Hello. My name is Steve, I'm 46 years old, married and I have 2 teenage kids. I couldn't believe that there was a website like this one. A friend at work told me I should try it out, as a possible answer to my issues.
I was in a workplace accident in 2005. My neck was broken, back broken in 5 places, cracked sternum, collapsed lung, my left leg was amputated below the knee, I was in a coma, and from the date I went into the hospital, to the time I was released from rehab was approx. 7 months. A great portion of rehab was spent gaining back muscle mass, because when you lay still for months on end, you lose muscle mass. I lost 70lbs of muscle mass, so it was quite a treck back to the real world. I now suffer from post tramatic stress disorder, according to my Dr.
After my hospital stay and rehab, I felt grateful to be alive. I was also grateful for the fact that I lived in a country where my medical expenses were paid for. With my extensive injuries, I would no longer be able to do what I used to do, which was running heavy machinery. My back just would not tolerate it. But, I was alive and had a wonderful wife and 2 great kids.
I've worked since I was 13, and never minded working. I think we are designed to work and earn our keep. I thought to myself, I will just have to be re-trained at something new. Excited about the prospect of an unplanned career change, I started looking at school, online courses, or new trades. That ended very abruptly. School aint free, and my WCB payments abruptly ended about 8 months after rehab. WCB Alberta, does not pay out a pension, regardless of how serious your injuries are. I enquired about money for school. Not a hope in hell!
With no money coming in and only enough in the bank to survive a few more months, my wife and I decided we would have to sell our home to cash in on the equity. We did just that and came away with about $30,000. Quite a nice chunk of cash I will admit, however with my wife, who by this point has started working, only capable of earning about $1200 a month, that chunk of cash wont last long with 4 people to feed. So, we budgeted. The money lasted 2 years.
We have since, moved from Alberta back to our home town in B.C. where atleast the cost of living is cheaper. When our savings ran out, we literally had no choice but to rack up the credit cards. Not for holidays, or jewellery, or entertainment, but for food, rent, utilities, kids school expenses and basic clothing. Nothing frivolous
So, here we sit, with our $17,000 credit card bills, $850 a month in rent, life ins payments, food bills, blah blah blah. Just like everyone else. I now work as a night clerk for a small motel and make about $1800 a month, and my wife makes about $1000. We survive, simply because I know how to budget.
All that said, I have a plan. It's a business plan.
Here's a brief description of my business ideas. I make, and have been making for about 25 years my own smoked meats, sausage, salami, cured hams, bacon.... I also make a hot smoked candied salmon, that everyone I know goes wild for. I started selling my salmon at flea markets and craft sales, and actually was starting to make money. It wasn't long though, before the Canadian food Inspection Agency put an end to it, because I need to have an inspected facility. I looked into it, and although I know how to meet their requirements, I cannot afford it. I decided to research the market, and sent out free samples of my product. I recieved amazing responses. A large paving company wanted to buy a couple thousand 4oz pieces for staff Christmas gifts, safety awards and for all of their corporate clients on the holidays. A university with an alumni of about 12,000, would like to see it in their campus store, as an impulse snack purchase, where 4,000 plus students pass through every day, and interest was expressed by a Tourism BC Info centre, to have my product in there building for the tourists, and where I live, tourism is our bread and butter. I live in the Rocky Mountains.
This is a fantastic product, that needs professional marketing and sales people to take to the marketplace. I have all the skills and capabilities to run the day to day operations of production, packaging, labelling and shipping. I need money to go into production and for the cost of marketing and sales, so I need advice on where to look for financing, and how to attract investors. I also want to hear from people with similar circumstance. It gives me a sense of continuity, knowing I'm not alone.
In closing, my story is not one of misfortune, so much as it is a lesson. That lesson is that we can do anything we choose to do. We just need to channel our efforts in the right direction, and ask for help when we need it. I don't use my accident as an excuse. If anything, my accident led me to finally do something great! Starting a business that will provide a great product, while creating jobs and a sense of contibution.
Thank you for reading my little story, and I really look foreward to all sorts of communication. I want to give as much as I get.
Sincerely
Steve K.
