Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.

Keeping it real simple this week, it's all about gratitutde and thankfulness.

I am thankful for you. Thankful that you choose to be a part of this whole EntreCourier thing, whether listening to the podcast or reading the blog. That means everything.

And I hope that this weekend, there is much for you to be thankful for.

Ron
https://entrecourier.com

In recent episodes we looked at each of the four dominant food delivery apps and how they worked as delivery options for independent contractors. We asked the same five questions of each.
Episode 33: Postmates
Episode 35: Grubhub
Episode 39: Doordash
Episode 45: Uber Eats

This week we compare the four looking at those same five questions:
How is the pay? 2:52
How is the app? 12:28
What are deliveries like? 16:40
Do they respect the independent contractor relationship? 22:02
How is their support? 26:59

In the episode we mention this article on Grubhub’s weird pay structure and also their bait and switch on incentives

More about the EntreCourier
 
You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
We have a special section on the site for the podcast at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com

Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email at http://eepurl.com/gtdbsv

Follow us on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EntreCourier
Folow us on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/EntreCourier
Connect with us on Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/36870762/

Is Uber Eats a better option with the new pay model?

In last week’s episode we wrapped up our four-part series of looking at different delivery apps including Postmates, Grubhub and Doordash. Last week we looked at Uber Eats. I’d drug my feet talking about them because I wanted to wait for the new pay model to drop. After I finally decided to go forward with that episode, they introduced the new model THIS week in my market. I originally planned to do a summary that compared all four apps, but with the new model coming out I wanted to pivot and talk about my impressions of the new model.

You can get a semi-transcript of the episode (it's not going to be word for word, but close enough) on the episode page on our website at EntreCourier.com.

In this article we talk about when Uber Eats added tipping upon order

We referenced this article that talks about Grubhub lowering their pay after introducing the new model, a trick I expect to see with Uber Eats.

More about the EntreCourier
 
You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
We have a special section on the site for the podcast at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com

Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email at http://eepurl.com/gtdbsv

Follow us on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EntreCourier
Folow us on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/EntreCourier
Connect with us on Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/36870762/

We have been focusing in some of our episodes on the four dominant food delivery apps. In Episode 33, we talked about Postmates, Episode 35 talked about Grubhub, and Episode 39 covered Doordash. This week it'sUber Eats .We ask the following questions:

• ·         How is the pay? (3:05)
• ·         How is the app? (16:14)
• ·         What are deliveries like? (22:22)
• ·         Do they respect the Independent Contractor relationship? (26:16)
• ·         How is their support? (29:48)

You can get a semi-transcript of the episode (it's not going to be word for word, but close enough) on the episode page on our website at EntreCourier.com.
 
I waited to see if Uber Eats would roll out their new pay structure here, which hasn't happened yet. They will be rolling out new lower fares, additional supplemental fees, and more information on the app. The pay cut stinks but the extra info will be huge.

Tipping is the main issue still on UberEATS. We talk about that more in this article where we adding an option to tip upon order

Some other articles that may be of interest:

 Do Customers Tip Well on Uber Eats?
Lies, Damn Lies and AB5 and Misclassification

Elijah Bilel of the App Lifestyle youtube channel, who appeared as a guest on Episode 41, put together a good video comparing the new and old structures.

More about the EntreCourier
 
You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
We have a special section on the site for the podcast at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com

Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email at http://eepurl.com/gtdbsv

Follow us on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EntreCourier
Folow us on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/EntreCourier
Connect with us on Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/36870762/

A lot of couriers will try this delivery gig as a side hustle and think, this is paying better than my regular job. Others see the ads for 'up to $25 per hour' and think that looks pretty good.

Is this a viable option for full time work? Can it pay well enough to be worth doing fulltime?

In this week's episode we talk first about the reasons it may NOT be a good option. And then we delve into advice for going forward if someone wants to try this as a fulltime gig.

We make reference to a number of posts and episodes in today's episode. Also, one of the important pieces of advice is to develop a business mindset. The first 31 episodes of our podcast were a series dedicated to helping you Master your Business Attitude (MBA).

