Anyone using "on demand" employment to fuel their Fastlane?

[MJ DeMarco]

Curious if anyone is driving for Uber or is a tasker at Task Rabbit while pursuing their Fastlane?

These "on demand" employment opportunities are GOLD MINES for struggling entrepreneurs. When I was getting started in my 20s, I would have LOVED to have had these opportunities. Because they are "on demand" you can set your own schedule ... just perfect for the entrepreneur who is just getting started, and yet, has bills to pay.

One of my biggest challenges when I got started was paying bills. It was always hard because, as you know, JOBS require you to be at X place at Y time for Z hours. A job is a serious distraction and inconvenience to getting momentum in a business.

Today you don't have it so hard with many of these "on demand" services.

In fact, it now seems just too simple.

TL;DR: Sorry if you need a TL;DR for this, you have other problems.

 

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[smarty]

I'm using Fiverr (programming related gigs) so I don't have to get a job while I'm working on my projects and to be able to fund outsourcing or advertising later. I earned $2800 in about 5 months there, which is better than an average job in my country. I recently took a break to fully focus on my projects for 2-3 weeks. Let's see how this goes...

 

[NicoleMarie]

I too am using Fiverr. I also use Swagbucks, Bing Rewards, Yappem, sometimes Mturk, Featurepoints, and some sweepstakes games like LiveToWin/Instant Cash Sweepstakes. They wouldn't pay the bills, but it's extra money. Plus you can't beat doing them from home and I'm on the computer all day anyway lol.

Fiverr is ok, although it's now becoming completely oversaturated and you have to offer 2 times the work now to get anything, unless you get a bunch of positive reviews or have a very valuable skill. I will say that it's great business experience all around though, since it's basically a mini business being on Fiverr. Once Fiverr takes off, it could be a legit source of income. It's getting past the "I'm a new user" that's the hardest.

 

[smarty]

It's getting past the "I'm a new user" that's the hardest.

Yep, this is true. It's hard to get any work when you are new, until you get at least 10-15 positive reviews. Then it gets pretty well in terms or daily orders. One key rule for "success" with Fiverr is authentic communication/honesty with people.

A few rules I follow/ed to sell on Fiverr:
1) Make communication very clear, direct and set the expectations from the beginning.
2) Never try to deceive or manipulate a customer - whatever the problem may be, resolve it with good communication. Or refund.
3) Don't ever let any order expire. If for any reason I can't complete the order in time, I ask the buyer to cancel it or mark it completed while I am still working on it.
4) Deliver super quickly, especially for the first time customers. They will be positively shocked and will come back for more.
5) Set the mood when you deliver the work: "If you liked my work, I would appreciate your awesome review"
6) Filter away negative or annoying customers. Never buy stress for money. This is easier to do once you have got some great reviews and you know you will have new happy customers daily.

Besides all the boring stuff that comes from working there though, I am there to better understand what people NEED for their websites and what they expect. That experience has helped me to understand people better and to understand the PAIN points in their business. I am currently using that understanding to develop a new product now and I have made some good "friend-customers" there who may help me with marketing

 

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[Jakeeck]

I suppose writing for content mills would be on-demand. It took a while to work my way up to a higher pay grade, but I'm making what I need to pay the bills with about 4 hours of my time per day. The workload varies... some days there might not be much posted and I can only make $20 that day, but other days I have the potential to make up to $150, possibly more if I wanted to write the entire day.

I usually just stop when I've made slightly above my daily living expense and spend my time on my own stuff, though.

 

[The-J]

Kind of. I do contract work. It pays the bills and allows me to do other things with my time. I tried to make it semi-Fastlane but it didn't exactly work out. Beats having a 9-5 a lot of the time though

 

[johnp]

Sort of.. I have been selling websites and marketing services, then using sites like fiverr, elance, and craigslist to contract out the time consuming parts of the work, like programming. I can make 7-10k per month this way and clear about 30%-40% in profit after the job is done. It's probably a little more stressful than using a site like Uber because I still have to find clients and manage the project, but it does give me more freedom to work on my fastlane plans than a job.

 

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[Magik]

I tried to be a Lyft driver, but they wouldn't approve me. They said it was because my car smelled like cigarette smoke (yet no one has smoked in my car in years), so I think I got someone who didn't like me for whatever reason. I told them that I got an air freshener and fixed the problem (even though there wasn't much of a problem), and they told me it didn't matter. Yet more proof that these two party marketplaces (Ebay, Lyft, Uber, Elance, etc.) give less than a shit about the sellers/contractors, they are only interested in happy buyers.

I just started doing telemarketing for a law firm, which does indeed suck, but I can work from home and set my own hours. I get $800 - $1200 for any lead I generate that closes. So far it's not easy, but I've only been at it for a few weeks. Time will tell.

 

[jilla82]

the Uber thing is really interesting.
The thought never occurred to me until recently when I ran into a few people online that are doing it.

At the very least...it can be used as a means to pay for your car.

 

[RoadTrip]

I just started doing telemarketing for a law firm, which does indeed suck, but I can work from home and set my own hours. I get $800 - $1200 for any lead I generate that closes. So far it's not easy, but I've only been at it for a few weeks. Time will tell.

