In this webinar, our CEO Miguel Alexander Centeno and Account Executive Jacob Burris sat down with Aubrey Janik, Content Creator and Pioneering Car Sharing Host to discuss Turo Business Essentials. We learned crucial strategies, tips, and best practices directly from Aubrey Janik.
We’ve selected the fan favorite questions from the joint webinar along with Aubrey’s answers below. To watch the full episode, check out and subscribe to our YouTube channel here.
Q&A Session
Jacob Burris: What made you want to dive into the car share industry?
I’ve always been entrepreneurial throughout my life, when I was a kid, as a teenager, and in my early 20s. Whenever I had heard of Turo, I actually owned a franchise at the time. I was owning and operating it, and my marketing person that I had hired told me about Turo. He was like, “Hey, I got this Mercedes. It’s a lot more flashy than I would have originally gotten, but I’m going to rent it out on Turo.”
Up until that point, I had heard about Turo kind of in passing, through random Facebook ads, but I actually thought it was a scam. Then this friend of mine told me about it, and I thought, “You know what? If he can do it, I’m going to look into this as well.” I had always been a car enthusiast, and my then-boyfriend (now husband) is a huge car guy, so it seemed like a really natural fit. At the time, I had a Jeep that I didn’t like to drive and didn’t really want anymore—I regretted buying it. So I decided to try putting this Jeep on Turo.
I believe the time from when I heard about it from my friend to when I listed my Jeep was maybe 24 or 48 hours. Then it went out on its first rental. I vividly remember thinking, “Okay, this actually could be a really great side hustle moving forward.” And from there, I just went all in.
Jacob Burris: How did that play into doing social media? Were you doing social media prior to Turo, or did that kind of kick it off as well?
Aubrey Janik: No, it was after. I started Turo in 2017, and then I didn’t start my YouTube channel until 2020. Up until YouTube, I wasn’t very active on social media from a personal perspective because I don’t really like it. However, I had always wanted to start a YouTube channel, specifically to get the silver play button you receive at 100,000 subscribers. For some reason, it was something I always wanted.
In 2020, I was sort of in the middle of making a shift in my career because my franchise had closed. I was doing Turo, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do long term. So I decided to start a YouTube channel and give myself a year to reach 1,000 subscribers to see what would happen.
I didn’t tell anybody about the YouTube channel for the first two or three months, and then my channel kind of blew up during the pandemic. By the first year, I had around 50,000-55,000 subscribers, and I’ve just stuck with it since then.
Jacob Burris:That’s amazing. The pandemic probably helped, as people were looking for other gig work and side hustles during their downtime. That must have been a big factor as well. Very interesting.
Aubrey Janik: For sure, for sure, it was. I mean, the business niche and I did some stimulus content around that same time, so it was definitely a combination of the right time, the right topic, and then kind of luck mixed into it.
Miguel Alexander: I just try to be disciplined on these and not get off track, but you led me right to it, Aubrey. I think for both of us, you know, the pandemic was kind of a crazy time. I mean, I saw you had content on PPP and SBA. I’m curious, what was that like for you? I’m sure you had to answer questions like ‘Do I qualify?’ Same questions we got. How was that period for you?
Aubrey Janik: It was crazy. I started making stimulus-related content because I found it relevant, much like why I began creating content about Turo. Initially, my channel focused on Turo and car sharing, but during the pandemic, I pivoted to what was trending at the time. In the last few years, I’ve returned to my roots, but it all stemmed from my desire to understand and explain confusing topics to help people find answers.
During the pandemic, I spent a lot of time reading legislation and trying to navigate the changes. I still receive emails from people asking for advice on topics like PPP, around one per month.
Miguel Alexander: I’m just curious, what motivates you today? You’ve reached 100,000 subscribers, and hearing how you want to provide answers, how do you approach sharing advice and who do you envision on the other end of the camera?
Aubrey Janik: I don’t really picture someone specific behind the camera because if I did, I think I’d get stage fright every time. From that perspective, I actually get a lot of anxiety around social media. I don’t read my comments often, but I respond to all emails and DMs. The idea of many people watching me gives me a lot of anxiety, which is ironic because it’s my profession. So, I don’t think about that aspect much.
I’ve been accused of being so enthusiastic about Turo because I work with them, but I’m just a firm believer in promoting things that have benefited me greatly. Turo has been fantastic and laid the foundation for what I’m doing today. I feel lucky with social media; not everyone can leverage it like I have, so luck played a part.
