by Megan Natt
posted on October 26, 2016
Things are looking good for power couple Amy and Jeremy W. — they have three adorable boys, a lovely life in sunny southern California, and a bustling business renting out four cars on Turo. And considering they only discovered Turo a few short months ago, they’ve pretty much slayed the business-building part of the equation.
A career pivot
Jeremy founded and was managing a thriving solar company in Orange County, CA for the last five years, but he was fully entrenched in his work and working long hours. With a young and growing family — they have three sons, Micah, age five, Josiah, age two and a half, and Noah, age nine months — his grueling schedule was taking its toll on the whole clan.
So they took a look on The Penny Hoarder to research alternative ways to make money and discovered Turo. Already car enthusiasts and collectors — Jeremy has always bought and fixed up cars as a hobby — they figured it could be a perfect fit. Turns out, “it was an awesome alternative,” according to Amy. “Now instead of letting those cars just sit there, we’re both able to be home with the boys and earn an income.”
Building a business
Amy and Jeremy rent out four cars on the marketplace: a 2007 Toyota Yaris and a 2012 Honda Civic with natural gas for the awesome MPG, and a couple of minivans — a 2006 Dodge Caravan and a 2012 Honda Odyssey — for traveling families and groups of friends. “We realized a while ago that we needed a minivan ourselves, so we decided to put it up for rent. Once we listed it, it was booked right away,” Amy recalls.
Their quick success on Turo is certainly closely tied to the premium they put on exceptional customer service. They detail each car after each rental so they’re literally spotless, they offer car seats to travelers with kiddies, and, most importantly, they treat everyone with kindness and respect. “If you look at successful people,” Amy muses, “they’re all very, very generous and very, very nice. In life, to be successful, we all need to be generous, have great people skills, and be kind.”
And in turn, everyone takes really good care of their cars. “Everyone’s been very nice, cordial, and respectful,” she notes. “One renter from Hawaii reached out before they arrived and asked if we wanted anything from Hawaii. We were like, sure! How about some chocolate covered macadamia nuts? When we tried to pay them for them, they wouldn’t accept our money! It was so nice.”
What’s next on the docket
Amy and Jeremy’s little family are no strangers to adventure. They live for the outdoors, and have an arsenal of off-roading vehicles — four lifted Land Cruisers and a 4Runner lifted with 36-inch wheels — that they frequently take hiking, camping, and mountain biking. Disappointed to hear that off-roading isn’t allowed on Turo, they plan to continue to build up their fleet of city-friendly vehicles and optimize it for the southern California market. They’re studying up on market trends in their area and strategizing their next car purchase, but they’re also just enjoying their family time — taking weekend sojourns to Big Bear or down to San Diego. “Turo gives us the flexibility to do what we want,” Amy says. With a balance of family fun and laser-beam focus, this power couple is destined for great things.
Be sure to check out their cars next time you’re down south.
