Today we have a terrific interview with driver Sam Choi of Minneapolis. Sam reached out to me for some advice on driving during major events (Super Bowl, major concerts, etc.) and mentioned he makes $30 an hour as a part-time driver. I had to know more about his strategies so I could share them with you, so I asked him to be a guest on today’s podcast and share his advice. Read on for Sam’s advice on making money in a saturated market!
If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.
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Intro
- Today we’re talking with Sam Choi about outworking and out-earning other drivers
- Sam first reached out to me via email and mentioned he makes $30/hr as a driver in Minneapolis – a mid-tier market
- Sam has a lot of driving strategies, some simple and some complex, that drivers could learn from
- Also a MaximumRidesharingProfits.com alum
- Recently updated our Rideshare Insurance Marketplace – more options for drivers in almost all 50 states
An Interview With Sam Choi
- Currently lives with his wife and 3 children in Minneapolis, graduated with a Master’s of Divinity, teaches and is also in the process of starting his own church – very busy!
- Started driving with Uber and Lyft for flexibility, the ability to make money on his schedule
- Sam had worked in the service industry before and knew he could make as much money as veterans as long as he provided the best service
The Minneapolis Market
- Saturated market – two cities, so many drivers
- Luckily there are major sports teams and major entertainers coming through that market, which keeps downtown busy
- Downloaded all of the event apps for his city (like StubHub) to see when entertainers were coming to town, is willing to flip his schedule around to drive during the busiest times (football game + entertainer visiting, etc.)
- Now mainly only works during events, Friday through Sunday, and only a few times during the weekdays. Tries to only primarily drive during surge
Rideshare Earnings
- Has a goal of $30/hr and weekly goal of $455
- Drives as much as needed to hit those goals and then turns off the phone to leave work at work
- Minneapolis was one of the first cities to get Uber tipping, so that took him from $25/27 an hour to $30/hr
- Works about 15 hours a week
- Still can be difficult to get tips even if you do everything right
Advice for New Drivers
- Some tips: keeping your car clean and smelling nice; taking rides with other drivers to see what they’re doing; keeping things like brand name mints in the car and auxiliary cables for phones; talking to your passengers and humanizing yourself
- The Golden Rule: treat people how you would want to be treated. Every situation is different so you have to see if they want quiet or if they want to chat, and you have to respect their choice
- What would you want in a car? If you like phone-charging cords, have one for your passengers. Water? Have some bottles for your riders
- Really just tries to hack rideshare driving – uses destination filters, tries to be strategic about driving
Challenges and Opportunities for Drivers
- Not getting tips after having a really great ride can be frustrating
- Same frustrations as many drivers: lower fares, minimum earnings, etc.
- Drivers should be willing to go above and beyond but they should also be informed: join Facebook groups and be aware of what’s going on in your city
- Get the Mystro app, get apps like Prime Time
- Be honest with yourself and evaluate every ride after it’s complete: were you too talkative? not talkative enough?
- Always stay busy: get DoorDash and Postmates so you’re not waiting around for rides
Outro
- Thank you to Sam for coming on today’s show and sharing his driving strategies with us
- It’s easy to think of rideshare driving as a business all the time, but Sam reminds us to be human and treat people like we would want to be treated
- Not only is it the right thing to do, it really can be profitable as well, but don’t go into a ride thinking only about money
- Follow me on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and you can always contact me if you have questions – like to hear from you all!
Show Notes
- Maximum Ridesharing Profits
- Our interview with Mystro founder Herb Coakley
- DoorDash
- Postmates
- Subscribe to iTunes and never miss an episode!
- Connect with me on Twitter
If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.
