BabyQuip is super pleased to be collaborating with Ruby Ribbon and Urban Sitter on our exploration of the experiences within the gig economy for women.
We recently surveyed more than 1,000 women for the first multi-company research on women earning money in the gig economy. Why? We wanted to do this because so often the image of a gig worker is a man driving for Uber which does not reflect the millions of women who are doing a variety of side-gigs. This white paper details many of the survey’s key findings. Here are a few:
- Working women are happy with their side hustles. Ninety-five percent of the women surveyed reported they were fulfilled by their gig work, with 47 percent saying they found the work “extremely fulfilling.”
- While they gig for numerous reasons, the top three reasons women cited for working in the gig economy were flexibility (44 percent), income (38 percent), and building a business (25 percent).
- Side hustles aren’t new to women. A quarter of respondents were gigging before the term “gig economy” was coined in 2009 and over 41 percent have been doing this work for more than six years. Most respondents expect to gig for at least five years, with almost a third (32 percent) reporting they plan to gig forever.
- Fifty-four percent of respondents reported making $500 per month or more from their side jobs. Nearly 60 percent report that they are using the extra income to pay for “household needs” including mortgage or rent, car or food costs.
- Women reported they prefer to have an independent relationship with their chosen companies versus working for that company under traditional employment. (Sixty-one percent said they prefer to be independent, and 12 percent said they would want to be an employee of the workplace for which they gig.)
- They are most likely to prefer that their work be called a “side hustle,” and most frequently have just one (42 percent of respondents) or two (38 percent) side hustles.
BabyQuip is a marketplace platform where independent contractors, who we call Quality Providers (or QPs for short), rent and deliver baby gear that they own to traveling families. This is a different kind of side gig. In fact, most parents don’t even know you can rent baby equipment, let alone earn money by providing this service to others!
Women (and a few men) are already providing baby gear and equipment (via the BabyQuip platform) to families in over 1000 locations. These locations span the US, Canada, and other international locations such as Australia, Germany, the Bahamas, and more.
Who are these women that parents often say “saved their vacation?” Let’s take a closer look at the BabyQuip Quality Providers who responded to the “Women in the Gig Economy 2018” survey. Here’s what we found:
About the Women Who Side Hustle at BabyQuip:
Consistent with the overall survey, Side-Gigging is relatively new (the business is only two years old), but here to stay for Quality Providers on the BabyQuip platform.
- Most of BabyQuip Providers have been gigging for less than 2 years (42 percent have been “gigging” for less than a year, and 23 percent have been gigging for between 1 and 2 years)
- We have a split between the Providers who are only doing BabyQuip (46 percent) and Providers who have another side gig. The other gigs appear to be a variety including vacation rentals, concierge services, babysitting, and even sewing machine repair.
- Seventy-one percent of BabyQuip respondents indicated that they would prefer to be an Independent Contractor rather than an Employee. Only 5 percent selected that they would prefer to be an Employee. (The rest said it “Didn’t matter” or they “Didn’t know.)
- Seventy-seven percent also indicated that they expect to Gig 5 years or more, with 37 percent expecting to gig forever! (Well, the work is really fun!)
- Thirty-three percent of BabyQuip respondents prefer the term “Side Hustle” and 21 percent prefer the term “Side Gig” to describe this work.
BabyQuip Providers Are Smart, Motivated Entrepreneurs
BabyQuip Providers are a distinct and unique group, primarily defined by the fact that most of them are parents with small children at home. Their level of education gives us some clue as to why so many of them build a successful baby gear rental business, benefit from the sales, marketing, and social media training BabyQuip provides, are highly collaborative, and readily step up to help new providers launch their businesses.
- When asked about employment, 47 percent of BabyQuip Providers indicated that they are Stay-At-Home Moms, by far the largest group. Twenty-nine percent indicated that they have part-time employment are 25 percent are employed full-time.
- The largest group, 62 percent, are in their 30’s, 16 percent are in their 20’s, and 14 percent are in their 40’s. Eight percent are age 50 or older.
- Not surprisingly then, 98 percent are parents with 81 percent having children 5 and under at home.
- And a highly educated group! Seventy-seven percent have earned at least a college degree with 20 percent with a graduate degree.
Motivations for Gigging
Understanding the motivations for a Side-Hustle is critical to delivering the experience on the platform that our Providers are looking for. Here’s what we found:
“To teach my children about entrepreneurship and earn money specific for their activities.”
Moms are gigging on the BabyQuip platform to launch and build a business that gives them the freedom to spend time with their children on their own terms. Overall, flexibility, entrepreneurship, income, and variety are important to Quality Providers.
Not surprising given the demographics of our group, 51 percent indicated that they are gigging to spend “More Time With Children,” slightly more than “Flexibility,” which was the most common response in the joint survey. “Building a Business,” at 41 percent, and “Earning a Good Income,” at 27 percent were also common answers.
“The mission of the companies I represent have stood out as putting women in an amazing spot light. We are strong women that multitask work, the home, children, family, husband, and everything else in between.”
We also wanted to understand what was most important to the Providers:
Here again, “Flexibility” was rated highest, closely followed by “Earning Money.” The other top-rated attributes, “Helping Others,” “Enthusiasm for the Service,” “Sense of Accomplishment,” and “Building My Own Business,” suggest that Side Hustles are about more than time and money.
