform. This allows me to track my gigs so much better and see actual weekly earnings without penning them down myself.
Dropbox. This is one of my ultimate favs! I have a resume company, publishing company, and media company where I create a lot of content. I use multiple devices and it was tiring having to always convert documents and email them. Dropbox is definitely a great investment. Now the app is free, but depending on the storage and monthly usage you may have to pay a subscription fee. I use a great deal of the app and have yet had to pay. You can have others send you documents for signing or video, etc. without the conversion issues. I store important documents for easy access to, like, drivers license, EIN’s, business certificate, etc. for forwarding or in case I lose them. I highly recommend this app if you’re a serious business owner.
Simple (yes that’s the name of the app). This is a nutrition app specifically for intermittent fasting. Use entrepreneurs either need reminders to eat or something to keep us from eating/snacking throughout the day. Our nutrition tend to fall to the waist-side because we’re constantly eating on the go. As a business owner, gigger, anyone having multiple hustles that vary from day-to-day hands down the best option for us is intermittent fasting. It keeps us disciplined to eating in a specific eating window and keep the weight gain at bay. This app is pricey, the annual cost is $39.99 or month to month for $7.99 on iOS. But, please trust me this app is worth every penny! I absolutely love the app and it grants you awesome data!
Focus Keeper!!! This app is really good for us content creators that tend to like to do 10 things at once. If you create vlogs, blogs, an author, or do consulting and web building, etc. anything that requires in depth concentration and focus this app is perfect. I can get in some great workflows in creating content, but I have a bad habit of wandering in my mind and on my phone while working. I will be on a roll for 10 minutes then check my emails, IG, website, or worst watch YouTube clips of something stupid like cat drives truck, next thing you know 15 minutes and 8 videos in I’ve wasted time and mental space. This app sets work time in increments of your choosing, I usually do 20-25 minutes and take 5 minute breaks in between. It is free and fun to use! I love the low-key ticking sound that subconsciously reminds you you’re running against the clock which for a competitive person like myself is awesome!

These were just a few of the ones I believe will buy you back more time, earn more, and appropriate your time in a manner that will cause you to feel more driven and in control of your work/life balance. So many entrepreneurs stay busy doing absolutely nothing, once you see how much you are actually doing or rather what you’re not doing you will shape up hopefully. Remember we are our own boss, meaning you are actually an employee too! You work for you, now let me ask you this, if you were paying someone (you) would you hire or fire them? Are you working optimally? Well here’s a way to do so if not.

App organization is the key to you being the efficient business owner you envision yourself to be, start today, hold yourself accountable.
CEO DriveHer

Be sure to visit my website at http://www.ceodriveher.shop for my ebooks and consulting/coaching services. You can find many of videos on YouTube at CEO Driveher and follow me on Instagram @ceodriveher for daily motivation and gig info.

THE PRETENDERS… STORY OF A WANNABE BOSS IN A NEW DECADE

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.

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

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:

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

GAME PLANNING YOUR GIGS FOR THE WEEKEND (VIDEO INCLUDED)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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:

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.