The Sharing Economy -- 5 Way Millennial's Are Influencing Our Existence.

5 Way Millennial's Are Influencing Our Existence.

Have you stopped to consider lately just how fast our digital age is ramping up? 

Consider this... In 1976 Steve Wozniak, a friend of Steve Jobs built the first Apple computer. Today we all hold a small and nearly 10,000 fold better personal computer called the smartphone. Interestingly, enough that's not to say the power of a computer is only limited by it's capacity to carry out highly personal and useful functions for the user. In turn, these rapid advancements give us new opportunities to explore. Today we explore the world phenomenon called, "The Sharing Economy" and what it means for tomorrow's way of life.

(In no particular order)

Uber (Ride Sharing Services)

#5

Probably the most well known to millennial's and the biggest influence'r perhaps, is that of the successful start-up Uber.
A ride-hailing service that provides users with a taxi-like service that ideally connects a customer to an everyday driver who may be utilizing their personal car for some extra cash. The primary reason this is something that is most likely here to stay rather than a so-called "fad" is the fact that it expands the use of car buying. In these current times, millennial's have identified with "renting" rather than owning. According to a data survey by Trulia, they found that 93% of millennials have plans to move to home ownership but currently rent or live at home. What's more, Goldman Sachs report shows Millennial's are reluctant to ownership, stating:
"Millennial's prefer access, not ownership". As a result, I think car ownership will continue to decline as we see Uber and various other ride-sharing technology come into full-swing.

#4

Airbnb (Home Sharing/Renting)

Have you heard of them? Airbnb flew onto the rental space in 2008 and has just in recent years grabbed major attention from the traditional ways of vacationing. The reason they are such a game changer is the unique ability they have in creating a live-in "home" anywhere in the world. As a result, the millennial generation has responded greatly to this and may be the reason as mentioned above by Trulia that data shows the majority rather rent than own something. I plan on using Airbnb many times over, both as a guest around the world and as a host in the near future. Can you imagine the possibilities with renting a home on very short-terms? The concepts of cash-flow become incredibly heightened when you can operate prices like a hotel. If none of this investing and ownership is your cup of tea, simply try it out for the perks of travel. More often than not you can grab an awesome rental pad for a week with all your friends; often in exclusive cities and countries and really get an immersive cultural experience while there.

#3

Now here is one that is possibly a fad however, it give the pet owners a better sleep at night, that is while on vacation! DogVaycay is increasingly becoming a go-to option for pet owners who do a lot of traveling for various purposes. Essentially, this is a secondary home for your furry-friend. There is a extensive vetting process in-place for the hosts of these dog-vaycay's. Additionally, the idea behind this is that it creates a exclusive relationship with the pet by giving them the comfort of a home and a pet-loving owner, it simply just doesn't feel like the day they were left behind in the cold-bars of steel, locked away for a week-at-a-time while you basked in the rays. The vetted-volunteers behind DogVaycay make your next traveling endeavor one to remember, that is of your vacation and not worrying about your pets. The one-on-one attention from these pet hosts is another means of the sharing economy and the concept of your dogs home away from home.

#2

Quite a more recent concept and one that has people mixed about this idea is that of RelayRides, now changed to Turo. A rental car if you will from essentially anyone who is willing. Turo's motto per their site states, "Rent the car, own the adventure". An elequent touch to experiencing life from different lens. What I mean simply is by combining the likes of Turo with say that of Airbnb you can nearly create a fantasy of yours, alter your living perspectives, and open opportunities for enlightenment. Turo allows you to experience the adventure of any lifestyle by a simple rental process. Per their site, you simply sign-up, using their app and pursue a ride-of-interest, wait for the car host to confirm, and boom you are on your way to that adventure in your head-turning Rolls Royce. Simply return the car afterwards and instantly reflect on where you came up short in life not owning one yourself... all jokes aside, find more information on the peer-to-peer car rentals by vising the "How To" page of Turo.

#1

              Next stop, Taskrabbit, a outsourcing network of peer-to-peer work that can encompass everything from being your virtual assistant to performing legal-work, creating company graphics and designs, to house cleaning. Now do I think Taskrabbit will be THE platform for all things outsourcing? It's hard to say but, it seems highly unlikely because there is still a lot of competition in this space, namely Fiverr and a few others. However, when it comes to accomplishing simple, yet tedious tasks of the everyday sorts, Taskrabbit has you covered. 

            The thing I really appreciate most about this concept is that it expands your circle of influence. Thus, from a business standpoint, this allows you to network on a very work-exclusive basis. You simply gain leverage both business and personal from outsourcing less-worthy tasks all the while growing your time-value opportunities and what matters to you most each day. I think whichever company nails this correctly will have their sights set for huge small-business opportunities and eventually the possible play here is that everyone will learn how to leverage their time correctly by Taskrabbit inadvertently teaching us the more we consume the services.