At least you are learning very valuable sales skills. Hope this works out for you!

 

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[Michael ingram]

I have a driving gig much like uber. It's the best job I've ever had , because of all the free time it gives me. I'm wondering if it's possible to implement the uber TRansportation network company model into the transportation industry I'm in.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Yet more proof that these two party marketplaces (Ebay, Lyft, Uber, Elance, etc.) give less than a shit about the sellers/contractors, they are only interested in happy buyers.

Amazon is the same. I've found they treat their sellers like shit. But their buyers? GOLD.

 

[LeungJan]

Reminds me of:

http://venturebeat.com/2014/10/25/a-startup-ceo-drives-for-uber/

 

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[Nadia]

Done this before, maybe not so much with things like Fiverr and Uber but in my own industry. Turns out the self-employed gig was ridiculously amazing in bringing in cash, more qualifications and got my clients so fast. On demand employment is absolutely a life-saver when you have to make ends meet.

 

[smarty]

Violate the CENTS and you will sooner or later get f***ed literally... this is what happened to me today. Fiverr.com had terminated my account without any notice a few days ago and the "best thing" is that I could still login and work on existing orders, having no idea that my account was already terminated and I wont be able to withdraw it. I lost $100 there but the good thing is i had withdrawn $530 few days prior to that; otherwise i would have lost that too. I was basically working to earn them money in the last few days.
I had 300+ orders completed and 100% positive (and and over the moon) user feedback. Never had an issue with any client.
After my support ticket, Fiver sent a general and ambiguous 2 sentences reply pretending that the reason of account termination was that I "promoted third party marketplaces which they call spam and violates terms of use" etc, general wording bullshit.

Anyways, the reason I wrote this detailed text above is not to complain here but in hopes that anybody who reads this will realize that:

If you work for, or if your income depends on a third party service, sooner or later they will F. you up, so don't have big expectations. Work harder on your "freedom project" than you do on your "daily job".

Otherwise when you get screwed over, it's your fault only. Quit fiver, quit odesk. Or if you have to work short term for a living, violate their terms as soon as possible, get your clients email so you can communicate out of their site. Withdraw often.
The irony is I have started to work on building a freelance site/startup just a week ago, having no idea that my account would get terminated. A huge new motivation to save people from these Fiverr criminals who steal money by terminating accounts.

 

[Deon]

Amazon is the same. I've found they treat their sellers like shit. But their buyers? GOLD.

They should have said that in the Mind Your Business podcast. They made it seem like sellers were almost partners with Amazon.

 

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[Writer]

I have been thinking about Uber but I would have to get a new car. Plus the idiots in Dallas want to regulate (=eliminate) it, as the Taxi lobby is quite powerful here (every cab company is owned by Yellow Cab; it's a monopoly)

 

[Kak]

I think consulting can fall into a higher level version of "on demand employment".

One I'm working on securing would be like a fun business puzzle that I get paid for. Maybe even some stock too.

It is definitely beneficial to flex the strategic management muscle on topics and scenarios outside of your own ventures. It helps dissipate the tunnel vision.

 

[Rawr]

Right MJ? I had to deliver pizza and sandwiches for cash back in the day! Uber pays more and the car doesn't smell up. I remember back about a year and a half or so they paid $500 BONUS to anyone working 40 hours a week..ppl averaging 25-35$/hr!!

 

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[Nadia]

I agree with @smarty and it reminded me why I have my own company today.

 

[Weaponize]

I don't use a service like Uber or TaskRabbit, but I do practice sort-of 'on-demand' engagements through my consulting/contracting work. Have been doing this for the past several years to pay the bills and fund my attempts at the Fastlane.

There are a few things that I focus on so that I have enough free time every month...

They key for me has been to provide a service that once setup I can charge a client every month for (rebill), but takes little to no work every month to maintain. The initial setup is where I spend my time, not every month there after.

Further, it has to be all remote. I don't go on-site. This opens up a HUGE prospecting list for me.

I find my own clients (instead of going through on-demand services) which is a lot tougher, but once you land a good client they stay with you for a long time and consistently pay you your monthly "management" fees (for little to no work after initial setup).

The key for me to onboard new clients has been a good prospecting infrastructure. That's been my biggest challenge. For this, I'm heavily relying on offshore workers to do the bulk of the grunt work for me. I then take over and make initial contact with the prospect and do my best job at sales.

 

[merc]

Thinking about quitting my day job and hopping on Uber... it is sucking the life out of me.

 

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[Disobey]

Thinking about quitting my day job and hopping on Uber... it is sucking the life out of me.

'Was considering the same thing, especially after injuring my back quite badly at the job a few months ago. No job is worth your health.

But when I hear stories like this it makes me hesitate: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/uber-drivers-assaulted-belgium-195600500.html

The sidewalk is strong in europe.
Still worth a shot though...

 

[HUSTLIN HEATHEN]

1. M-Turk (been making at least $70 a day lately)
2. Fiverr
3. Favor Runner App ($2.15 base; average tips usually range from $5-$15 in my area)

Remembered we just got Uber in my hometown. That's actually a great idea