If You Aren’t Making at Least $1000 Per Week with DoorDash as a Full-Time Driver Follow These Tips

I never thought I would be delivering food at age 50 but here I am. I’ve been doing this for over 3 years, and I can tell you first-hand, if you do this full-time you can make a decent living at it. With that said, let’s jump into how you too can make $1000 a week working DoorDash.

You can earn $1000+/week with DoorDash. Even if it does not seem glamorous or profitable when you consider working for DoorDash, you would be shocked how your strategy and savvy will fuel amazing success.

Many dashers start delivering as a way to earn extra money or when they lose a job or have to handle unexpected expenses. For this reason, it is easy to get into a casual mindset with a food delivery gig.

It’s possible to take this approach; however, if you do, you might face some awful consequences in the future. Keep in mind, as an independent contractor you have the job of keeping track of your earnings, paying taxes, and accounting for all expenses to use as tax deductions. That is why it is so vital that you treat your driving business as a business.

If you really want your business to earn $1000/week, you will have to be wise about how you take care of and organize that business. Here are some things you should do, and some tips about how to do them.

Be wise about self-employment

As aforementioned, you’re responsible for all of your own business- and tax-associated record-keeping, activities, and expenses. One of the first steps includes determining how you wish to organize your business. It is good to have a different bank account for your delivery work to keep your expenses and earnings free of any personal dealings.

In order to start your bank account, you must have a “business identity” of some type. You might simply use your name; however, it is more professional to use a Doing Business As (DBA) identity, establish a full-blown corporation, or create an LLC (Limited Liability Corporation).

The ‘Doing Business As’ allows you to have a name for the business, but not much else. If you wish to limit your liability, either the corporation or LLC is your best bet.

Here is a post that provides a checklist on how to incorporate a business within any state. There is also this post from CareerOneStop a resource that tackles the issues associated with self-employment.

Survey business landscape

DoorDash delivery isn’t complicated; however, there are some ways to be more effective at earning money. Step one includes discovering when the majority of deliveries are needed, and which time of the day the payment for food deliveries is the highest.

Obviously, specific times are prime for eating and all of us know what they are. However, what is different about your area? Are there universities and colleges, or additional clusters in which people may need food delivered upon another schedule?

What about public events, offices, and hospitals? Now that society is starting to wake up from the pandemic nightmare, it is possible there might be orders for recruiting events and meetings again. Figure out where those possible customers are, travel around these areas, and you will receive a lot more orders.

One other thing you should know is that the company expanded its offerings beyond food. What’s delivered and from what stores are going to depend on where you are located. Drivers can take grocery orders with Walmart, and many additionally deliver products from stores such as 7-Eleven.

Reduce costs by curbing your appetite

Delivering meals has a nefarious side effect, of which you are unaware of if you have delivered a pizza or wings and onion rings right when you’re hungry. Food smells make us hungrier, and when you deliver, these smells can be an occupational hazard.

Instead of wasting time turning off the app and driving to the closest pizza place and spending the money you just made, instead, eat a hearty meal before heading out, and pack your own drinks and snacks.

Keep a close eye on income

If you are still trying to get familiar with being a driver, tracking your income is a great way to check how much you are earning, where it is coming from, and which times were the most popular.

There are a couple of ways to determine deductions for your driving costs. Use the standard deduction technique if you log a ton of miles on your runs. If you are working in a tighter radius, you will be better off deducting all car-associated costs, from vehicle detailing to fuel to parking expenses.

Deliver and drive like you mean it

Delivering is like a game. You must be alert, remain on top of what you are doing, think ahead, and act quickly. In any type of game, you will have a greater likelihood of winning if there’s a strategy — and DoorDash isn’t exception. Therefore, let us look into some ways to keep a high score:

Set realistic hours

What’s life like beyond driving? Are there certain times when you must be around for an elderly relative, spouse, or child? Do you hold another job requiring you to be in a specific place at certain times?

How well do those times sync with the periods you have identified as your available food delivery slots? If your availability will not work around peak delivery times in the day, you will have to be creative.

The good news is that people do not always order food at typical mealtimes. If you conduct some research, you will probably find an after-school peak, or perhaps a soccer or baseball team that has a hankering for cool drinks and hot food. Plus, there are specific areas with odd lunch hours, like hospitals and nursing homes. Check out what is going on in your community. Travel around with the app turned on in various areas and check what pops up. You might get some interesting information by checking the action from the customer side, as well. If the DoorDash app says it’ll take a long period of time to get a delivery from where you are sitting, you might be within a hot spot.