Conclusion

              So by combining all these makes for an interesting life, one in which you can nearly rent your way to a lifestyle. Through the millenials rapid acceptance of a rental lifestyle, never before have you been able to so quickly & easily pick your standard of living on a daily basis. So pack-up your things, leave the work to your friends on taskrabbit and set-out on your next adventure and lifestyle experience through the power of The Sharing Economy. Did you say, you like a bit of the hipster life but with a touch of elegance and swagger? No Problem, now you can go from a few days with your classic VW surf van and small cottage to the colonial hill-sides, pent-house condo's, and coast-line beach getaways, driving your newly Turo'd Lamborghini Aventador. Don't forget, the dog will be in good company!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_I

http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/pages/millennials/

My First Blog Post -- A Bit About Me & Where I'm Headed

So here it is, my first actual attempt at dropping a blog article!


My name is Austin Walters and as you may have wondered while stumbling upon my blog is... WHO IS THIS GUY??? Quite simply put... I'm a young, (23) &  hungry student of life. It took me a while to finally give-in and succumb to the blog life. I'm always following star-players in the self-help arena such as Gary Vee, Tom Ferry, & Tony Robbins, to name a few. However, just lurking and never taking action... 

I finally realized it's my turn to take the plunge and discover myself through writing and collaborating upon thoughts and ideas of which I find valuable. So here are 4 things that are changing my personal life & how I utilize them. WHY I feel the need to create a blog and utilize these opportunities.

4 Things That are Changing My Personal Life & How I Utilize Them

- Snapchat - 

So Snapchat is one of those intriguing platforms that few have mastered and many await to be considered a master. I've only begun to really get into the platform recently due to the rampant praise that Gary V gives it. I by no form am close to mastering the platform but I'm simply aiming to build "my brand" or who I am across it both professionally and personally. 

Consider this...!

Any great YouTube'r out there that has a massive following may have started with one specific goal but if you look at where they are now, most likely you will find they use collaboration with others and personal experiences to help communicate with their audience. I think Snapchat helps close those gaps of other platforms by giving people candid experiences with whom they follow. For me, Snapchat will be my platform to communicate with the 18 to 30 somethings who are interested in real estate and want that local expert touch as well as communicate my daily life. I think it is a platform that hasn't been fully actualized and when it does, you don't want to just be observing.

- Real Estate - 

As for real estate, I just finished up the Salesperson training and am up and onward to getting my license. I decided quickly, having had an epiphany moment reading the famous book, Rich Dad Poor Dad that real estate was a winner's game. An examination of the self will quickly tell you what you fear in life and being average was that fear. I had to learn more about the game of real estate and why the rich are always associated with it. I quickly meet players in my area and was inspired to become both an agent and investor myself... more on my journey as an agent to come!

Consider This...!

The only thing that led me to get into the real estate arena was Rich Dad Poor Dad and a passion for investing... taking action is one of the simplest yet, most rewarding thing you can do. I encourage you to reach out and let me know what your journey was like or is like if your currently in the midst of investing. 

• If you have any recommendations on brokers to partner with... leave them below :)

-Self-Awareness & Self-Accountability - 

I have always had an awareness of others and what most people call EQ or emotional intelligence. However, it wasn't until a year ago, August of 2015 I really did some inner-reflection and accountability awareness. This is by far one of the greatest if not the greatest self-accomplishment. Why? because without both of these insights, average is the subconscious goal. We all love to do what is the least resistance, right? I am definitely working on improving my self-awareness each and everyday because both in selling real estate and developing deep relationships in life, one must have a immense understanding of themselves and their emotions. One of the biggest things that has helped me stay accountable is look at whom I admire and ask myself on tough days, if they did all this and more, so can I. Gary often says, "everything that is wrong with me and... my past failures are MY Fault, nobody else's." Learning to live at a higher level each day to me is worth the effort.

- Investing In My Self & My Future - 

On my 18th birthday I did something pretty odd for anyone that age, I took half the money I received from high school graduation and started a retirement account. Wow, what a waste of money my peers thought, why would you not buy yourself a sweet ride... a few mumbled. In my head, all I thought was and go into debt to pay for something I really can't even afford anyways? That's when I realized I am apart of the "generation of entitlements", it is often very hard for anyone my age to see the value of anything long-term. Just look at the world we are now apart of, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Siri, and let's not forget mobile dating apps where a swipe right may mean your soon to be. These all fulfill our impulsive and entitlement needs. Not to mention, the whole debate on whether or not social security will be around... or is that something the "entitlements" will never see. I myself was lucky to have always push against the grain. I always wanted to know why do I do something and why do my peers perform an action. The overall, reasoning I am trying to express is in my journey to create the life I deserve, actions must be taken, self-evaluation must be examined, and adapting to changes must be embraced...

Upward and onward,

-Austin Walters
Content creator
Real Estate Investor
Student of Life