SteerClear is a way to get you, and your car, home safely after a night out drinking. They’ve been up-and-running for just over a month in parts of New Jersey, but hope to expand nationally.
Techcrunch reports:
According to co-founder Craig Sher, the idea for providing a designated driver service is hardly new. “I found 50 or 60 companies across the country,†he said. “But most of the companies that do designated driver services are mom-and-pop shops…and it’s a very difficult business to make money on. Most people who embark on a designated driver service do it from a community service point of view – they’re very focused on volunteer drivers.â€
So the big idea with StearClear, then, is how do you make a service like this work to make it profitable for all involved? Their solution: local franchises.
Instead of launching this as their own service from scratch, StearClear takes on a lot of the cost that goes along with creating a business, while leaving the day-to-day to others. The franchises don’t have to process credit cards, handle paying employees or doing their tax reporting; they don’t have to hire HR staff to ensure compliance with U.S. employment law, or worry with insurance and liability protections. StearClear also handles vetting the drivers, handling background checks, criminal and sexual predator checks, driving record checks, and even drug tests.
But, says Sher, “our real magic is the software, and the fact that we have a real end-to-end solution.â€