What’s better than being a Tasker and taking control of your life? Well, doing it and earning $10,000 per month. Think that number is just a fantasy? Think again.
Jeffrey Delerme is a Tasker based in New York City, and like other Taskers as of late, he’s been capitalizing on the gig economy boom. Since 2010, Jeffrey has been building Green Studio NYC, an audio production and engineering company, and working various jobs to earn money while achieving his dream. Just like with tasking, these jobs were focused on helping people; one focused on helping kids find after-school jobs, and another was as a service technician at a nonprofit.
In 2017, Jeffrey was looking to make extra money with a side hustle, and his financial consultant told him about Taskrabbit. Around the same time, his friend and business partner became a Tasker. The amazing financial results spoke for themselves, so Jeffrey decided to give Taskrabbit a try.
Now, years later, Jeffrey is making six figures and proud to be in full control of his professional life. Along the way, he’s gathered some helpful tips for any Tasker looking to follow in his footsteps.
Tip #1: Invest in your business.
This tip may not be as obvious as it seems. For certain task skills like Waiting in Line, you don’t need tools or equipment. In task categories like Cleaning, Home Improvements, and Moving, the tools and equipment you use can make or break the job—and help you earn more income.
Jeffrey, who tasks most often in Help Moving and Yard Work, doubled his income when he upgraded from a standard van to a high-roof van in January 2020. This allowed him to do larger moving and removal jobs and invest in other helpful items like blankets, shrink wrap, tape, and tools to assemble and disassemble things. As a result, he was able to book more tasks.
Here are Jeffrey’s top tips for investing in your business:
- Start with what you can afford.
- Gauge any changes or increases in task bookings—this is a great indicator of how you’re running your business.
- If you’re consistently generating income, consider adding to your toolkit and raising your rates.
Jeffrey’s investment in his tasking business has earned him great client reviews, but he also recommends never forgetting about good customer service. “Be on time for every job, take each one seriously, and treat every task—large or small—with great importance,” he says.
Tip #2: Manage your calendar strategically.
Keeping a well-managed calendar is essential to your success as a Tasker. Whether you’re building in buffer time to travel between tasks or making sure your personal calendar is in sync with your app calendar, it’s always in your best interest to keep tabs on your plans.
Jeffrey regularly takes this a step further by strategizing on how the changing seasons could affect his schedule. Given his core category offerings, his work peaks during the spring and summer. During this time, Jeffrey can complete three to four tasks per day. He typically works five days per week at the height of the season, then plans for it to taper down to two to four days as winter arrives. This gives him a flexible framework in which to plan other personal endeavors.
Tip #3: Treat tasking as seriously as any other job.
Some people might dismiss tasking as “gig work” and look past the fact that many Taskers turn this into a full-time business. Just as with any entrepreneurial endeavor, tasking requires you to be your own leader—which often means going the extra mile.
Jeffrey once partnered with another Tasker to move a client from New York City to a cottage upstate. It began snowing during the task, and by the time they arrived at the cottage, the weather had become a full-blown blizzard. Jeffrey’s client was moving to the top of a hill that was blocked off, which meant he and his fellow Tasker couldn’t drive the van up to the drop-off point.
After making several unsuccessful attempts to get the van up the hill in other ways, the client began to panic. Jeffrey and his fellow Tasker had to think fast, and they ultimately decided to wrap each item in shrink wrap and blankets before carrying everything up the hill, through the snow. Not only was the client so happy that she cried, but she thanked them profusely and left great tips and reviews.
Tip #4: Actively expand your knowledge.
While professional development always comes with experience, taking the extra step to learn new skills can be a great way to build your business. Not only can it give you more expertise to list in your Skills & Experience description, but it can also widen your frame of reference about what might be possible on the Taskrabbit platform.
At the beginning of his Tasker journey, Jeffrey did mostly assembly and handyman work. He didn’t have the specific skills required to hang drywall or mount items, so he took free classes at Home Depot and used Taskrabbit’s Tasker resources to learn new skills and stay informed. Just like that, he had new skills to add to his profile.
Tip #5: Keep your eye on the prize.
Jeffrey acknowledges that bad days do happen, and the more you try to accomplish in life, the higher the possibility that not everything will work out perfectly. “Don’t be discouraged by this,” Jeffrey says. “Stay on mission, and don’t let bumps in the road throw you off your goal.”
When particular tasks present challenges that Jeffrey doesn’t have the skills to overcome, he stays honest and reaches out to his clients to see if there might be an alternative way to finish the work. Over time, challenges like this can even become motivators, because they offer a chance to show clients what you’re made of.
For Jeffrey, this strategy seems to be working. As of 2022, his goal is to get nothing but five-star reviews for at least the next 100 tasks, and he’s already 15% of the way there.
We can definitely see why Jeffrey earns six figures on Taskrabbit, and we hope his advice will ignite new sparks of ambition in new and seasoned Taskers alike!
