Building The Independent Economy Independent Economy Council

In today’s episode, we speak with IEC leaders Oona Rokyta and Trent Bigelow to learn more about what you can expect from the Building the Independent Economy podcast going forward. 
Topics discussed: 
- Short background introductions on who Oona Rokyta and Trent Bigelow are and what their companies — Lance and Abound do. 
- Why going forward, the podcast is being transitioned from Abound to the Independent Economy Council (IEC)
- What the IEC is and who the members are. 
- What the big picture vision for the IEC is and what the next 12 months will look like.

Independent workers are the new backbone of the US economy.  

Their rapid growth and participation in the workforce (fostered by the pandemic) has come with unique requirements that challenge the traditional banking system.

What are freelancers expecting from their banks?

To better understand this, we sat down with Ayal Levin, General Manager at Lily, New York who helped us understand the financial tools, services and insights freelancers want to have access to.

Topics discussed in this episode:

- What Lili is and how they help independent workers
- The role banks play in the independent economy
- What independent workers expect from their banks
- How Lili and Freelancers Union are supporting freelancers
- The challenges of redesigning banking for the independent worker
- The future of banking for freelancers

Black America is one of the most educated communities in the US. However, it has been underserved and unbanked because of prevalent systemic issues that remain unsolved today.

To better reflect and understand these financial disparities, we sat down with Donald Hawkins, co-founder and CEO of kinly. Donald is not only a member of the community who can understand and feel their needs better than anyone but also someone who is committed to repairing a long-time debt: help them build a generational wealth legacy.

Topics discussed in this episode:

- The context that inspired Donald to found his company.
- What intrinsic characteristics of the traditional banking and financial industries have made them so unfair.
- How money works in America.
- How financial disparity affects African American independent workers and entrepreneurs in particular.
- What the main financial educational needs in kinly’s communities 
- Trends that will shape financial services in the near future.

There used to be a clear path to the work economy in the US: you would move from getting a degree to an entry level position to finally develop a career within a company.

With the advent of the gig economy, independent workers evolved monetizing their skills. However, the fast pace of changes has created a void of tools and support so that these workers can get the most out of their time.

In today’s episode, we sat down with Hantz Févry, CEO and co-founder of Stoovo, and we learned what modern employees need to reach their financial objectives and how his company is helping them achieve their goals.

Topics discussed in this episode:

- Hantz’s background and why he founded Stoovo.
- The differences of working in a startup environment vs his beginnings at Google.
- The definition and challenges of the modern employee
- What Stoovo is solving for them.
- How modern employees differ from traditional employees.
- How Stoovo’s AI helps gig workers reach their financial goals.
- What Hantz foresees for the future of work.

What are the unique things that come into play when you‘re an independent contractor versus an employee? 

That‘s a question John Ellis has asked himself to better serve independent workers‘ needs. John is the CEO of Soothe, a global platform that connects consumers seeking wellness services with health and personal care providers wishing to grow their business. 

In today‘s episode we sat down with him to discuss the role of job platforms in the gig economy, what kind of support they should give to their independent contractors, and what the main demands are.

Topics discussed in this episode:

- What Soothe is and what problems they are solving
- Incentives for independent wellness workers
- What independent wellness workers were doing before Soothe
- The challenges of serving customers and independent workers simultaneously
- Quality controls that help keep trust and safety on the platform 
- Why wellness providers want to be independent workers
- Top 3 demands from independent workers
- What platforms should be doing to better serve independent contractors

Harry Campbell was a part-time driver with Uber and Lyft before founding The Rideshare Guy; the number one destination for gig workers to stay up to date on the gig economy.

When he started his blog, drivers quickly found him and felt understood. Since then, he has been teaching thousands of them to make the most out of these opportunities.

What drives the gig economy? What are the pros and cons of being a gig economy worker? Are gig workers employees or independent contractors? Listen to the answers to these questions and many more from the man who has walked the ‘driver walk’ before becoming a rideshare thought leader and expert.

Topics discussed in this episode:

- How Harry became The Rideshare Guy.
- Harry‘s self experience driving with Uber and Lyft.
- Primary motivators and benefits of gig economy jobs.
- Are gig workers employees or independent contractors? Harry‘s views on the current debate.
- Top reason for which many drivers still want to be independent contractors.
- The turnover rate for ridesharing jobs.
- The rise of delivery drivers during the pandemic.
- Challenges that rideshare platforms face to best win over drivers.
- The future of ridesharing as a category.
- The implementation of Prop 22 and what comes into play.