Today’s guest isn’t your typical Uber driver profile. Sam is a fellow full time blogger but in the personal finance space and his site is trafficked by millions of visitors each month. But even though he’s a very successful blogger and former Wall Street guy, about a year ago, Sam actually started driving for Uber.
I knew it wouldn’t be long before he had some thoughtful insight into this industry and after reading some of his posts about his experience, I knew I had to have him on the podcast!
This was one of my favorite interviews to date and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.
Intro
- Interview with Sam from Financial Samurai on his atypical Uber driving experience
- Today we’ll discuss the strategy and money-making side behind what it’s like being an Uber driver & Sam’s experience
- If you haven’t checked out our video training course yet, Maximum Ridesharing Profits – you should!
- Stay tuned for an exclusive 50% off code for a book Sam wrote on how to engineer your layoff!
Interview with Sam from Financial Samurai
- Originally started in the financial services industry, but became disillusioned with it
- Biggest reward is being an entrepreneur and seeing a correlation between effort and reward
- Now runs the successful site Financial Samurai
Experience Driving for Uber
- Heard about Uber in 2010 while living in San Francisco
- Uber Ambassador program offering a $50 free gift card for gas
- Wanted to make extra money and write about Uber from not only a passenger perspective, but also a driver’s perspective
Uber and the Gig Economy
- Uber isn’t a full-time job, but it’s a good side job
- Gig economy is the democratization of making side money – anyone can do it, doesn’t have to be driving for Uber or Lyft
- Requires hard work, effort, and planning: control what you can control
How Uber Could Improve
- The same way many companies could improve: recognition for hard-working drivers
- Hire former drivers to be full-time Uber employees
- Not all about hiring people from prestigious colleges who can read case studies
- When Uber Drivers Make More Than Uber Corporate Employees
- Lyft does currently hire former drivers to become full-time employees, and it’s reflected in how they treat drivers
Why He No Longer Drives for Uber
- Why I’m No Longer Willing to Drive for Uber post on Financial Samurai
- Learned to keep on going, to be humble
- Learned a lot about controlling emotions and motivating others
- Most enlightening story involved a ton of Pine-Sol, learning to be grateful for what you have
Outro
- Firsthand accounts and the information provided by Sam was incredibly value – I took away a lot from our conversation, and I hope you did too
- So many basic Uber skills can also make you a great entrepreneur or businessperson, too
- Recognition goes a long way too, and a lot of business don’t seem to understand this
- Pitch me if you want to share your story – some of our best podcasts have come from you guys and your suggestions!
Show Notes
- Follow Sam on Twitter @FinancialSamura
- Get in touch with Sam via email
- How to Engineer Your Layoff: Make a Small Fortune by Saying Goodbye (listen to the podcast for your 50% off discount!)
- Maximum Ridesharing Profits
- Connect with me on Twitter
- Get $20 off your first service with YourMechanic with the code ‘RSG15‘
If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here
Drivers, what do you think about Sam’s experience driving for Uber and do you agree or disagree with his takeaways?
-Harry @ RSG