Maybe I am just lucky as I have never got depressed or been down in the dumps and have always been able to find a positive to hang on to. Even when I was in hospital after a near death episode many years ago I think it made me stronger as a person or maybe more resilient. I do tend to analyze things far more than I ever did before and there is always a solution, you just have to find it.
My handyman who has been struggling of late to cover his monthly expenses due to the economic climate with people not spending and holding on to what they have has been reaching out for guidance. He had a car accident that was not his fault and both are uninsured which is to be expected in this country with 80% of the cars on the road having no insurance. His car is in the panel beaters and he has been selling some of his tools to cover the costs which I thought was a very bad idea as those tools are what makes him his living. I told him as much and thought that was not the right solution.
One of his part time employees is also out of work and this morning decided to catch up with both of them over a coffee. I explained to them there is no need to be in such a position as everyone has value and expertise to offer and you just have to believe in yourself instead of feeling sorry for yourself. I can help them through the packaging business that I am involved with only if they are prepared to help themselves. This is not a charity as I see value in both of them and why I am giving them this chance.
The part time employee had a small business a few years ago and lost this all in his divorce which left him with nothing. He has since been trying to get back on his feet to start a similar business again as he had been doing that for over 20 years. Having a part time job is never going to create the investment required and sometimes by being open and honest or in other terms blunt and direct is what someone needs.
I knew his sister works for a large independent drinks company that ahs a bottling plant as he has told me as much when he was working on my property. At the time I told him to send me the contacts or set up an appointment and we shall see where it leads with regard to me supplying them with packaging material. I had also asked my handyman to put a list of contacts together so we could take a look and see if he had any leads I could use.
This morning over coffee after explaining this to them for what feels like the umpteenth time the penny seems to have dropped. There is serious value in the people you know which can benefit everyone if used correctly. When you are down in the dumps like these two clearly are they need some form of guidance and strategy to pull themselves up.
Next week the plan is they will spend the week with me and I will train them to become sales agents for my packaging company. I will help them land their first accounts using the contacts they have with myself doing the selling so they at least have a passive income stream coming in. In my mind something is better than nothing and once they see the earnings the hope is they will continue to protect those accounts and find new ones. They may fail along the way, but this is a helping hand that I hope they can appreciate and use to better their financial situations.
I have seen some of their contact lists already and these have serious values if handled correctly. They cannot see this or understand this so by the end of next week I am hoping for a different mindset and to see their situations improve even if it is just mentally for now. They are just that lost and if they do not understand how dire their situations are and change things their lives will just be a repetition of financial misery.