At BabyQuip, we have an active training program covering hospitality, lead generation, and more (in addition to how to clean and ensure safe equipment), so it’s no surprise that the Quality Providers are acquiring professional skills. Seventy-five percent of BabyQuip respondents indicated that they are acquiring Marketing/Advertising skills closely followed by Customer Service and Business Management skills.
They make sales calls at hotels, speak to Airbnb hosts at events, table at local parenting expos, and even appear on their local television news stations—they’re amazing! Quality Providers hone their customer service skills on every order, solving problems, helping families cope with delayed flights and exhausted children, and going above and beyond to fulfill their mission to delight traveling families.
Again, not surprisingly, given the demographic profile of Quality Providers, the income from the side gig overwhelmingly “Contributes to Household Needs” such as mortgage payments, car payments, and essentials. It also goes to Vacations & Travel (36 percent) – perhaps because they are serving so many traveling families!
Time and Money
We also asked about Quality Provider’s perceptions of how much time they are working at their side hustle and how much money they are making.
Since flexibility is the most important attribute, it makes sense that the survey found a wide distribution of hours worked among BabyQuip Quality Providers. Most Providers report working between 1 and 4 hours (28 percent), followed by 27 percent working 5 to 9 hours each week, and 26 percent working more than 15 hours each week.
Eighteen percent work 10 to 14 hours. Given the nature of the work (driving to deliver and pick up gear, equipment maintenance, local sales calls, etc.), it’s challenging to pinpoint what one earns on an hourly basis. Forty-five percent of QPs report they earn $20 or more per hour, with 15 percent earning more than $40.
Surprise and Satisfaction
We also wanted to get a sense of satisfaction overall with the BabyQuip opportunity. Happily, especially for a relatively young platform, BabyQuip Providers are relatively satisfied. That said, we are continuously trying to improve their overall experience.
We were not surprised that 45 percent of BabyQuip Providers reported that they were surprised by how much BabyQuip “Customers love the work” that the Providers do. We see the gratitude of our customers every day in our reviews. The good news then is that 40 percent of the Providers “Really Enjoy the Work” and 36 percent “Enjoy Serving Others.” Seems like a win-win all around.
Forty-one percent were surprised that it takes “More Investment” than they anticipated and 34 percent indicated that it takes “More Time.” Both reflect the overall demand for our service and for full-size cribs, multiple strollers, and car seats.
Thirty-five percent indicated that they were surprised that they are “Learning New Skills.”
Sixty-three percent indicated that they were “Extremely Satisfied” or “Somewhat Satisfied” with the money they are earning in their Side Gigs. BabyQuip Providers are likely to consider other attributes such as flexibility when assessing fulfillment. The survey found overall fulfillment very high, with 44 percent finding their side hustle experience “Extremely Fulfilling” and 53 percent “Somewhat Fulfilling.”
Conclusion
At BabyQuip, Quality Providers, and in our case often stay-at-home moms, enjoy their side hustles and intend to keep hustling for quite some time. The work is fulfilling, they are launching and growing successful businesses, learning entrepreneurial skills, and even making friends along the way. They enjoy helping others, and we know they enjoy the reviews they receive from grateful customers, often saying their Quality Provider saved their vacation. That feels good!
We were very pleased to do this survey with both Ruby Ribbon and UrbanSitter and proud that, as a relatively new platform, we are holding our own with fulfillment and other indications of satisfaction.
We plan to use this survey and our own internal surveys to continue to improve the overall experience of Quality Providers, with several initiatives currently in place:
- Training and video team meetings help Providers learn and improve skills including sales calls, social media marketing, public relations, baby gear knowledge, customer service and upsell strategies.
- Video and live webinar training modules to help QPs more effectively launch and grow their businesses in the early stage.
- Regional Meetups where QPs can enjoy new friendships and develop stronger professional relationships with each other.
- Awards and celebration programs to recognize the Providers who consistently go “above and beyond” in their day-to-day business operations.
In addition, we expect to continue to focus on the experiences and unique needs of the stay-at-home moms who often are the gas in the engine of this company–they’re terrific! We think we’ve built a baby-friendly gig economy for women, whether they are wearing their babies as they gig, inviting their toddlers to run around in the background during our QP meetings, or teaching their older children entrepreneurship by involving them in the growth of their business.
We will continue to reach out to stay-at-home moms, inviting them to join the BabyQuip platform. We have long been a partner of Rookie Moms and have new partnerships with other leading moms’ publications. Visit them and say hello!
Fran Maier is CEO and Founder of BabyQuip, the leading baby gear rental service for traveling families and now offering local cleaning services too. She is a serial entrepreneur and brand builder with over 25 years experience in B2C and B2B internet businesses. She is best known for her 10+ years leading TRUSTe (now TrustArc), the leading privacy trustmark and compliance provider, and as Co-Founder and first General Manager of Match.com.
Fran speaks widely on several topics relating to women in business, including opportunities for women in the collaborative economy, addressing the lucrative family travel segment, women in entrepreneurship and on boards. She serves as an advisor to many start-ups including Portfolia, Women’s Start-up Lab, Sign-up.com, Kango, and Dabbl.
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