UBER

I started a new sales job a bit over three months ago. I like it and things are coming along. I feel that in the long run I'm going be quite successful. The buying cycle and the payment of commission is somewhat drawn out. The commissions are not paid until the services are delivered. As such, you end up with things like not getting paid for the deal I did at the end of February until June 15. In the long run this isn't such a bad thing however in the beginning, it can create a cash flow crunch.

So, in my off time, I drive a few hours a week for UBER.

I know UBER has taken a bit of a beating in the press over the last few weeks. It's unfortunate but I think in the long run, people will continue to use the service.

For me, as an independent contractor driving for UBER, it has been a great result thus far. There are a lot of things that are attractive about how they have set up the system.

You work when you want to and you don't have to schedule in advance when you work. This is vitally important for me for two reasons. With my primary gig being in sales, there is an element of unpredictability to my day. So, if my day goes long, I can start driving for UBER later and I'm not letting anyone down or breaking a commitment. If a scheduled activity is cancelled for some reason and I have a few free hours, I can turn on the app and earn some cash. If I make a lot of cash quickly or nobody wants a ride, I can can knock off early. Again, I'm not letting anyone down. This flexibility is key for me.

You get your money quickly. The work week goes from Monday to Sunday and you receive your money the following Thursday. That is a very quick turn around. There are options to get receive your money sooner, for a fee, but I don't have that much of a cash flow need. You are not stuck carrying a lot of costs for weeks before you see any cash, which is nice.

It was very quick to get signed up, if you have all your ducks in a row. I started the process on a Thursday evening and I was approved to drive on the following Sunday evening. For me, it took about 3 days. I will admit that because of other circumstances, I had all the necessary paperwork at my disposal, which sped up the whole process.

You don't have to handle cash. The transactions are handled through the app. So, you never have a car full of cash on a busy day and are susceptible to being robbed. You never end up taking someone on a long trip and they don't have any cash to pay you when you get there. You don't have to worry about anyone 'running the cab.' You get paid for every trip.

Now, driving for UBER is not for everyone.

First, you have be a confident driver. If you are a nervous driver, you will not create a pleasant experience and you will not be rated very well. If the driver comes off as scared, what do you think the passengers will feel?

You have to have some understanding of mobile technology. Everything is managed though an app. If you are not comfortable using a smartphone, you will not do very well driving for UBER.

You have to like interacting with people. I'm not saying you have to be everyone's best friend but you have be willing to greet people, and if they want to chat, have a conversation, while you are still driving safely.

Finally, you have to be customer service oriented. If you can't find the person you are picking up, you need to politely reach out and figure out where they are. You are going to have some strange requests. I've picked up four students and a flat screen TV. I've had a guy who wanted me to drive past a house and take him back home, I had another guy who wanted to go to where he was staying, get changed and head back to where I picked him up. As well, people will say the things you don't agree with, you can't fly off the handle. People will be intoxicated. Taking an UBER is a safe and responsible choice, but some will not be happy drunks. You have to roll with it all. You have to help them with their bags. Ultimately you have to remember that they are hiring you to deliver a service, so if you deliver better service, you will be looked upon more favourably.

Now, if you don't have a car or a smartphone, I would not suggest going out and getting both for the sole purpose of driving for UBER. If you do, you will be taking on a lot of addition cost and it will eat into your profits. However, if you already have a car and phone, you can make some extra cash. You are not going to get rich driving for UBER. However, you can make some money to take your girl out, offset the cost of your car, go on a trip, all those types of things. For me right now, it makes life a bit easier and I have control of how much money is coming in.