'Moving at the Speed of Mom:' GoKart rideshare startup shuttles kids around town when parents can't

Stacy Shannon knows what it's like to be a mom on the go. She has been shuttling kids around since 2001 when her oldest child was born.

A couple of years ago, Shannon, now a mom of three, was a full-time employee and single mom when she was faced with a tough reality that many working parents deal with: She got out of work at 5:30 p.m., but her son's lacrosse practice began at 5 p.m. She wondered how she'd ever get him to practice on time.

But then the entrepreneurial bug bit Shannon - again. She'd already launched three other businesses in cities where she'd lived previously - two pet-sitting businesses in Manhattan's Upper West Side and west Los Angeles and an off-site catering business in Las Vegas.

I checked in with Shannon, now a newlywed, to learn more about how GoKart got its start and what she does. (Heads up: She's also looking for drivers.) Here's a Q&A:

The next day, same bathroom, I thought of the name GoKart. You “go” and you “cart” kids around, so GoKart was fitting. I had started businesses before, so I knew the hard work that would go into it. I posted on the NextDoor app of my neighborhood and took a few kids to and from summer school or football camp. They recommended GoKart to their friends. I hired my first two drivers and we went from there.

Having said all of this, in early July, our iOS app will be ready! Hyperspace Ventures is building it, and we are very excited. It will be so much more streamlined for parents booking and for drivers to accept rides. There will be a lot of automation of who the driver is, that the driver is on their way and that they have delivered their passenger. The drive will be shown live (like Uber) and it’s much easier to book multiple rides without inputting all of the information again. The app will accept multiple addresses, in case we are picking up one child and then going to another address to pick up a second. We will be able to offer carpools at this time.

Parents who use GoKart the most are those whose kids go to schools with no bus service or they moved and are outside of bus service or who have multiple children going to multiple after school activities and dual working parents who need help getting their kids from A to B during their working hours.

What’s great is that I have some drivers who bring along their babies or young children when driving. I have a mom in Moorseville near Charlotte who homeschools her two young boys and she brings them along. It’s a great way to make extra income while a stay at home parent! Uber and Lyft drivers have the benefit of having scheduled drives with GoKart and then can turn their app on after their drop-off and the parent has been notified.

All of the hard work is so worth it. GoKart is here to help busy parents. It is so rewarding to hear about the kid’s day, the project they just finished, the pets they have, or the vacation they are about to take. GoKart is built for parents, just like me, and kids who want more of a relational transportation option. One surprise is that I have parents from all over the country who book a ride and I have to give them the bad news we are only in parts of North Carolina. Just this morning, I had to cancel a drive from Katy, Texas!

Staying company owned, which is important, will require staff in each market to keep the company culture alive and well. GoKart drivers mean very much to us, and they are the reason why we are growing. Keeping that high level of care and safety with the drivers we hire is paramount.

Another goal I have is to have GoKart as a company perk. Progressive company cultures who offer creative perks to their employees can have a GoKart corporate account, so that when certain employees work late, their company has their back on picking up their son from soccer practice or getting their daughter to dance.

Like our tagline says, we are “Moving at the Speed of Mom."