5starpullup LLC:
I started driving for Uber full time in January 2018 after I quit my restaurant job. Because of my family situation, I had to drive at night. It was tough in the beginning; I was not used to driving long hours and late nights. With the help of the GPS I can say that I have mastered the routes in the greater Atlanta area. I have driven over 150,000 miles and met over 10,000 people.
I have been enjoying this new venture from the get-go. It was not difficult to adapt to the challenges of dealing with tons of people daily because I am naturally a people person. I like to interact with my customers. Gradually I started to learn their needs and expectations. I started to provide additional amenities to make sure they had a memorable and unique experience.
Two of the first needs I identified were the importance of having various genres of music available and access to different types of phone chargers. As a result, I signed up for premium Spotify and downloaded the app to two tablets. Giving my passengers full control of what we
listened to. Once my passenger settled into their seats safely, I would jokingly tell them “that I do the driving and you do the DJing.” They would laugh. Most of my passengers would take on this task and enjoy the rest of the ride playing their music of choice. There was an instance where one of my passengers challenged me to tell him my favorite music and that he would tip me more for doing so. I eventually gave into his request. He was pleased and so was I (he made good on his word and gave me an extra tip!)
To meet the phone charging needs of my passengers I purchased two Powapod units which offered Apple, Android and USB chargers. The passengers had unlimited access to charge their phone/devices.
I continue to have more inspiration due to the positive feedback coming from my passengers. I installed internal lights and mini disco balls to enhance the 5Starpullup experience.
A compliment left by a passenger was “Cool Car: So good! Lights, music, clean, Perfect! I now know the why behind the 5 star! Thank you,”
We frequently come across passengers visiting Atlanta for various reasons. Be it tourist, concerts, business, conferences etc. A lot of other people visit to watch Atlanta United, the Braves or The Hawks play.
Many times, a passenger will tell me that I remind them of a driver in Puerto Rico, Miami or Vegas. One night in early December I picked up a rider who owned a limousine business for over a decade. He gave me great compliments about my setup and urged me to create a social media platform and brand myself. He advised me to continue my endeavor and he believed that I would stand out in this industry.
After that encounter, I set up an Instagram account called @5starpullup. I shared it with some close friends. Some believed in me and gave their support. I remember one person laughing at my proposal and telling me that it would not work because at that time I had less than 10 Instagram followers. I use that negativity as motivation to keep on feeding my newly found passion. I immediately designed a logo for 5Starpullup and had it placed on magnets for my vehicle. Then I went to Party City to look for fun props such as facemasks, minions and some cool glasses to add to the 5StarPullup experience. My passengers loved the atmosphere as can be seen in the many photos taken during their 5StarPullup rides!
While driving for Uber I have come across many artists, comedians, dancers and journalists. TV
Host and Sports Broadcaster Prev. Sunday Night Football on NBC, CBS Sports, ESPN & Comcast Lindsay McCormick, Artist Stickz Greenz, Artist Travis Starr, DJ Skrillz, and DJ Skywalker, just to name a few.
During these rides I took the opportunity to promote 5StarPullup. I later put signs in the back seat that worked just as good. A lot of passengers would visit @5StarPullup IG page wanting to know what 5starPullup was all about. Once they access my social media they usually follow and request to take 5starPullup selfies with me to post on IG. This was how I gained many of my initial followers and it just grew from there. I even have instances where people would request rides because they see someone they know on Snapchat, IG or in a Facebook post in what I call my spaceship.
A few months ago, I recorded a video with a female artist; Kueen Knadii. In the video I did a short interview with her and she performed in my vehicle. We both posted it on Instagram and YouTube, and it went viral. That video was the beginning of the Talent Hunter Show. As a result, I get dms from artists from all over the world wanting me to give them a shout out and promote them on the "Talent Hunter" platform.
This is only the beginning; stick around. I am excited about the future of 5Starpullup!!!