There are so many things to enjoy about doing delivery work as independent contractors for Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates, Uber Eats, InstaCart, Shipt, and so many others. The earnings potential can be fantastic for the kind of work involved. The freedom and flexibility make this ideal for so many.
But what happens when the rug seems to get pulled out from under us? What do we do when the companies we deliver for don't always seem to treat us fairly? In this episode we mention three different changes that have happened lately in the on demand delivery world.:
Postmates has reduced pricing twice to an average delivery fee reduction of 20%
Doordash doubles down on a pay model that only promises $1 per delivery
Grubhub promises pay improvements and reduces pay instead
These can be demoralizing. They can leave us feeling out of control. In today's episode we launch the idea of the 31 Day Courier MBA series. MBA isn't a degree, but it stands for Mastering Business Attitude. We discuss how attitude makes all the difference.
California Legislation tries to better define the Independent Contractor Relationship
California's AB5 legislation may lead to a change in classification in the future but for the time being, we are Independent Contractors. We discuss how to take advantage of that fact, and develop a business owner's mindset. We also introduce the upcoming themes in the 31 Day Courier MBA Series. Below is a schedule of upcoming topics
Visit the Episode Page on our site for a semi-transcript of the episode (far from word for word but it captures the general gist).
Developing a Business Plan
July 2: Who Are You? Understand your business type.
July 3: Creating a mission statement - Understand your Why
July 4: Understanding your market.
July 5: Your Sources of Revenue
July 6: Understand Your Financial Requirements
July 7: Develop an Exit Strategy
Operations: Making Business Decisions
July 8: Measuring your performance - how are you doing?
July 9: Using the 40 Cent Rule to Make Business Decisions
July 10: Choosing equipment to help you be profitable
July 11: Identifying the best places to deliver
July 12: Accepting and rejecting orders
July 13: Get in and out of restaurants quickly
July 14: Juggling multiple applications
July 15: Using the loss leader principle on low pay orders
July 16: Reduce delivery times with efficient driving
Finances:
July 17: Understanding Profit and Loss
July 18: What are your REAL expenses?
July 19: Protect Yourself - What insurance do you need?
July 20: Protect against future vehicle disaster - create a sinking fund.
July 21: Understand your taxes
July 22: Know when to say when.
Customer Service
July 23: Who is your real customer?
July 24: Create a customer first attitude
July 25: Is the customer always right?
July 26: Improving tips through customer service
July 27: Firing your customer
Employee Relationships
July 28: Pay yourself a paycheck
July 29: Work Life Balance
July 30 Benefits: Paid vacation, retirement, etc.
July 31: Professional Development.
