There is always a way to do something better, a more efficient, cheaper or easier way to achieve a goal as time goes on. Technology gets better, people can look at an obstacle in a new way that has yet to be seen. That is what John Zimmer did when he co-founded Lyft. John used to drive home from college everyday with four spare seats in his car to and from college and he came up with an idea. Why not rent out those seats? Then he realized that could be an app. A way for people with spare time, a car and some need for a little extra cash to offer that service like a taxi service to those without a car who didn’t want to be in some dirty weird smelling taxi. So that is just what John did when he created Lyft. Lyft took off very quickly and people loved the idea from both points of view the customer and the driver. It was a brilliant idea. It showed that a company that basically monopolized the transport business could be beaten that there were ways of creating a taxi service that benefits everyone. That’s thinking like an entrepreneur.
Awesome to see how he created a business that truly benefitted both the drivers and the customers. It is very inspiring when a business model can have a positive impact on many different types of people.
I think the rental business has taken off in the past few years, partly due to peoples’ comfort level with allowing people to use their own things, but more likely due to the convenience and ease of profiting from things you already own. Lyft, in a sense, has proven that to be the case.