If I plan my routes, and I am diligent to check with all my companies at least every other day, then I can average 4-5 minimal paying jobs per day. I try not to schedule that many because most are quite a drive to get to and the reports can be involving anywhere from 35 minutes to several hours to complete on time.
Traveling distances can be exhausting, and you want to remember when routing and scheduling your Shops to plan in some relaxed time for reports including writing in the deadlines for your reports, and appropriate travel time - allowing for a flat tire or some other emergency to drop into your lap. Make sure you keep phone numbers, emails, login id's and passwords with you for the MSC's (and your contact person there) you're contracted with for the day(s) you're on the road.
I keep a water-resistant file folder in my trunk with the ICA's and the Guidelines and Questionnaires for those companies with whom I contract on a regular basis. I take this in the house with me once or twice a week to make sure I have the most up-to-date version. This way, if I find I have free time on my hands, no matter where I am I can look for and self-assign a Shop(s), and I will more than likely have a print of the Guidelines to review before I do it.
Along with that file folder, inside a box (over time) I have gathered and keep basic "Shop" supplies:
- stapler/staples, pens, paperclips, highlighters, permanent markers, etc.
- notebook paper
- clipboard
- lanyard
- a bright safety vest
- leather safety and rubber gloves
- boots with steel toes
- tape measurer
- change of clothing for business, business casual, and "relaxed" everyday clothing (from the skin out)
- toiletries and extra medicines I take on a daily basis in case I have to make an emergency overnight stay
- basic first-aid supplies including a wrap for sprains (yes, I have needed them, I've badly sprained an ankle while walking on ice that had been covered by snow)i
- extra drinking water, food: peanut butter and crackers, bite-size candy bars, granola and protein bars, dried fruit, etc.
- blanket, shovel, extra fluids for your car
An FYI - I have found my best daily Shop tools to be:
***** Smartphone with at least a 132g MicroSD - pictures, video, and voice recordings can be huge files and take up a lot of space.
***** A small portable charger for the phone, which has at least 5200 - 5500 Mghz, allowing for at least two recharges for your phone.
***** Laptop
***** Printer with scanning ability.
***** Microsoft Office, or similar
***** Paper map for the occasions you lose your GPS signal on your phone while in hills, valleys, and mountains, or when your phone battery dies.
***** My spreadsheets I've created to keep track of my Shops, income, expenses, etc., which I can access via my phone through a cloud service while I'm on the road. This helps alleviate some of the time one spends at home doing any "paperwork" for your business if you can input these as they come along.
***** Apps:
voice recorder helps jog the memory as you do your reports.
stopwatch with a lap helps to log your timing details for some shops.
Google Maps or similar.
As you know those deadlines can be "killers" if you're having to do more than one or two in a day, the website for the MSC goes down, or some other emergency comes up. Most companies I've worked with allow at least 8 hours, some only two hours, others until noon the next day, and still, others graciously allow a full 24-hour deadline. There are those who require you complete the report in an app, as you complete the Shop. Take this into account and plan it into your calendar day for Shops.
Seems long, but there may be items I am missing or just put on the lists because of the region of the USA in which I live.
The best advice I have is don't expect it to make a living for you, but accept when you have made more than you need (to cover your obligations) as a blessing. Have fun, and if you're on the road for any length of time, try to give yourself time to stop and see new sights along the way. I saw some gorgeous landscapes yesterday and spent about 90 minutes or so just absorbing it all, breathing, and taking pictures.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2018 11:10PM by WendyG10.