Discovering the Stories Behind Grocery Delivery: Finding my “why” at dumpling

I’ve heard some amazing stories over the course of my life. Stories of resilience, community, and hustle. Although no dumpling business owner’s story is the same, somehow they all found a place where their stories are not only heard, but amplified — a place where they are empowered to share where they came from.

The first story I heard was of a woman who retired from the military in her early 20’s. Her service didn’t stop there. She proceeded to raise her three biological kids, three step children and fifteen foster children, in her home, over subsequent decades. Yet, her service didn’t stop there. Over those decades, she’s had a hand in taking care of about 100 foster children. As the children grew up and fewer were living at home, she started looking for a job that allowed her to serve others.

The next story I heard was of a woman who was dedicated to her career for 25 years, traveling constantly, never getting enough time with family. Then, when the recession hit, she lost both her job and her car company car within 24 hours. She took this as an opportunity to find a job that allowed her to spend more time with her kids.

Finally I talked to a man whose professional customer service background allowed him to work his way up the corporate ladder, into a position of influence at a large company. After a companywide scandal that negatively impacted the livelihood of tens of thousands of people, he decided he couldn’t look at himself in the mirror anymore. The company that had won him over by providing a quality living for so many, shifted priorities and took advantage of the people who worked so hard to make them successful. He decided to quit and start his own business.

This isn’t a Love Actually situation, where I’m going to tell you that the individuals above are all miraculously connected and as their stories merge the storm clouds part and birds sing. However, each of these individuals paths brought them to a point where they needed to find a job that allowed them to focus on what was important for them. For the first woman, it was find a job where she could serve others. For the second, she needed to find a job that allowed her to focus on what truly matters, her family. And the third individual needed to find a job that put integrity and people above all else.

Each individual whose story you read above found that grocery delivery with Instacart was the next step that made sense for them. But, that wasn’t their last move. All three found that by working for Instacart, they weren’t allowed the flexibility to make the right decisions for their customers, the freedom to build client relationships, and ultimately with the financial strain and uncertainty was impossible to support themselves. All three of these people have professional backgrounds and are overflowing with hustle, so to contract for a company that puts a damper on that, just wasn’t going to cut it. So, they started looking for other options. This is where dumpling comes in and where my story merges with theirs.

dumpling was built on a foundation of giving Gig Workers a voice and empowering people to create a workplace where they thrive. All three of the people I spoke with found dumpling in different ways, and use the dumpling platform differently. And that’s the beauty of it!

dumpling created a platform of tools that meets people where they are at, whether they are ready to hit the ground running and start their own grocery delivery business, or maybe they need some coaching, support and guidance, because starting their own business is a brand new idea. It doesn’t matter where you came from, dumpling provides an empowering community of fellow business owners, who all have something in common- they put people first — their families, their customers, themselves.. The human matters.

This is something that no other delivery platform can offer. This is why dumpling is different.

This is why I chose to join the dumpling team. After a short stint consulting on a small marketing project for dumpling, I quickly found that these business owners and their stories lit a fire inside of me. I wanted to be a part of making their personal, professional, and financial dreams come true. I didn’t just talk to the three people whose stories I shared above. I spoke with many people who took 30 minutes to an hour to share their story with me. They shared their why, their customer stories, their opinions about dumpling, and so much more.

Each and every business owner I spoke with have three things in common:

1. They go above and beyond to serve their customers. There are business owners that are doing so much more than grocery shopping and delivery, they are helping meal prep for customers who aren’t able to cook for themselves, they are offering house cleaning services, they bring treats for their customers kids on their birthdays. They are superheros.
2. Freedom is a top priority! Freedom to create their own schedule, set their own fees, and make their own decisions.
3. Community is valued. They are part of and appreciate the dumpling community. These individuals live all across the United States, yet they know each other. They take the time to help new business owners, answer each others questions, and most importantly celebrate successes!

I have these three things in common with the business owners. Working at dumpling allows me to surround myself by a community of hard working individuals and use my strengths to lift others up. I have the freedom to do what’s right for anyone on the dumpling platform, business owners and customers alike. This job opportunity, turned into a passion project and after getting to know the dumpling team and the business owners, I knew I had found my place professionally. I feel so lucky that I get to wake up everyday excited to build up this community of hard working, passionate individuals.