One way of thinking about the apps and sites like TaskRabbit   and Instacart  that contract with people with people all over the country to run and errands and do all manner of tasks is that it takes much of the burden from the local person to market their services. Airbnb works on the same principle as Taskrabbit, matching travelers with private homes willing to rent a room.

A new service called Shyp makes sending someone something no harder than taking a photo of the item, uploading it to the Shyp app and twenty minutes later someone comes to get your item, pack it, and deliver it to its destination. Customers pay for the service the Shyp app. Shyp calls the people it recruits to do the pickups “heros.”  If this is a way you would like to earn some income, on your own schedule, in here’s a link to find more. http://www.shyp.com/heroes.

Alfred is a service works similarly to Taskrabbit, matching helpers with customers who need local help with laundry, grocery shopping and cleaning tasks. Alfred is oriented to developing regular customers where TaskRabbit may be a use it now and then not again for six months.  To learn more about Alfred, here’s it’s website.

These services start out in major cities like New York, Boston, and San Francisco and then spread to other cities.

For the independent worker, this can be a source of at least a  part-time income, without the marketing that normally is required before you begin producing income.

For an initial free consultation to explore this or another sustainable livelihood that bests suits your personality and your community, contact us.

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Comments on the substance of the blogs are welcome. If you have other questions, please contact me directly for a consulting appointment.