Gavin Escolar has designed jewelry pieces worth over a hundred thousand dollars. He’s also an Uber driver.
He started driving for the ride share platform a few years ago. At first, it was a way for him to make extra money as a struggling artist living in San Francisco, one of the most expensive cities in the world. But it didn’t take long for Escolar to discover the potential of having a 15-minute, exclusive audience with potential buyers for his jewelry.
“What better way to me to go around the most expensive and richest city in the country, showing them my expensive jewelry. If you can afford an Uber, you can afford a $100 piece of Gavin Escolar.”
Gavin’s jewelry business has boomed. Along with the media attention, he’s grown his fleet to include nine drivers, all selling his jewelry. Although, Escolar says, it can be hard balance being a good driver and a good salesperson.
“If I do a hard sell my rating goes down fast. If I talk to people in a friendly manner, my ratings still remain high and at the same time I procure more sales.”
It seems he’s hit that balance. Escolar made $252,000 last year between jewelry sales and the money he makes driving under Uber and Lyft. He says he holds a 4.89 driver rating.