⚡ Get All Content for 20% Off ⚡

5 Lessons Learned From the World's Greatest Uber Driver We're all entrepreneurs even if we don't realize it. When a customer experience sends chills down our spine, we remember it.

By Tim Denning

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt | Getty Images

Recently, on the way to LAX airport I took an Uber ride that would change my perspective of how I saw employees. There is this "entrepreneur" label that we use every day that suggests you are either an employee or a business owner. If you remove shares from the equation, then we are all technically entrepreneurs.

As I hopped into the car with my driver, Vincent, something felt instantly different. By the time we got a few streets away, I had learned that he was a traveling wedding photographer who was forced to sell his Mini Cooper convertible so he could pay his bills. Vincent talked me through how he became an UberX driver and went from a gold driver status to a platinum driver status within 12 months. Before meeting Vincent, I'd never met a man who was so proud of his accomplishments and of the company that he worked for.

He is a model employee because there is no fluff with him. The focus he had on customer service was almost inhuman like. Never before has an Uber ride given me chills down my spine, especially after an exhausting two weeks in California, and a long flight ahead back to Australia. Meeting this man made me proud to be human and hearing his story was inspiring. Here are the five things you can learn from Vincent:

Shutterstock | Enhanced by Entrepreneur

Everyone has a dream

During my journey with Vincent I heard about his dream. I've found it easy in the past to believe the lie that everyone has a grandiose dream like winning a gold medal or piloting spaceships, but I forgot how simple it is to forget that not all dreams are so enormous.

Some of us have far less complicated dreams like being a great parent or rising to the top of our company. In Vincent's case, he wants to become a Uber Black driver and lease a brand new BMW so he can offer the next level up in service that he believes he can deliver.

Vincent wants to be the most successful Uber driver that has ever set foot on the planet and he will stop at nothing to find new ways to astonish his riders. Imagine all of us thought like this... ohh the things we could achieve and the progress the human race could make.

Vincent showed me that no matter your nationality, background, or circumstances, everyone has a dream, and when you deliver 200 percent, you get the results you've always wanted.

Related: 3 Simple but Powerful Tips for Startup Success

Customer service is the main differentiator

We've all sat in a traditional taxi and heard the driver whinge about how hard business is. What Vincent taught me is that business isn't difficult for those who are willing to work hard and show up every single day with everything they've got.

Business becomes hard when you show up without a purpose, and you hate what you do. It's easy to build a name for yourself with your business or as an employee: show up with your A-game and demonstrate your passion until it pours out of you. Look your customer in the eye and show them you mean business exactly the way that Vincent did to me.

Before I even got in the car, Vincent had my bag loaded carefully into his boot and ensured that I was comfortable. He then told me that he got out of the car in the first place because he'd been sitting for a while and wanted to ensure he had high levels of energy for our trip (who does that... wow).

He then proceeded to inspect the traffic conditions to ensure that I would not be late to the airport -- even though I was early -- so I could have plenty of time to relax and get some food before my flight. Everything had been thought of, and no stone had been left unturned. At the end of the trip, I felt like royalty being chauffeured around by this incredible man who told me his entire story and transformed my last day in LA for the better.

Related: The 10 Most Critical Factors That Dictate Startup Success

Shutterstock

We’re all entrepreneurs

Throughout my conversation with Vincent I picked up on a subtle difference between him and all the other Uber drivers; he didn't see himself as an employee. He wasn't just saying it; he genuinely believed that the business was his and that Uber just provided him with the clients.

This change in perspective can show us all that being a business owner is a reality for everyone whether we know it or not. The fact is that business owners think differently -- they think like Vincent, and that's a good thing.

Shutterstock.com

Win-wins are what it’s all about

There was one line out of all the lines that Vincent said that stuck with me. It was this: "Business is all about you helping me so that the company helps me, and in return, I help both of you." It's one continuous cycle that works like a successful marriage when you understand it at its core.

The description that Vincent presented me was almost like a utopian view of business, and his success is a demonstration that it works really well when all three sides commit to it.

Related: What's the Secret to Startup Success? Timing.

Positive attitudes are near impossible to shake

As we pulled into LAX, I decided to experiment with Vincent and test him to see if all of this was real. The way I did this was by questioning his confidence. I falsely believed that the one thing that would break his positive mindset was technological disruption.

I asked Vincent what he thought of self-driving cars and whether he thought that would jeopardise his Uber dream. Just like the previous 45 minutes, Vincent again showed me his true colors.

He said, "Tim there is always going to be new technology, and I welcome that. It's probably five years away and by then, if my time is up with Uber and I am replaced, then there will always be another job for me."

Within five years, he hopes to be able to travel the world and use his creativity to pursue his other dream outside of driving which is photographing weddings in exotic locations. Vincent wants to bring his same customer service focus, to that one special day, and wow a new type of customer.

After my trip with Vincent, I don't ever believe that I will meet another driver as good as him. Just writing this blog post send chills down by spine because of the way that he made me feel. No matter what your focus is in life when you give it 100 perent people notice and they want to go out of their way to support you.

If you are at a stage where you are not achieving your goals, it's because you are not giving it your all and your passion is not shining through. Take a page out of Vincent's book and dedicate your life to what it is that you do no matter how basic your profession may seem to the rest of the world.

Tim Denning

Entrepreneur, Blogger, Writer, Coach

Tim is best known as a long-time contributor on the Entrepreneurship and Personal Development website Addicted2Success. Tim's content has been shared hundreds of thousands of times and he has written multiple viral posts on social media all around success, personal development, motivation, and entrepreneurship. During the day Tim works with the most iconic tech companies in the world, as an adviser, to assist them in expanding into Australia. By night, Tim coaches his students on the principles of personal development and the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. Tim's biggest inspiration is Tony Robbins and his goal in life is to show people that anybody can achieve the impossible! 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Remote Side Hustle a 43-Year-Old Musician Works on for 1 Hour a Day Earns Nearly $3,000 a Month: 'All From the Comfort of Home'

Sam Ziegler wanted to supplement his income as a professional drummer — then his tech skills and desire to help people came together.

Marketing

Ever Wonder Why Certain Websites Rank Higher Than Yours? This SEO Expert Reveals The Secret to Dominating Search Results

It's often the smart use of SEO, now supercharged with AI, particularly in keyword optimization.

Leadership

Former Interrogator Shares 5 Behaviors Liars Exhibit and How to Handle Them

Five deceptive behaviors to look for and how to respond to those behaviors when you encounter them.

Business Ideas

55 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

AI Is Impacting Jobs. Here Are the Gigs Affected the Most, According to an Analysis of 5 Million Upwork Postings

The researcher said in the report that freelance jobs were analyzed first because that market will likely see AI's immediate impact.