\u201cDespite what\u2019s going on, I will never give up on the things that I truly care about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of those things is music. From a young age, Summer spent hours crafting her skills as a rapper and dreamed of devoting herself to her art. But she knew she\u2019d need a steady full-time income to produce music on her terms, so she enrolled in a Graphic Design and Marketing program. Her thoughtful plan quickly unravelled due to forces beyond her control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI went to the Art Institute of Colorado, but I never graduated because our school foreclosed, leaving me with no credits,\u201d Summer explains. \u201cI couldn\u2019t transfer them, because our school was no longer accredited, and they still wanted us to pay back our loans.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The closure left Summer with no degree, limited job prospects, and debt. While figuring out her next steps, she took a job at the Cheesecake Factory. Dissatisfied with the pay and determined to achieve more, she started working at a bank\u2019s call center where she figured she\u2019d have more room to grow. Despite the higher pay, she remained restless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve always been the type of person that\u2019s like, \u2018How can I get to the next level and do something that I enjoy doing?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was during her time at the bank that she took a trip to California. Her sister booked a car for their trip and explained that the owner used an app called Turo to share his vehicle and earn money. This stuck in Summer\u2019s head throughout the entire vacation. She\u2019d recently purchased a 2019 Nissan Rogue and thought Turo would be the perfect way to start diversifying her income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was like, \u2018There\u2019s got to be some money in that,\u2019\u201d Summer recalls. \u201cI would like to make passive income and be able to do other things. So when I got back, I signed up my car and I was like, \u2018This is legit!\u2019 The requests were coming in so fast.\u201d It didn\u2019t take long for Summer to start pulling in around $1,500 a month. So she quit her job and started thinking about how she could build on that success even more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI had just that one car that was making me money… and I needed to get to $2,000. So I started thinking about how I could really make this a business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She set up an LLC for her own car sharing company, Lightning Rentals, but she quickly ran into roadblocks while looking for financing. She didn\u2019t have the best credit. Plus, lenders wanted to see two years of tax returns proving she had a steady income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought, \u2018If I could just get a second car I would be making more than enough to cover all my bills,\u2019\u201d Summer says. \u201cI was typing in cars on CarGurus, trying to find the most affordable car I could get. I was making calls to banks and people who invest money in startup companies, and they were always saying, \u2018You need to have at least two years of tax returns for us to see how much you\u2019re making\u2019 and I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t have any of this!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd then it was like God had answered my prayers. I read my Google articles every night, and one night it said, \u2018Turo Seed Initiative is investing $1 million in Black, disenfranchised entrepreneurs\u2019 and I was like, \u2018You have got to be kidding me!\u2019 I got up real quick, grabbed my laptop cause I couldn\u2019t do it from my phone. I had to read everything! I read the whole article then I went straight to the link and I filled it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI thought, \u2018What are the chances that this would be happening when I\u2019m looking for a way to get into the car sharing market?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her excitement made waiting hard. In 2020, she\u2019d finally managed to turn her lifelong ambition and work ethic into a source of revenue where she didn\u2019t have to call in sick or request time off. Here was an opportunity to level up and start the journey towards financial freedom, which could mean early retirement for her mom, freedom to focus on her art, and time to pursue other projects like writing a book. These hopes made her impatient to get started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was frustrated. I thought, \u2018I just wanna be successful. I just wanna be able to do something with my life that I enjoy, and I know I would be the perfect candidate to do it, because this is a business to me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy sister came and sat on my bed and I told her I still hadn\u2019t heard anything… and boom! <\/em>The email came through: \u2018Turo Seed Initiative: Congratulations. You have been accepted to be part of the program\u2026\u2019 and I started crying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, Summer is actively building Lightning Rentals and is in the process of conducting market research to figure out which cars to add to her portfolio to build on her current five-star reputation for excellent customer service<\/a>.\u201cIt\u2019s been the greatest experience to know that there are people out there paying it forward and who don\u2019t mind helping other people get to a different position in their life. I wish I found it sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.turo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/AK6A3548-1024x676.jpg\")
<\/a>A new revenue stream: \u201cThis is legit!\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Finding funding: \u201cIt was like God had answered my prayers.\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nA waiting game: \u201cI just wanna be successful!\u201d<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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