Get behind the wheel

In order to earn $1000 per week DoorDashing, you have to have a consistent presence. It is like that in any game, am I right? If you do not put forth the effort, you will not get the returns. When you discover the best time to drive, make a schedule that gives you a minimum of 3–4 hours per day of driving.

You must be strict about keeping these hours, especially if an extra-hot afternoon or rainy night makes you want to stay indoors instead of going out. Remember that when people do not feel like leaving their house, they are likely to call for deliveries. Tips should be more generous once they know you are coming in snowstorm or a downpour.

Be familiar with your surroundings

You should be familiar with any construction delays, traffic issues, and how to get around the crowds at major events.

Be prepared to pivot

You will make $1000 a week using DoorDash once you learn how to shift with the changing circumstances. You may be apt to delay a drinking get-together with friends on a Sunday if there is a big game on. A lot of sports fans may want to have their fries and wings delivered … of course, by you.

Once you establish your schedule, be mindful of those conditions that can be bad for business. Weekends when people are likely out of town or holidays when folks cook a lot, may cause gaps in an earning schedule. Be ready to work extra time after and before those periods to keep that $1000 per week goal.

Be aware of what you deliver best

If you’re going to be working in an urban area, be prepared to do lots of parallel parking. Not your thing? Maybe you can do a scooter or bike gig as a Dasher. Or, you can go to the suburbs. While food orders may not be as abundant there, they’re frequently more lucrative and larger.

Be your own coach

To make $1000 per week, you must earn a specific amount every day. If you just want to work 5 days per week, you must aim to make $250 per day.

How to get more tips

Customers understand that they should tip; however, they are not obligated. They may tip 15%; however, if you need more, you must deliver some extras. The main thing customers want is for Dashers to follow their directions. If it is a no-contact delivery, do not hand them their order. If they request extra ketchup, grab a handful at the restaurant.

Delivering on time is also critical with customers. Once you believe there might be a delay, communicate it. Traffic, either on the road or in the restaurant’s queue, may slow you down; however, once you let them know, they will appreciate it.

Keep in mind, customers may tip once they place the orders and also after the drop off of their order. This means a friendly and professional attitude, being on time, and those little extras (no drips or spills, some napkins, and more condiments than expected), might all prompt them to leave a bigger tip.

Use your referral code

All drivers get a referral code in the app under “refer friends.” You give friends the referral code, and once they sign up to become a Dasher, you’ll get paid. If you really want to grow this method of earning money, include the code in all types of places:

· Drop the link in a few of your favorite group texts.

· Print some cards with the link, and leave them upon bulletin boards in stores and restaurants.

· Discuss earning $1000/week using DoorDash through your social media platform(s), and drop the code there.

· Make a video delivering and post it on your social media and let folks know how they can earn that much money … if they click the link to the code.

Are you a DoorDash driver? Do you earn more than $1000 a week? What tips can you share with us on how to do better?

Here are some tips if you work in Houston/Katy, TX

Okay, so I work here in Katy/Houston TX. Katy is not a lunch area, but Houston is. It’s better to work lunch in Houston because you’re going to get more deliveries from businesses. So, I head toward the Northwest Houston zone. This area is close to the Memorial City Mall and there is also a lot of businesses in that area. Short deliveries will take you around that zone and longer deliveries, those with 8 miles and up will usually take you to the Uptown zone, which is another great business location. I avoid Memorial, Inner Loop, Meadows Place, and Northside/Northline.

I don’t work the breakfast crowd because I use the mornings to write articles, take my daughter to school, and catch up on household chores or errands. So, I head out from Katy to Houston around 10:30 AM. I hang out by Memorial City Mall until the deliveries start trickling in. I work until about 2 PM, take a lunch break, head home, freshen up, take a shower and check on the kids, then head back out to work. By that time, I’m back in Katy, which is a dinner area and I’ll work from 4 PM until 9 PM. After 9 PM, it’s all garbage, so it’s not smart to work after that or the overnight shift. Any place there is a Chic-Fil-A there is usually a lot of business. In Katy, that’s the Katy Freeway location near Greenhouse Road, the Mason Road location, the Grand Parkway location near Morton Road, and the Nelson Way location. Chick-Fil-A is a great place to go for the after-school crowd.

Any you? I’d love to hear from other Dashers on what works best for them in their area. Please feel free to reach out to me at my email which you’ll find in my bio section and tell me more about your area. I will, with your permission, come back and update this post with all tips I receive. Maybe you can help someone else who is struggling. As a DoorDash community, let’s all help each other!

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