In 2016, we find ourselves in a world where we can get what we want at any moment of the day.
The skeptics will remind us of the cost. The on-demand economy has robbed us of patience and thoughtful action. And before I get to how it (and a shih-poo named Franz) changed my life, I need to be honest: I completely agree with them.
Long gone are the days of my grandfather, a man who was hit by shrapnel in the D-Day invasion and left for dead, rescued by German soldiers, went on to live a "The Notebook" type of marriage, and never bought a thing online. He died at 93 while looking at a picture of my grandmother. He was a fighter, a hard worker and he appreciated everything he had.
Even 10 years ago, there was no Tinder, Ashley Madison, Foodler, Uber… you had to get set up on a date, be creative to cheat, make your own food, and call a damn taxi. People had to plan ahead. If I meet one more guy that thinks “Netflix and Chill” is a plan, I’m going into the nunnery.
But, here’s where this all gets interesting. I’m everything that I just ranted about. I use Uberpool twice a day, regularly have Tinder dates, and I’ve hosted 38 people in my home as an Airbnb host.
And because of the on-demand economy, I went from being an Executive Assistant to a Director of Operations to becoming a Director of Operations, all because I joined an online dog-sitting service, DogVacay.
After a difficult divorce I decided to dip my toe into the on-demand world and signed up to watch people’s dogs through DogVacay to help pay my mortgage. Many people thought it was glamorous to watch all these adorable pups. The reality is I cleaned up after accidents, walked them in all kinds of weather and juggled yet another schedule of pickups and drop offs while texting the parents incessantly. The reward of super snuggles and adorable puppy moments are worth it, but it’s a lot of work when you have three dogs in a 602-square-foot condo.
Let’s get back to how a shih-poo named Franz changed my life. Brian Kalma, formerly of Zappos, Gilt Groupe and Blade (before it became Paul English's travel startup, Lola) found me on DogVacay while looking for someone to watch his pup. After months Brian and his wife Patricia took me to dinner and I expressed my frustration of being underutilized at my job and how much I wanted to feel like I was contributing to the world. Brian then invited me to a party that gave me the opportunity I had been searching for.
At the Blade Spring Party, I met a powerhouse in the Boston tech scene, Julia Austin. She knew a startup that was looking for an “office rockstar” and offered to help. The next day she had my resume and by the end of the week I sat in a room with Slater Victoroff, the CEO of indico data solutions, a machine learning startup, expressing how though I had no idea about machine learning, I would crush this job. I was hired the following week and finally given the chance to soar.
Wanting to have the convenience of the new economy, wanting to stay connected to other humans and being open to new opportunities led me to Franz the Dog. That in turn led me into a new career, where I am fully immersed in a new wave of working crazy hours in hammocks. I feel I’m now an active contributing member to the world helping to bring machine learning into the hands of everyone. And it’s super cool.
At the same time I started at indico I signed up to be an Airbnb host. As an ENFJ and someone that does well with a lot of moving parts, I figured I could cheerlead our glorious city and make more money than I could with DogVacay. Between juggling the packed calendar, scheduling check-in and check-outs, constant communication with future guests, current guests, inquiries and cleaning the damn house, well…. it’s a lot.
But what have I gained from the Airbnb experience? I couldn’t put a price on it. Sure the extra money towards the mortgage is great, but the moments in time with a perfect stranger, sitting on the front porch talking about life experiences is something. As wretched as I could portray this instant economy, how else might two worlds have met?
What’s more is the surprising number of guests that have been serendipitous. A couple who work at a giant company in the machine learning space stayed with me and after tech vetting indico on their own time, asked me to set up a meeting with our CEO to start a working relationship.
A French man I hosted months ago ended up moving to Boston for a few years and we became such good friends that we vacationed in New Orleans together. A Chinese couple on their honeymoon presented me with beads blessed by Buddha that they wanted to give to their first American friend. #AllTheFeels. Notes left on my whiteboard, handwritten letters, tokens of appreciation now surround my house, written by new friends from across the globe. I have a place to stay on any continent.
My space, my cats, my moments are shared with these perfect strangers, all part of a story I never expected as I sat in a courtroom three years ago wondering how on earth will I emotionally and financially survive a divorce.
You might say, “Julie, I get it. You’re all in but you’re tired. Why don’t you use it just a little bit less?” My honest answer is that I’m addicted to the opportunities, the experiences and the instant gratification of 5 star ratings or a new Tinder match. I’m addicted to opening myself up to a world that brings a new adventure each day. I am all-in. And I’m okay with the cost of it all.
I need to wrap this up – another houseguest is coming tonight. I’ll close with this thought:
The era of my grandparents and parents was one of structure and discipline. Our era is one of information overload with a magnitude of opportunities to be had if you embrace the idea that life is what you make of it. One of my favorite quotes from “The Conquest of Happiness” by Bertrand Russell is, “The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile.” I think if you can live by that, you’ll find a wealth of opportunities knocking at your door.
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