The most important factor for delivery gig success: Be the Boss!

Episode 18: Understanding what your actual costs are as an independent contractor

Episode 5: Have multiple revenue options available

Episode 20: Saving up for future car expenses

Episode 28: Giving yourself benefits such as paid time off

Episode 7: Have an exit plan

Episode 44 (Companion article for this episode)

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
We have a special section on the site for the podcast at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com

Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email at http://eepurl.com/gtdbsv

Follow us on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EntreCourier
Folow us on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/EntreCourier
Connect with us on Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/36870762/

Apartments. Finding the customers while on delivery at apartment complexes can be a miserable experience.  The way complexes are laid out, the way they are numbered, the way they are marked, it can be next to impossible to find the customer. And too often, the customer has no idea how to tell you to get there.

I'm in Colorado. There are complexes I KNOW were built before weed was legal, but I swear they were smoking it (or something else) when they numbered the buildings and apartments. There's no rhyme or reason or consistency. How do you find your way around these places? Some do put a map at the entrance. I LOVE whoever was that thoughtful. Too many don't.

Well, someone came up with a solution. And it's a FREE solution to drivers. It's called the Beans app. And today, we have Eddie Valdez and Akash Agarwal joining us to talk about the app, how it got started, and where they are planning to go with it.

You can visit the companion page to this episode for a screenshot of the app and a transcript of the episode.

Long story by me about struggles with finding apartments. 1:04
Introduction of the app and of Eddie and Akash 8:59
What the Beans app is 11:20
Where to find the app 12:59
What's coming up - new features 14:33
Intuitive interface 18:24
Rollout of official version one 19:53
Free app and future paid options 20:42
Markets where apartments are mapped 22:10
Opportunities for drivers to help with mapping 24:27
Complexes cooperating with mapping 26:14
Contacting Beans 29:12
Final thoughts from Akash 31:26

You can learn more about the Beans app at the following links:
Beans.Launchaco.com
Get it at the Apple App Store
Get it at the Google Play Store

Eddie gave his email adress at about 29:12, however I don't like to publish peoples' addresses in the notes because of spammers. However, he mentioned that if you go to their contact page, those emails will go to him. They are awesome at responding, getting feedback etc.

Beans on Twitter
Beans on Facebook
Beans on Instagram
Beans on LinkedIn

Parting thoughts: The Beans app is a great way to increase your profitability. It can speed up your apartment deliveries, and it can offer some side income opportunities mappiing apartments. Check them out, it's a great tool for couriers!

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
We have a special section on the site for the podcast at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com

Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email at http://eepurl.com/gtdbsv

Follow us on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EntreCourier
Folow us on Twitter: 

We are coming up on the end of the year. Doesn't seem possible, does it? One thing that the end of the year is going to mean is, TAXES.

Are you ready for tax day?

This week we do a bit of a more general overview of taxes. In Episode 21, we talked a little more in depth about how taxes work.Earlier in the year a more in depth explanation and video were published about what taxes are like for independent contractors in the on demand delivery industry.

We talk about some basic understandings:

There are two different types of profits: Actual (what's actually left over after real expenses) and taxable. When we drive as much as we do, there can be a big gap between the two.

We also talk about making sure you understand your real expenses as a driver. Your car is like a credit card on wheels and it costs a lot more than the gas you have to buy. You can go to episode 18 to get more information on that. You can also find this article which talks about how driving extra miles to reduce taxes is not a great idea.

Finally, you can find an article that was written with Uber Eats couriers in mind that gets into the details of what kind of miles you should track. The information is applicable with other delivery platforms.

We post a companion page on our website that we call a sort of semi-transcript - it's the same general information but not necessarily word for word.

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
We have a special section on the site for the podcast at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com

Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email at http://eepurl.com/gtdbsv

Follow us on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EntreCourier
Folow us on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/EntreCourier
Connect with us on Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/36870762/

Money.

Bottom line, that's why we're doing this delivery gig, right? I don't know that many of us can say we feel our life calling is to bring food to people, at least not in this fashion. We're here to make money.

But we're running a business as well. Money is a big part of that. 

