In the spirit of the season, I want to give. Having made a decent living the last couple of years doing delivery work, I’m offering a free gift to my customers. As an independent contractor in the on demand food delivery space, my customers are Grubhub, Doordash, Uber Eats and Postmates. Guys, I want to …
How do Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates and Uber Eats compare with one another as delivery platforms for independent contractors? We’ve taken a look in many of our past posts and podcast episodes at each platform individually. Now it’s time to talk about how they line up. As you read on, we ask the same five questions …
So, Amos and Obadiah walk into a bar…. Wait, we’re talking two profits, not prophets. Sorry. We’re into October already, Courier Nation. Can you believe that? Personally, I think this is the best of times. I love fall weather – there’s just something about that crisper, cooler weather. And football season. Holy cow, I can’t …
A lot of couriers sign on with companies like Postmates and go about their work assuming that Postmates will have their back if anything happens Do NOT make that assumption. You are an independent contractor, not an employee. That means that in most cases you are on your own if anything happens to you. It …
What car should I drive for Grubhub? Since we are completely on our own when it comes to our car expenses, what is the best car to use as an independent contractor for Grubhub? The best answer may be “the car you have.” Okay, there may be and probably are better answers. I think more …
As an independent contractor, you are self-employed. That means you’re providing services as a business and not as an employee. There’s a lot to unpack with that statement: For one, the money you get paid as an independent contractor for Doordash and others is not your paycheck. Two, if you don’t handle that money right, …
Does your employee need benefits? Employee???? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! What are you talking about? We are wrapping up the 31 Day Courier MBA series with a section on employee relations. Here’s the deal folks: Every business, including the independent contractor business, has a responsibility to take care of their employees. (Don’t get me started on …
You’re running a business. Customer Service is an important component of that business. That’s true even when you are doing delivery work for a nameless faceless app. But it’s harder to think in terms of being ‘customer first’ when you realize that our customer really is Doordash, or Grubhub, Uber Eats, Postmates or any of …
Customer service is an important part of running any business. This is true even if you are delivering food for gig apps. But the question is, who is your real customer? In our situation it’s a bit weird. It’s kind of like a customer version of the movie Inception, where it’s a customer within a …
One of the hardest decisions to make as a business owner is when it’s time to quit being a business owner. That’s even true when your business is an independent contractor for Grubhub, Postmates, Uber Eats, Caviar, Shipt, Instacart, Doordash or any others. I’m a big fan of this whole delivery gig. I guess you’d …
Do you need extra insurance for Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates, Instacart or other delivery companies? After all, your personal insurance isn’t going to pay out. Were you aware of that? You NEED to be aware. Now. As in, don’t deliver another single freaking order until you know you are covered. I am dead serious. Update your …
What did you make last week? For most of you, it’s not what you think it was. It’s not what Grubhub, Doordash, Postmates, Uber Eats, Caviar, InstaCart or Shipt or any of them sent you. For some of you, what you made is only a fraction of that. As an independent contractor, as a self …
In most seasons of life, you have a time where you just ask, where do we go from here? Queue the Alan Parsons Project. That may have gone over the heads of a lot of younger folks…. okay, that may have gone over the heads of a lot of people my age. It’s a song. …
Most delivery drivers with Doordash, Instacart, Uber Eats, Grubhub, etc., seem to think their only cost is the gas they have to buy for their car. Then the IRS tells us it’s 56 cents per mile. At least for 2021 that’s what they say. Which one is it? The real cost including the wear and …
I love the freedom of being an independent contractor. I love being able to pick and choose the times I deliver for Ubereats, Grubhub, Doordash Instacart or whoever I want to deliver for. Read enough of this site it becomes clear: I love being my own boss. One thing however has become a problem for …