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Today’s episode features Harry from The Rideshare Guy
Harry started down a very traditional path — an engineer in a cubicle.
Then in 2014, he started moonlighting as an Uber & Lyft driver.
He started a blog and began sharing real data that helped drivers know the Do’s / Don’ts and ultimately how to make more money.
Today, his blog has an insanely large following and it continues to expand into more and more areas.
He’s also launched a course, Maximum Ridesharing Profits, to teach new side hustlers how to take advantage of the rideshare economy.
Listen, learn, and let us know what you think about Harry’s amazing ride.
Episode Summary
Harry’s Journey to Side Hustling
- Harry remembers when he realized he could sell chips from his lunch as a kid
- His lesson was that when people want to pay for something you need to find a way to accept it
- Harry took a fairly traditional route career-wise
- He got an engineering job and worked the cubicle environment
- But Harry was used to entrepreneurial ventures
- From selling chips to doing laundry, and then driving Uber / Lyft on the side in 2014
- Harry then goes over the moment he realized traditional employment just wasn’t enough
- It was realizing a fellow employee had been working in the same building for 40 years
- He was also having a lot of fun driving for Uber / Lyft and making $35-$30 per hour
- The pay was higher back then as fewer drivers were available
Finding a Career Via Uber / Lyft
- Harry never really wanted to drive for a living but enjoyed the process
- So he started The Rideshare Guy
- Here he would lay out very clearly and thoroughly all the things you should consider as a driver
- The blog started growing and surpassing the money he made in his regular job
- It also didn’t seem scary because his boss left the door open to return
Frugality and Lifestyle inflation
- Harry talks about how he is reasonably frugal but not extremely
- He also talks about how some lifestyle inflation is positive
- Nothing over the top but things that make his life more comfortable and less stressful
Deeper info on Uber / Lyft and Rideshare Guy
- It’s important to keep in mind the pros/cons
- One big benefit over a similar paying job is the flexibility
- It also gives you good practice to balancing accounts for running a business
- At the end of the day, all the things on the sites are just logistics
- Getting something from point A to point B
- He also talks about some of the locally specific gigs
- These may pay more and even come with more traditional benefits
Getting the most out of being an Uber/Lyft driver
- Harry recommends a used fuel-efficient car, imagine a ~2014 Prius
- Then he talks about options that allow you to only do pickup/drop-offs along your route
- So you could add this into your normal day
- Then Harry talks about liabilities
- Different insurances and protections to keep customers from coming after your assets
- It’s not worth ruining your life over a side hustle if you have a lot of assets
- If you don’t have much to your name, it’s a little less stressful
- Another good tip is driving weekend nights and workday commutes
- It’s also important to keep up with miles to deduct those expenses from your taxes
- Check out his course, Maximum Ridesharing Profits, if you’re looking for an all-in-one resource to crush the rideshare side hustle game
Beyond Uber / Lyft
- Harry notes that most people only drive temporarily
- He wanted to start focusing on the jobs these drivers are transitioning to
- He’s done a lot of coverage on transportation jobs like truck driving/taxi drivers
- Then other demand-based jobs that have similar setups
- But these are in completely different fields than transportation like a notary of the public
- These are all covered under the “Thinking Beyond Rideshare” category
Key Takeaways
- Provide Value: Harry was successful because he gave a ton of value to readers and not just fluff that anyone could talk about but actual data
- It’s all logistics: Harry highlights all the ways you can get in on the rideshare movement and the areas it is still growing into
Call to Action
Find one of these logistics based apps that suits you and give it a try. There’s Uber, Lyft, Postmates, DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, Instacart and on and on. Some don’t even require a car!
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Harry’s Information
Harry’s Website: The Rideshare Guy
Harry’s Rideshare Course: Maximum Ridesharing Profits
Harry’s Youtube Channel: The Rideshare Guy
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