Intro

• Interview with Randy Shear, the world-famous YouTube blogger UberMan
• Life updates: started working at co-working space in Long Beach called WE Labs
• UberMan Randy inspired me to start The Rideshare Guy YouTube channel
• UberMan is all about helping drivers and working smarter, which makes him a great person to interview
• Xero TaxTouch – it’s an easy and convenient way to track your self-employed expenses with your phone
• Thank you so much to the following 5 star reviews from: Serg 7777777, sking04, phred84044, jaronoid, jose diaz from puerto rico, debracadabra, danielpifer0331, frank harris
• Missed an episode of one of our podcasts? Click here
• Stay tuned to the end of the episode, when Randy shares with us his number one tip if you’re looking to start your own YouTube channel

Interview with Randy Shear

• YouTube personality who goes by UberMan
• Had a YouTube channel for several years doing cell phone, technology videos, etc.
• Currently an Uber driver whose goal is to help new and existing drivers maximize  their profitability

Driving for Uber & What’s Changed

• Driving for the last 3 and a half years
• Many things have changed, including rates for drivers
• Verification process for Uber drivers has changed (sign up process was more rigorous)
• Keeps driving because of surge prices – weekend surge makes driving worth it

UberMan YouTube Channel

• Started as UberMan to provide information to other drivers, since information for drivers was scarce in 2013
• Didn’t expect to make any money, just wanted to help drivers figure out Uber
• Had around 1,000 subscribers at the beginning, but first YouTube videos were for technology, not rideshare driving

Growing the UberMan YouTube Channel

• Releases videos as information becomes available – no set schedule to releasing videos
• One of the easiest ways to learn about something is to YouTube it, which is why Randy began YouTubing what he learned while driving
• Helps that he’s passionate about the topic and a problem-solver: it’s one thing to see potential in a topic, but you have to be passionate about it too

Downsides of Running a YouTube Channel

• The biggest thing is the threats to family – people who disagree with you but take it too far
• In the past, would respond to those type of comments, but not anymore
• Most people have legitimate questions, and would rather help them than engage with unproductive people
• Being a successful YouTube personality is a job, but many people don’t realize how difficult it is to produce useful, well-edited content
• Used to get pulled over more by police, too, who didn’t understand the UberMan plate

Developing Topics for YouTube

• In most cases, recording passengers and putting it on a social media-type site without permission is not okay, but Randy does recap dramatic passenger experiences on his site
• Also looks for useful and updated information for drivers
• Keeps an eye on trends that drivers would want to know about
• Most popular video is A to Z Uber about driving for Uber
• Also reviews products Randy uses and recommend

Plans for the Future & Advice for Drivers

• Stick with producing videos for YouTube channel
• May need to hire someone with experience to moderate comments
• Find a topic you’re passionate about and that’s trending
• Topics that are popular and will remain popular plus content that’s interesting will also gather viewers – your videos don’t even have to be professional

Outro

• Randy shares a really interesting perspective on being an Uber driver and a YouTube personality
• Great to help people, but sometimes people don’t realize the work that goes into making useful videos and responding to people on a regular basis
• Check out Randy’s YouTube channel – links in Show Notes!
• Feel free to reach out to me at harry[at]therideshareguy.com or follow me on Twitter @TheRideShareGuy
• Leave comments, questions and feedback below!

Show Notes

• UberMan YouTube Channel
• Contact Randy
• Most popular video: Uber A to Z
• Oldest video: 93 Taurus
• Xero Tax Touch
• Maximum Ridesharing Profits
• Subscribe to iTunes and never miss an episode!
• Connect with me on Twitter