If it wasn’t YouTube, I would’ve used Turo for something else, whether it was real estate, starting another business, or expanding my fleet. Turo has been a game changer for me, and I want others to experience that success too. Helping others succeed is a big driver for me.
Miguel Alexander: That’s great to hear, this desire to help people. I think we’re aligned in that sense. I always think of what Stephen King said about writing all his novels for his wife. When I work on tax stuff, I think about who I’m talking to. I used to think of my sisters—they don’t want to hear it complicated; they want it simplified. It’s an interesting perspective, but at the end of the day, the reason we share what we do is to help people, and I really appreciate that.
Miguel Alexander: I do. I just want to compliment you, OB. I can’t tell when you flow if you are reading off a teleprompter—I don’t think you are—and I don’t see cuts. So, I have to ask, are you really just kind of flowing like, you know, a one-take Drake kind of thing? How do you film when you give your talks?
Aubrey Janik: It’s a combination. I’m very dyslexic, so I don’t read from a teleprompter. Instead, I have my filming setup: my computer is to the right of me. I write scripts ahead of time for my videos, so I know what I’m supposed to say because I’m the one who wrote it. When filming, I go paragraph by paragraph. I have a good memory, so I can usually read something once or twice and remember it well. I do edit my videos; when you see the camera zoom in and out, that’s where I’ve made cuts because I messed up or needed to remove something. Sometimes, I use B-roll to cover those edits.
Miguel Alexander: Okay, you can’t tell, so congrats on that. I actually watched it with my two teenage kids—we watch a lot of YouTube together. I asked them to help me figure out how you do it, and we couldn’t. So, kudos to you. I don’t want to fangirl over you too long, so I’ll hand it back to Jacob.
Jacob Burris: Alright, we’ll do one more and then we’ll move on. I think we have something exciting on the next slide. Given that you’ve been in the industry for a while, I’m sure you’ve stumbled a couple of times and made some mistakes. What’s one mistake that you would recommend new Turo clients avoid altogether, or what’s a mistake that someone could learn a valuable lesson from, based on your experience?
Aubrey Janik: For me, I think the mistake I’ve made multiple times—every few years I forget that I made it a couple of years prior—is not sticking to what you know. By that, I mean sticking to your niche. My business model in Turo, which we’ll delve into more deeply, focuses on mid-tier to low-end economical cars. My real emphasis is on reliability, practicality, and appealing to a broad audience.
Whenever I’ve messed up over the years, it’s always been when we’ve strayed from our established niche. When my husband HP and I go against our own rules and buy a car we swore we wouldn’t—like a Kia or a Ford Fusion—it’s been disastrous. Don’t let history repeat itself with your fleet; if a car didn’t work out the first time, don’t convince yourself that the next one will be different, because chances are it won’t.
Jacob Burris: That’s very good advice. Yeah, I’ve learned the hard way too. Sometimes those lessons are the most valuable though. All right, then we have a nice QR code. I think this is going to link you guys back to Aubrey’s car sharing master class, or is this for RS Miguel?
Miguel Alexander: This is the car sharing master class, so this is our quick cue. Hey, if you’re ready to leave the call now and you want to jump into Aubrey’s signature class, it’s right here. We’ll show it again at the end, just cutting it in. Transitioning into Aubrey, we want to get into your content. So, let’s hand it over without further ado. Aubrey is going to give us her take on Turo business. Please, take it away.
About the Author(s)
Miguel Alexander transitioned from the Big Four to pursue entrepreneurship, focusing on providing innovative solutions to smaller, equally passionate businesses. Licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS and the U.S. Tax Court, he’s a recognized expert quoted in publications like the Wall Street Journal, Fox Business, and MSNBC. Miguel has testified before Congress on tax reform for the Sharing Economy and actively blogs on tax, financial, and economic matters. Beyond taxes, he coaches his children’s soccer teams and relishes extended camping and ski trips. Ask him about his favorite BBQ spots in Austin, Texas and he’ll be sure to share a few.
Aubrey Janik is a content creator and pioneering car-sharing host. She has facilitated over 6,000 trips through platforms like Turo, Getaround, Outdoorsy, and RVShare. With a profound dedication to sharing her expertise, she has spent the last four years empowering others to replicate her success within the low-end to mid-tier economy business model on Turo.
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