by Neya Abdi
posted on February 7, 2022
Helen C. wants to make her kids’ dreams come true, and Turo is helping pave the way.
“I want my kids to do things that I didn’t experience when I was younger,” the mother of four explains. “My family worked hard, but we didn’t have those luxuries. I’ve worked since I was in grade nine. I had two jobs. I went to university. I never had the time to live my childhood, because my parents had to work and I had to work.”
Today, her kids are exploring their interests in activities like snowboarding, violin, ping pong, and more thanks to the extra income she gains from hosting on Turo. While some people jump into car sharing with the enthusiasm of a born entrepreneur, Helen says she wasn’t someone looking to start a business. After reading about Turo, she listed her Toyota Corolla in July 2021, but she had doubts.
“There’s so many car rental companies and I thought, ‘Why would people choose me over a rental company?’ I didn’t really know what to expect or how friendly the guests would be. In the beginning, I was a little nervous.”
Picking up speed with a little help from her kids
There were certainly a few bumps in the road. Literally. Her first guest accidentally damaged the rim of her car. While this would be a discouraging experience for many, Helen actually viewed it as a good sign of the infrastructure in place to help hosts when the Turo team helped her sort out her claim quickly.
“Accidents do happen. That’s why we have insurance.”
Once she overcame that small roadblock, her business picked up speed. Bookings came in and guests asked if she had other cars in her portfolio. In response, she added a Fiat that July before listing a Grand Caravan and Toyota Yaris in August. A Hyundai Elantra soon followed in September.
It was hard balancing things at first, but she spent the summer getting used to life with Turo by turning it into a mini-adventure for her kids.
“They wanted to go out all the time, so I tried to make it exciting for them. I’d bring popsicles and they’d come with me and watch me or help me clean the car.”
Bringing in thousands with five-star guest experiences
By the end of 2021 — only five months after listing her first vehicle — she’d earned $4,000 on the Corolla alone.
“It just kept going. It didn’t stop. So I was like, ‘Oh this is pretty good.’ I was actually making some cash. It got pretty interesting.”
Helen is the first to admit that she’s learning as she goes. Knowing she can always turn to the sales and support teams for advice has been reassuring. Her Turo rep, Elan S., helps her answer questions on everything from growing her business to having difficult conversations with guests.
“If I was stuck on something, I was able to ask him, ‘Hey. This is not working out. Are there any suggestions you can make?’ At one point I was very overwhelmed with one-day bookings because when they came back I had to clean. He said, ‘One option is to make it two days minimum. That way you’re not drained and you’re still enjoying what you’re doing.’”
The number of cars on the platform, her consistent five-star reviews, and her recurring customers all built up over less than a year of hosting, which is a testament to the great work she has been doing. One thing she does exceptionally well is deliver all-star guest experiences.
“I’m friendly. When there’s an issue, I respond right away. Even if there’s an issue (…) I try to be very positive. I don’t yell. If there’s a flat tire, I’m like, “It’s just a flat tire. This is a car. It’s Canada. There’s snow.’ I’m not going to be like, “Oh my gosh, what did you do to my car?!’ They think that my car is very clean. In the winter it’s hard, but I try to clean it as much as possible so they’ll feel comfortable. I have sanitizer in there. Masks in there. They feel like my car’s safe and clean.”
She also goes out of her way to be flexible for her returning customers, and they reward her with their loyalty. In fact, one guest travels all the way from downtown Toronto to Richmond Hill (the city north of Toronto where Helen lives) to book her vehicle, even for one-day trips.
“I like when people feel like I’m helping them and they’re happy. During Christmas, there was one guy who wanted to bring his family from the airport. He wanted to return the car at a later time, and I didn’t want to charge him. Helping a family makes me feel good, because I have my own family, too.”
At the beginning of her journey, Helen worried about juggling business and family. Today, it’s that focus on her kids that’s given her the empathy to deliver outstanding guest experiences time and time again.
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