☕️ No Pleasure, Just Business my 9 AM ritual started as a joke. Every morning I’d down a double espresso at 9 sharp, skip the fancy craft stuff, and jump back on the road within 5 minutes. It became a habit. Then a friend (who happens to own a coffee shop) joined me, and the joke stuck: no pleasure, just business. Later I discovered Skool and thought why not turn that 9 AM coffee into a 9 AM meeting here? So today’s the first time I’m going live to test this out. Still learning the platform, but definitely here to have some fun too. 🚀

This week’s been a grind slow rides, hiccups, and then the big one: I didn’t notice the gas gauge slipping down to empty. Ended up pulling the classic “walk of shame” with a portable tank, topping up, and getting back on the road. Honestly, I’ll take that over a blown engine or major repair any day. Sometimes it’s better to get humbled by the small stuff than crushed by the big stuff. Now I’m at the crossroads: 👉 Do I push Thursday morning to make up ground? 👉 Or wait it out and hit the weekend hard when the rides (and money) really flow? Curious what you all would do. Anyone else ever been caught in the same situation?

📊 Totals So Far Lyft: $191.70 (1 hr 41 min booked time) Uber: 3 hr 21 min (slower pace) Next Goal: Another 2-hour push coming up 🕚 Shift Window: 11 PM – 1 AM (started in PB) 😤 Challenges: Lots of indecisive college students No-shows + late pickups Too many wasted minutes → low fare rides ✅ Takeaway: Even with the frustrations, Lyft came through big early. Uber side dragged, but I’m pacing for a strong night overall. 💭 Anyone else run into the college crowd shuffle late nights? How do you handle no-shows or time-wasting riders?

Today was one of those moments that could’ve ruined my whole shift. My Explorer started shaking, then shut off. No codes, no lights. I thought the worst maybe the engine blew, maybe I waited too long on the oil change. I slowed down, checked things over, and realized the truth I had simply run out of gas. A small problem, but the panic made it feel like the end of the world. I filled up, turned the key, and just like that back in business. 👉 Lesson: Before assuming the worst, check the basics. Low fuel, loose connections, simple fixes. Panic makes it 10x worse than it really is. 🛑 Pit Stop takeaway: Stay calm, troubleshoot step by step, and keep rolling. ❓️What’s the scariest ‘car problem’ you had on shift that turned out to be something simple?

I’ve been deep in this rideshare game all year, and the journey has been anything but smooth. From slow mornings with $3–$8 locals, to late-night hustles where indecisive college kids keep you waiting, every shift tells a story. I’ve driven it all: downtown San Diego, PB, Hillcrest, Mission Beach, La Jolla, even out to Santee and Normal Heights. The miles stack up, the hours stretch long, but every ride teaches something about how to survive this gig economy grind. Just last night I ran a late shift that clocked in at $250 total. Lyft gave me efficiency with fewer rides but solid payouts, while Uber piled on the trips, tips, and promos. I had 10 Lyft rides in just under 3 hours booked time, covering 75 miles, and Uber added another 13 trips in a little over 3.5 hours. That meant fighting through wasted minutes, no-shows, and the classic bar-close shuffle, but it still paid out in the end. Nights like this are the reminder that you can’t rely on one app or one strategy you’ve got to be flexible, ready to flip between Lyft and Uber, and smart about positioning. But this year hasn’t just been about one night. Since 2025 kicked off, I’ve been experimenting with everything rideshare has to offer. Running UberXL and Comfort to snag higher-value trips. Testing the AM airport rush versus the PM nightlife. Learning that San Diego slows down hard without conventions or big events, and you’ve got to adapt to locals-only traffic. Even venturing further out South Bay, North County, Carlsbad, San Marcos when the central grid dries up. I’ve felt the sting of six-hour shifts that barely broke $100, and the rush of $60+ long rides that reminded me why I keep logging in. Along the way, I’ve added side hustles to squeeze every bit out of my car. Octopus tablets, Firefly wraps, even RoadClub for safe driving rewards. It’s about stacking streams, not relying on just the fare. That’s the mindset I bring into every shift now: maximize the tools, minimize the wasted minutes. So here’s my message to any driver who’s been feeling stuck: the grind is real, the numbers aren’t always pretty, but the strategy is where the game is won. Don’t just drive track, analyze, adjust. Learn the zones, know when to call it, and keep stacking side hustles until your wheels are earning more than just the fare.