Can I Get This Gig To Go

    READY, SET, DELIVER

     So now that you have scooters covered and have decided that cold night-time scavenger hunts  are for the "birds," it's time to make "limes" into limeade. Flexibility is the #1 characteristic for a gig, and your time is worth money. Why else would you be considering a gig. Which brings us to Uber Eats.

     All it takes is an APPLICATION and an APP. You will need to be at least 18 years old and have access to a bike, moped, or car (with proof of insurance). The beauty of Uber Eats is that you can be ONLINE or OFFLINE as often as you like. You can decline a job or just let the timer run out. No harm, no foul, no penalty and no time commitments that lock you in.

     As an approved driver, there are a few tips you'll want to know. First of all, you will want an insulated bag (I will share how to get a good one for free in the next post Dashing for Dollars). Next you will want to create a "thumbs up" card to be attached to the bag (leave a comment if you need a template). Most importantly you will need to become familiar with the promotion time slots work with the area map in the APP.

     Which brings us to Boosts, which make it possible to work smarter and faster. Your average delivery fee is about $3.49 for a short drive. Same distance in an area with a Boost will increase this based on the boost amount which ranges from 1.0 to 4.0 and can change depending on the day or even the hour. Which is why Boost is BOSS and brings us to 2 simple rules. Rule #1 Don't accept a job with less than 2.0 Boost. Rule #2 don't take an order that is more than 10 minutes away unless it is getting you closer to a bigger Boost.

     Now for the fun part. Think of it as a date night that pays you. Gabe and I, do this as a team, we even grab a bite to eat.  As soon as we get going we both open the APP (we each have an account) and whoever gets the best job first accepts and the other goes OFFLINE. The delivery person helps navigate although the APP has a navigation guide built in I like to know what which lane to be in after a turn and help finding street names/numbers. When you have two people it is more efficient for finding parking, grabbing the order, and remembering the comment reminder card. Imagine how much a of a challenge it would be to rob a bank without a wheelman!    

     Unlike scooters you are only limited by the amount of free time you have and how much fuel is in the gas tank. Sometimes Uber Eats/Uber will post Quests which are challenges that give a bonus such as "complete 5 deliveries and get a $15 bonus." 

Scootters...The Gateway Gig

     If you have been downtown Raleigh or by NC State then you have seen the scooters either on the sidewalk or in the street. It seems that people either LOVE this mode of transportation or they HATE it. It is not for me to debate the greater good or ultimate evil but rather to illustrate how these mechanized modes of transportation are a great way to enter the gig way of life. 

     The job entails locating, taking temporary possession, recharging the unit, and returning it to a designated location. In order to get the job, which is an  independent contractor position; one must apply. Applying for the position is not as hard as one might think. For the Bird scooter, the "application" is found on the Bird website. For the Lime S scooters visit the Lime website. You will need to be able to download the App. In addition to the application it is necessary to purchase the charging cords. These are similar to a laptop charging cord. Before you go out looking for extra cords be aware that the end pieces are not the same. Bird charges a deposit of $10/charger and will with hold your first $30 of earnings to cover your deposit. Lime will charge you $6 for a set of 4. Tip #1 be sure to follow up with both Bird and Lime if you have not been approved within 2 weeks. Be sure to use the zip code of the area where the scooters are to be picked up. You will need to be willing to charge and return scooters at least 3-4 times a week and have a vehicle large enough to carry several scooters. We have a crossover SUV but primarily use the Elantra as our commuter car and scooter transport. Better gas mileage and all.

     Now that you have been approved to charge scooters  be aware of some general "rules". You can acquire 20 Birds and 12 Limes per day. Birds and Limes must be returned to a designated spot before 7 AM. Birds must be returned between 4 AM and 7 AM while Limes may be returned at anytime before 7 AM. In order to be paid by either, the scooter must be fully charged.  Prices paid are determined by the dollar amount assigned to the scooter. This is based on ease of acquisition in other words if it is in plain sight you will be paid the lowest amount. The harder the scooter is to locate the more it is worth, we refer to these higher priced scooters as "unicorns" because they rarely exist even if the map shows them. Scooters become available for charging based on their battery levels. Lime will release scooters if they drop below 17% charge. The lower the charge level the longer it will take to fully charge so keep in mind that if you need all night to recharge a 3% scooter battery do not pick up more scooters than you have chargers or you will be up half the night switching out. Tip #2, we suggest you get two $5 scooters with more than 50% charge rather than a $6 or $8 scooter with only 3% charge because you can recharge the higher charge % sooner. Tip #3, the chargers are interchangeable so if you have Lime scooter chargers they can be used to recharge Bird scooters and vice versa. Tip #4 when you set your scooters out in the early morning hours go ahead and see if there are any scooters which can be scooped up for recharging.

So you see, this is a super easy way to make a few extra dollars in a sort of scavenger hunt sort of way. Easy peasy and even somewhat fun! I would suggest buddying up and working as a pair or a team if nothing else it is very efficient. Up next is the next level with Uber Eats be sure to subscribe to learn the tricks and tips!

Can you Gig It!

Can you Gig It!

Welcome to the gig economy. "The what economy" you say? According to Bing, the gig economy is defined as a labor market characterized by the prevalence of short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs. Think about disruptive innovations like Uber and Lyft. No special training or certifications are needed outside of being 18 years of age, have a valid drivers license and auto insurance plus a smart phone. Before you had to be a part of a fleet or taxi company to be able to pay to "taxi" people around and now anyone can do it in their spare time or full time. You can do it after work, before work, even on the way to or from work. You pick the day of the week or the hour of the day. You pick the location from one town to the next or go back and forth. You can be as young as a high school senior (age 18) or as old as you want to be. There are several opportunities here in the Raleigh area, and over the next few blog posts I'll share our experiences, that's right Gabe and I do these together; and let you in on some of the tips and tricks, ins and outs that we have learned thanks to trial and error. So be sure to subscribe and check back.