Deliver on Your Business

How are you holding up, delivering for Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates, Uber Eats or any other gig companies during this COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic?

That's an important question. I fear that the mental health toll from this could be as bad if not worse than the physical health. How can we respond to this challenge and keep encouraged and manage stress?

A couple of articles here talk about stress, how it impacts us, and how we can manage it. I really encourage checking them out.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-happens-when-your-immune-system-gets-stressed-out/
https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management

I reference a couple of articles in this episode from the EntreCourier site:

Using gloves when delivering for Doordash, Grubhub etc.
Responding to COVID-19 Coronavirus as a driver (where I said the virus doesn't scare me)

Steven Covey's book 7 habits of Highly Effective People taught me to focus mainly on things I can control, not dwell on what I can't. (The Amazon link is an affiliate link)

The old preacher in me came out - I talk about Philippians 4:6-9 that talks to people in another stressful situation - people wondering when soldiers might come in and drag them off because of their beliefs. A couple of lessons from that passage are:

• Let go of the things we cannot control
• Replace those concerns by focusing on the positive and what we CAN do (Whatever is excellent or praiseworthy, think on these).

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
Our Podcast page is at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com
Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email
Get in touch with us
Follow us on Facebook
Folow us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linkedin
Follow us on Instagram

Is your income while delivering for Grubhub, Doordash, Uber Eats or others dropping because of this pandemic? Or did you have to stay home?

It's frustrating to pause like this. And to compound things, the Supreme Court in New York State just ruled that Postmates drivers are employees. This will likely impact all delivery apps. What do they do now? What is the ripple effect going to be? What does this mean for the future of gig delivery?

Maybe it means opportunity.

Pat Flynn was an architect who was let go in the economic crash of 2008. He was able to turn that into an opportunity to develop his own business.

I personally decided to use this time to pause deliveries and work on some other opportunities.

I mentioned one idea for replacement income is to look into some work from home opportunities. Appjobs (affiliate link) is one website that can list a number of gig opportunities.

The Gateway Drug.

Or maybe this is the time to start looking into what you can do next. Gig delivery work can act as a gateway drug into other entrepreneurial ideas.

In the associated blog article, I linked to this Youtube video featuring Gary Veynerchuk and his message for Smurf lovers to Smurf it up

Some good books for inspiration:

48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller
Let Go by Pat Flynn
Crush It by Gary Veynerchuk.
(Amazon links are affiliate links)

You can also visit the associated blog page to today's episode.

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
Our Podcast page is at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com
Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email
Get in touch with us
Follow us on Facebook
Folow us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linkedin
Follow us on Instagram

I wanted to take a moment and offer a special message to restaurant owners. I'm a delivery driver who contracts with Grubhub, Postmates, Doordash and Uber Eats. Normally this podcast is directed towards other couriers. But today I wanted to just take a moment and give a heartfelt message to those of you who are operating restaurants in the midst of all this.

You can read the message at https://entrecourier.com/2020/03/23/a-delivery-drivers-message-to-restaurant-owners/

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
Our Podcast page is at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com
Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email
Get in touch with us
Follow us on Facebook
Folow us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linkedin
Follow us on Instagram

Before digging into the topic, I wanted to post a link to this article on Marketwatch that looked at my experience doing delivery in the midst of the Covid-19 Coronavirus crisis.

Here are some links related to today's topic.

Grubhub's announcement they would waive fees for independent restaurants.

Uber Eats shortly followed suit, announcing the same.

At least one analyst has some concerns about the impact of those moves on the companies.

Doordash wanted to make it look like they were doing the same thing but it turns out it was only waiving fees for restaurants who sign up. Existing restaurant partners still have to pay up.

One particular pizza chain announces they will sever ties with Doordash temporarily.

Read the associated blog post here on the EntreCourier website.

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
Our Podcast page is at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com
Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email
Get in touch with us
Follow us on Facebook
Folow us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linkedin
Follow us on Instagram

This past few days have really hit home how seriously the Corona virus is being taken. Major sporting events are being canceled. Tom Hanks has the virus. Schools are being suspended or canceled.

How is this going to impact us as delivery contractors for Grubhub, Postmates, Uber Eats, Doordash and others?

I've avoided discussing this topic for the most part because, frankly, I'm not an expert. There's a whole lot more that I don't know than what I do know.

Here's what I believe

We're going to be okay. That doesn't mean that some of us may not get sick. It doesn't mean there won't be dramatic impact. But we'll get through it. Some links that were put in the associated article:

Grubhub's attendance policy and the Coronavirus

Stride Health's COVID-19 resource page for independent workers 

Episode 30 and Giving Yourself a Paycheck

The associated blog post and semi-transcript for this episode

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
Our Podcast page is at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com
Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email
Get in touch with us
Follow us on Facebook
Folow us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linkedin
Follow us on Instagram

Uber Eats is starting to roll out Order and Pay where couriers place the order and pay for it with an UE-provided debit card. Grubhub only recently joined in.

Is it worth it to accept Order and Pay delivery offers? Does it make sense?

We talk about the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to order and pay.