Have you ever thought about these thing? 

• Understanding why you're out there making money.
• Are there other ways to earn money?
• How can we use our delivery time to prepare ourselves for making more money?
• What's the best way to manage our money?

This week, we have a special guest on the show. Elijah Bilel, of the App Lifestyle Youtube channel, joins us to talk about money for independent contractors in the gig delivery space. Elijah is what I would call the consummate Uber Eats expert. He's got an extensive series of videos, lessons, even video courses, on delivery with Uber Eats.

You can visit our companian post and read the interview here.

Elijah is getting ready to launch is new book called the Anatomy of Financial Success: The Key to Building Financial Confidence and Destroying Financial Insecurity. Elijah is rooted in the Gig economy but he has some great lessons on how to expand your horizons with your finances. He joins us today to talk about some of these principles.

Getting started in ride share and then Uber Eats  2:35
On starting his App Lifestyle Youtube channel (originally the Uber Lifestyle). 5:13
On expanding your active and passive income possibilities 8:16
Using your Why to motivate you 12:19
Building a personal foundation that allows you to use your money well 16:03
Taking care of your money: 19:48
Using our independent contractor status to launch us into more 23:59
Using drive time to learn about other ways to make money 27:49
What does the future for delivery contracting look like? 30:46
Having an exit plan 31:34

Check out Elijah's Youtube channel, the App Lifestyle

We'll post a link to his book as soon as it's available.

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
We have a special section on the site for the podcast at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com

Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email at http://eepurl.com/gtdbsv

Follow us on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EntreCourier
Folow us on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/EntreCourier
Connect with us on Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/36870762/

In the 1980's, the TV show Knight Rider made quite a splash with Michael Knight (played by David Hasselhoff) saving the world with his high tech car, KITT (Knight Industries 2000).

Some of the tech they envisioned then, we're just now starting to see come to reality.Some of the tech we have available today goes so far beyond what they had.

I'd LOVE to be able to do my deliveries in that Trans Am though, that was one sweet car.

But let's talk tech. What is some of the technology that helps us do our jobs. We talk about a few apps and ideas on how you can use tech to improve your profitability.

If you prefer to read, you can go to our companion blog post at our Entrecourier.com website

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
We have a special section on the site for the podcast at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com

Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email at http://eepurl.com/gtdbsv

Follow us on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EntreCourier
Folow us on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/EntreCourier
Connect with us on Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/36870762/

We have been focusing in some of our episodes on the four dominant food delivery apps. In Episode 33, we talked about Postmates, and Episode 35 talked about Grubhub. This week it's Doordash's turn.As we look at each delivery platform, we'll ask the following questions:

• How is the pay? (2:48)
• How is the app? (12:10)
• What are deliveries like? (18:04)
• Do they respect the Independent Contractor relationship? (24:40)
• How is their support? (27:56)

You can get a semi-transcript of the episode (it's not going to be word for word, but close enough) on the episode page on our website at EntreCourier.com.

Doordash has had a lot of attention due to their old pay model. The old model supplemented lower tip deliveries, but that also meant that a driver was not being paid extra for a lot of deliveries due to the tip. This led to a change in the pay model. I delayed a little putting this episode out in order to allow the change to take effect, and see if anything about the new pay structure changed any of the responses to the questions above.

If you want more information on how Doordash pays, Episode 36 talked about the new pay model, why it was happening and what we can expect.
we had a number of articles at EntreCourier.com that addressed the pay model:

Is Doordash Stealing My Tips? (Responding to the controversy around the old pay model)
This is a Test. Four Takeaways from Doordash Testing Their New Model
My First Impressions of the New Doordash Pay Model

More about the EntreCourier

You can get more tips and ideas at our website, Entrecourier.com
We have a special section on the site for the podcast at DeliverOnYourBusiness.com

Sign up for our weekly Courier Nation Motivation email at http://eepurl.com/gtdbsv

Follow us on Facebook: https://Facebook.com/EntreCourier
Folow us on Twitter: https://Twitter.com/EntreCourier
Connect with us on Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/company/36870762/