Sam Lyon pushed his earning potential in the gig economy to its limits.
He challenged himself to make as much money as possible in that one month.
To do so, he drove 12 hours a day for 30 days straight.
For his Uber Eats profile, Lyon used a selfie taken in his car — then realized he couldn’t change the picture once it was uploaded. Photo courtesy of Sam Lyon
He also offered some Uber Eats driver tips that other gig workers can use.
No Interest Til Almost 2027?
He drove 12 hours the maximum Uber Eats allows for 30 days without a single day off.
His specific challenge may not be replicable (or even advisable) in every circumstance.
Even Tiny Ones Help
The very premise of Lyons challenge is a goal.
It gave him something to focus on and the motivation he needed to make it through grueling 12-hour days.
I think goal setting was huge for my success, Lyon said.
Setting markers in what you want to achieve are extremely important.
Did you know?
So that was always my goal.
Anything after that was icing on the cake.
before you roll your gig, have a professional or financial goal in mind.
That can keep you on track and keep you from burning out.
Your customers dont have much information about you as a driver.
Have a good, high-quality profile picture.
The first picture you choose is the one youre stuck with.
Uberpolicyallows drivers to change their picture only if something happens that alters their appearance since the original photo.
In that situation, youd have to contact customer support.
check that you look approachable, Lyon said.
Lyon drove primarily in Salem, Oregon.
A perfect example of this played out over TikTok.
It started off as a beautiful day.
The birds were chirping.
The sun was shining, Lyon said in avideo.
The perfect day for two gladiators to enter the arena.
They both delivered food for 12 straight hours.
The difference was that the other driver lived 45 miles north in Portland, Oregon.
That turned out to be a crucial factor the challenger made $323 to Lyons $268.
A bigger city doesnt always equate to better profits though, Lyon noted.
Heavy traffic is likelier and could slow you down.
You may have to pay to park to make the delivery.
You cant really compete [in a car] in those urban, downtown areas, he said.
Suburbs are just front porch and then youre gone.
Learn From the Trends in Your Area
Lyon is a big proponent of the quantity-over-quality approach to accepting orders.
But that can backfire for inexperienced drivers.
Not only that thats three orders.
Thats three different tips, too, he said.
Results may vary in your market.
The key is to adapt to your locale.
Occupy Your Downtime
Downtime between orders trips up many new delivery drivers.
Youre delivering food all day, after all.
You might be tempted to go through the drive-thru for yourself.
But idle spending can eat into your earnings.
Lyon vowed not to fall into that temptation.
He carried only $20 in cash, and that was strictly for gas.
If he had downtime, hed listen to podcasts or practice Spanish while positioning himself for his next order.
And to cut down on costs, his own food was homemade.
I did not have any fast food during that 30 days.
Dont Waste Time With Referral Bonuses
Referral bonuses are definitely not worth the time, according to Lyon.
Once the new driver completes a certain amount of deliveries, the recruiter earns money.
But the amount fluctuates depending on the market.
Sometimes its $200 per 50 trips.
Other times, its $10 per 50 trips.
In successful invites, I made $0.
And thats coming from someone who had hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok.
One person asked if he could deliver a pack of cigarettes along with the food order.
it’s possible for you to stop by here.
Lyon went for it.
I picked up the money and got him the cigarettes.
When I got back, he paid me the change as well.
And I made a quick $20 [tip], he said.
Lyon entertained just about every odd request he got.
They usually led to big tips.
My days were long, he said.
I would do all that stuff to kind of break it up and have fun.
However, quite a bit of it actually goes toward expenses and taxes.
Its one of the biggest pains of being a 1099 worker.
I would definitely keep in mind you will have to pay those taxes later.
Its not automatically coming out of what you earned, Lyon said.
Personally, I set aside 30% of what I make.
That way, I have a little bit of wiggle room.
Lyons system was pretty simple.
He had a fixed amount for gas, $20 a day.
That totaled $599.
It breaks down like this: His total earnings were $8,357.
That brought his actual profits to roughly $5,100.
Setting aside 30% might seem steep, but its usually an overestimate.
Lyon, like most taxpayers, would rather have a refund come tax time than a hefty tax bill.
Adam Hardy is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
This post was originally published in July 2020.
(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)
You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…
