Upfront Tip
Weekly. Free. Straight from the driver's seat.
Todd has been a longtime friend. I met him when I worked at Congruent, and he hired us to help build his car dealership brand. I'll never forget the day Paul Daly took the name Sun Auto and turned SUN into an acronym: Simple, Upfront, and Nice. A brand was born.
Todd splits his time between North Carolina and Central New York. He always asks for a ride when he flies into town, and I always say yes. We talk shop, family, and faith. We've known each other for more than a decade, and we never run out of things to talk about.
Even though Todd sold his dealerships, along with that amazing brand, he's still a leader in the automotive industry. He owned several dealerships in the Syracuse area, including a Chevrolet store and used car dealerships, before selling them to Sonic Automotive in 2020. Today, he consults with other dealers and remains involved in the car business.
I thought he'd be a great guest on Where Are We Going?, particularly because one of the most common questions I get from Uber drivers is what kind of car they should buy. Should they buy new or used? How much should they spend? What's the best car for someone driving 50,000 or even 75,000 miles a year?
I tried to pin Todd down on a few of those questions. But his advice was simpler than I expected. My biggest takeaway was that drivers should buy a car they actually like. If you're going to spend 50 or 60 hours a week behind the wheel, comfort matters. You're practically living in your car, as Todd pointed out. Fuel economy, maintenance, and depreciation matter, but so does how you feel getting in and out of that vehicle every day.
We also talked about financing, particularly the challenges Uber drivers face as independent contractors. I knew credit scores mattered when buying a car, but apparently it's a lot more complicated than that. Your payment history, existing debts, income, and even the vehicle you're buying can affect whether a bank approves a loan. You'd think at 52 I'd have a good understanding of credit. But I don't. At least, not as much as I thought.
Toward the end of our conversation, we got into something I've been thinking about quite a bit lately: the skills Uber drivers develop that might be valuable outside of rideshare. I believe a good Uber driver has many of the same skills as a good salesperson. You have to listen, pay attention, understand what people want, and adjust your approach accordingly. Todd agreed that interpersonal communication is an important skill, and we talked briefly about how technology might be changing the way people develop those skills.
That last part connects to something I'm working on called Above the Algorithm, an effort to help gig workers recognize their value beyond the apps they depend on to make a living. I think there's a lot more to being a good Uber driver than simply driving a car.
Todd agreed to be on Where Are We Going? for a few minutes before jumping on a business call. We didn't really get a chance to dive deep into his passion for cars, business, and life. And honestly, I think there's a much bigger conversation to be had about what he's learned from building and selling businesses.
Maybe I'll get him back for a longer episode. For now, it was just another ride with an old friend, talking about cars, work, and a little bit of life.
And that's really what Where Are We Going? is all about.
