13 ms·

As a driver for Lyft who is running a startup, every penny counts to make expensive Bay Area rent. Granted, most people don't tip unless it is an airport run. I

by jrohn92 10y ago

As a driver for Lyft who is running a startup, every penny counts to make expensive Bay Area rent. Granted, most people don't tip unless it is an airport run. I would like you to put yourself in my shoes or even someone who has children to feed and between jobs. I don't drive for Uber for a reason. Lyft legitimately cares about their drivers' well being. To you a dollar or two does not matter, but for me a good day in tips means an extra hour of time to work on my startup.

px1999 10y ago
But isn't that covered in the "willing to pay more for the service" bucket? I find tipping awkward to the point of being willing to pay more for alternatives that bundle an otherwise expected tip into the service's initial pricing.
- jrohn92 10y ago
  As a driver, sometimes you need to go the extra mile (no pun intended). There are times I need to help passengers carry things, go through drive throughs, catch trains using offensive driving, stopping for drunk people to puke and even serving as a makeshift therapist. The option is there, obviously I don't expect a tip for a 5 minute ride.
  - vostrocity 10y ago
    This is exactly why I enjoy Lyft's option for tipping. Tipping is awkward if I have to fumble for cash and stuff it in the driver's hands. It's not awkward if I can just press a button and charge it to my credit card.
Hydraulix989 10y ago
Sorry to single you out specifically, but I've seen people put themselves in dire situations for the sake of "doing a startup," and it always makes me cringe. If you're struggling to make rent, maybe you should consider doing something like Upwork or Gigster then? Or even a full time job? Either your startup is succeeding: you've raised enough venture capital to support yourself, or you're making enough revenue to be ramen profitable (I didn't quite interpret your post that way, though). Or you are wasting time and energy on something that just isn't going anywhere where you should be making it a fun side project alongside a full time job instead of a VERY risky 10:1 all-in bet. Most people besides the local SF Peter Pan Syndrome millennial dreamer crowd here would consider it to be very irresponsible to gamble away your time and savings on a stagnant business like that. There's also plenty of great places to start a business that aren't the Bay Area and actually have reasonable costs of living, friendlier regulations, and less taxes (shout out to Pittsburgh!). I'd stay off the hive mind hamster wheel here that you HAVE to be in the most expensive place to live on the planet, or else you're living in Siberia (to borrow the literal smug wording of a Google employee friend justifying their renting at age 35 situation).
- seppin 10y ago
  I was going to type 10% of this, but you nailed it perfectly. "I'm doing a startup" is often a trap that allows you to justify not properly supporting yourself. Get a job, do it well, and make your startup work in the extra hours. If you can't find the time, you're not meant to be starting anything up.
  - jrohn92 10y ago
    By getting a job, it will interfere with what I need to do. I make my own hours, which is very important. I do 40 hrs driving and 40 hrs on my company every week. Right now I am at the tail end of the stretch and I am already starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (funding). "Honey Badger does not give a sh*t, if it's hungry, it's hungry"
    - Hydraulix989 10y ago
      Well, I wouldn't consider yourself funded until the term sheet is signed and the money has been wired. You'll get a lot of "warm" courtship interest from investors who actually are just scoping out the field, so to speak, and you'll run into ones who have cold feet and back out at the last minute (I even had an outstanding term sheet get withdrawn once). Just be careful. Investors are often very two-faced.
      - jrohn92 10y ago
        Agreed 100%, it can be annoying sometimes, but it is part of the game.
    - kelnos 10y ago
      But that's the thing, though: unlike many Uber/Lyft drivers, you have chosen to put yourself into this situation. The onus is on you to figure out how to support yourself while you have no income working on your startup, not on the random people who ride in your car while you're driving for Lyft.

by jrohn92 10y ago

px1999 10y ago

But isn't that covered in the "willing to pay more for the service" bucket? I find tipping awkward to the point of being willing to pay more for alternatives that bundle an otherwise expected tip into the service's initial pricing.

jrohn92 10y ago
As a driver, sometimes you need to go the extra mile (no pun intended). There are times I need to help passengers carry things, go through drive throughs, catch trains using offensive driving, stopping for drunk people to puke and even serving as a makeshift therapist. The option is there, obviously I don't expect a tip for a 5 minute ride.
- vostrocity 10y ago
  This is exactly why I enjoy Lyft's option for tipping. Tipping is awkward if I have to fumble for cash and stuff it in the driver's hands. It's not awkward if I can just press a button and charge it to my credit card.

Hydraulix989 10y ago

Sorry to single you out specifically, but I've seen people put themselves in dire situations for the sake of "doing a startup," and it always makes me cringe. If you're struggling to make rent, maybe you should consider doing something like Upwork or Gigster then? Or even a full time job? Either your startup is succeeding: you've raised enough venture capital to support yourself, or you're making enough revenue to be ramen profitable (I didn't quite interpret your post that way, though). Or you are wasting time and energy on something that just isn't going anywhere where you should be making it a fun side project alongside a full time job instead of a VERY risky 10:1 all-in bet. Most people besides the local SF Peter Pan Syndrome millennial dreamer crowd here would consider it to be very irresponsible to gamble away your time and savings on a stagnant business like that. There's also plenty of great places to start a business that aren't the Bay Area and actually have reasonable costs of living, friendlier regulations, and less taxes (shout out to Pittsburgh!). I'd stay off the hive mind hamster wheel here that you HAVE to be in the most expensive place to live on the planet, or else you're living in Siberia (to borrow the literal smug wording of a Google employee friend justifying their renting at age 35 situation).

seppin 10y ago
I was going to type 10% of this, but you nailed it perfectly. "I'm doing a startup" is often a trap that allows you to justify not properly supporting yourself. Get a job, do it well, and make your startup work in the extra hours. If you can't find the time, you're not meant to be starting anything up.
- jrohn92 10y ago
  By getting a job, it will interfere with what I need to do. I make my own hours, which is very important. I do 40 hrs driving and 40 hrs on my company every week. Right now I am at the tail end of the stretch and I am already starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (funding). "Honey Badger does not give a sh*t, if it's hungry, it's hungry"
  - Hydraulix989 10y ago
    Well, I wouldn't consider yourself funded until the term sheet is signed and the money has been wired. You'll get a lot of "warm" courtship interest from investors who actually are just scoping out the field, so to speak, and you'll run into ones who have cold feet and back out at the last minute (I even had an outstanding term sheet get withdrawn once). Just be careful. Investors are often very two-faced.
    - jrohn92 10y ago
      Agreed 100%, it can be annoying sometimes, but it is part of the game.
  - kelnos 10y ago
    But that's the thing, though: unlike many Uber/Lyft drivers, you have chosen to put yourself into this situation. The onus is on you to figure out how to support yourself while you have no income working on your startup, not on the random people who ride in your car while you're driving for Lyft.