The Good: Doordash. Okay, no one is really good on this one but they're less bad than the other two.

The Bad: Grubhub. Or they're Ugly Lite - Grubhub's got some real issues rolling it out.

The Ugly: Postmates. Very simple: Tell us it's Order When You Arrive when you give us the offer.

We referenced how some restaurants are suing Grubhub and Doordash over trademark infringement for this practice.

We also talk about the 40 Cent Rule - determining whether an order will pay 40 cents a minute or more. For Order and Pay, I tend to make that a 50 cent rule.

To see the associated Blog Post on our website, go here.

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
Our Podcast page is at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com
Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email
Get in touch with us
Follow us on Facebook
Folow us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linkedin
Follow us on Instagram

Last week's episode (Episode 60) involved a discussion with researchers who were looking at the non-monetary things that gig platforms can do to attract and gain loyalty.

So this week I thought I'd throw my two cents in.

Amazing how long I can talk with 2 cents.

Here's what it all boils down to: Respect your drivers. Grubhub, Doordash, Uber Eats, Postmates, any other gig delivery platforms that use independent contractors: Respect the drivers you contract with. If you do that, it will play out into things that make us a bit more willing to work with you.

At the end, we talk about an episode of the Rideshare Guy's podcast where he interviews Chris Baggott who runs a small delivery startup called Clustertruck. While there are a few things that are different (they don't work with other restaurants, they prepare their own food) their focus on things that matter to drivers helps them have a stronger relationship with the drivers than the major platforms. Could that respect set a pattern for the others?

Not that Matt Maloney, Tony Xu, Bastian Lehmann or Dara Khosrowshahi would actually care to follow that pattern....

To see the associated post on our website, go here:

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
Our Podcast page is at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com
Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email
Get in touch with us
Follow us on Facebook
Folow us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linkedin
Follow us on Instagram

What is it that makes you loyal to one particular platform over another? Is there one that you prefer to deliver for? Why is that? 

Are there things besides money that might make us more likely to stay with a platform, or more likely to switch to another type of opportunity? Today, we talk with a team of researchers who discuss a study they are working on related to this very topic.

We are joined today by the following:

Lance Saunders is Assistant Professor with the Department of Supply Chain Management with the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee. 

Vince Castillo is Assistant Professor of Marketing and Logistics at the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University. 

William Rose is Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management with the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business at Iowa State University.

You can be part of this study. They are looking for input from couriers like yourself, at https://app.survature.com/s/6vZYxrhiSHil/

I had a lot of fun doing this article, mainly because the whole topic of logistics and how these delivery platforms can get non-employees to get their work done for them is a fascinating one. A couple of articles that talk about the state of this industry that might be interesting include:

My thoughts about how a delivery platform could dominate - by focusing on actually BEING a delivery company.(This was episode 51 on the podcast)

Why I think the industry is in trouble - could gig delivery go away?

What do you think? What would make you more loyal to a company? What would make you less likely to switch to another company (or what could another company do to make you more likely to make such a switch?)

To see the associated post on our website, you can go here.

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
Our Podcast page is at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com
Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email
Get in touch with us
Follow us on Facebook
Folow us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linkedin
Follow us on Instagram

About 70% of my deliveries are for Grubhub. Maybe 1% are with Uber Eats.

I was unable to get Grubhub time blocks scheduled for much of this week, so I decided to see how it would go if I went all in on Uber Eats for a few days. Here's my experience chasing a 40-delivery Quest this week, and how did my earnings compare?

A week ago I wrote about Grubhub suspending drivers for not accepting enough orders. I took the stance that I can do better with other platforms than with what I can do if taking 95% of my offers. I got the chance to find out if it was true.

I talk a little about Episode 46 where we talk about the Uber Eats new pay model.

You can read the associated blog post here.


More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
Our Podcast page is at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com
Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email
Get in touch with us
Follow us on Facebook
Folow us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linkedin
Follow us on Instagram

It was an honor having Mark Toussaint, Public Accountant, join us for the podcast this week. Mark owns and operates TASC Public Accounting and CFO Services with offices in Boulder and Longmont, Colorado. Mark is also on the faculty teaching accounting at Metro State University in Denver and occasionally dabbles in Dashing for Doordash. He has his Masters in Tax Law from Denver University, so he understands taxes but also understands how it is in the Gig Economy.

Mark helps us understand what those pesky 1099's are that we have been receiving and walks through how we report income, some of the expenses that can reduce our taxable income, and how to find help when needed getting your taxes done.

Mark is available to help drivers with their taxes. He can meet couriers locally in his office or do remote sessions. If you would like some guidance with your taxes from someone who understands how it is on our side, you can contact him:
On the web at Tax and Accounting Services Co.
By phone at 303-731-3822

Here's a couple of links relevant to Mark's discussions.
IRS 1099 form
IRS Schedule C
Special IRS Website for Gig Economy
IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

For the associated web page and transcript, go here.

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
Our Podcast page is at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com
Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email
Get in touch with us
Follow us on Facebook
Folow us on Twitter
Connect with us on Linkedin
Follow us on Instagram