Pedal Our Wares (a business idea)

My husband, Oscar and I are very interested in a home based business of sorts. Our most recent business idea is called, "Pedal Our Wares".

We would sell various wares from a kiosk like cart that could be positioned in various ways around the downtown Lakeland (FL) area on the weekends: either at a stationary marketplace, pedaled or mobile with a small quiet motor attached. We have yet to see this creative way of selling goods to the public and would like to jump on the opportunity if available. I could only imagine the looks of surprise we'd endure as we pedaled past onlookers; potential customers.

We think it would be sheer genius to offer pedestrians, sightseers and onlookers a chance to purchase say, a soda and a bag of chips, a bottle of ice cold water or a T-shirt, towel or other piece of merchandise that references their stay in the area. It would be the talk of the town if you ask me to sell merchandise from a mobile kiosk, that just happens to be rolling by.

We'll keep looking into this idea as well as continue to brainstorm and come up with the next best thing. So watch for us to make our stand and earn a piece of the American Dream.

The Robert and Arella Bryant Family, LLC (website)

Well, I've got the Family LLC website up and running. Now I just need family members to log on, view and sign-up on the site itself.

http://www.tributellc.webs.com

We can make this happen! I just know it!!

Granted, it's a new and exciting venture; emotionally scary and financially risky. But we'll have to see it as an opportunity for our family to come together and prosper - for generations to come.

The website itself will be updated almost daily by me the administrator so family members will know exactly what's going on. And since there's a way to sign-up and sign-in to the site, family members can add, update and review information for themselves as well. Everyone stays informed.

Well...here's to the beginning of something new and prosperous for our family!

Family Investments (create a family legacy)

This is an idea born of love for God and family: and must be built and maintained on a level of loving trust that is found outside of corporate America.

Our goal is to come together as a family unit and create a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) that would benefit the current generation; and generations to come. The family LLC board members would decide and vote on various endeavors deemed feasible; real estate investments, individual business projects, scholarships, donations, etc. The possibilities could be endless.

For example:

Q: What if a family member was about to lose their home due to a foreclosure during this tough economy and/or a job loss?

A: The family LLC could step in and purchase the home under the family LLC umbrella to allow the family member to stay in the home.

The necessary cash reserve to fund endeavors would be a combination of deposits made regularly to a bank account opened under the established name of the family LLC; available for the members to view, but with restrictions of course. Most important - no withdrawals would be allowed within the first year in order to build the initial cash reserve. Advice and input from a family accountant, family lawyer or a family member holding a business degree would be greatly appreciated.

We truly believe that this will work "if" the family can see its way to come together and build something great under an umbrella of financial stability that would benefit everyone involved; for generations to come.

By all means, this idea is nothing new or groundbreaking. It's been done throughout the years. But..."our" family has never attempted such an endeavor. And that is what's so new and exciting about it for us.

If you and your family have had success with such an idea, please let us know. Perhaps we can build on some of your ideas and advice.

Here's to a better future for us all!

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Below are a few websites to view in the mean time:

http://www.score.org/ - advice from successful business advisors
http://www.llc.com/ - help to set up an LLC
http://www.irs.gov/ - keep up with tax laws

Christina - Cinema Productions Major

"The Wedding" is a film project by Christina.

We are so proud of her dedication and hard work while she's away at college. (pictured are the actors in her film)

...it's all for a reason... (prose)

what a conundrum; we are to love without condition
love a mate till death you part,
love a child with all your heart
but not to love above God; a jealous God
He is our creator, our maker, our molder
told about to us as we grow older
there will come a day when we shall meet Him
until then we must honor and revere Him
lay down your life for another; a loved one, a stranger
what validates the risk for a life in danger
take nothing for granted, take all for giving
baubles and trinkets are left to the living
for no moth or worm will ever negate
what is stored above within heaven's gate

Temporary Sanity (real advice)

You know, it’s really not all that bad working through temp agencies. To be honest, I’ve worked through them since my daughter was born. And that was over twenty years ago. I guess I’d have to say that the ‘flexibility’ is what I’ve always enjoyed the most. You couldn’t ask for a better way to see if a particular company was a good fit for you and vice versa; you each get to try the other out before making a commitment. Kind of like ‘getting engaged’. Come to think of it, you and the client are engaging each other on a level of conformity, longevity and compatibility. When I begin an assignment and find associates who’ve worked for that company for a number of years, I usually joke with them saying, “…it’s like a marriage if you think about it. I mean you end up spending a better part of your day here [at the job] and if you’re really committed and in it for the long haul, you take the job very serious and want to make it work. You even tend to want to bring others into the fold so that they too can enjoy the fruits of labor.” Well now that just sounds like I’m talking about a group in Utah with all that sharing going on. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. …LOL… […no offense to anyone…]

Well, anywhooo…to get back to what I was saying. Temporary agencies are, for the better part of being unbiased, great for those who just aren’t sure of their immediate future [in the workforce]. Or for those who just can’t decide what they want to be when they grow up. Whenever I’ve moved, the first place I would go to after settling into our apartment would be a local temporary agency to sign up and find work. First, the agency would have me complete the necessary application/paperwork so they can do a background check and such. Then I’d sit with a representative to interview and then test on their computer system to see where my skills lie…or don’t lie. ‘Cause you can’t fake-out those computer systems. And to be honest, why would you want to try and trick the system? It would only come back to proverbially ‘bite you on the butt’. Besides, I rather enjoy the computer system testing aspects of any of the agencies. It gives me a chance to see how I’ve improved over the years and which skills I need to polish up on. From Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Outlook to some of the more intense data bases like Microsoft Access or any of the other web based data applications out there that might be company specific. Either way it goes, you have a better chance of improving your computer system office skills through a temporary agency that offers not just the initial job placement testing, but also offers you a chance to come into their office periodically to further enhance your computer system office skills. This extra learning opportunity is definitely a ‘win-win’ situation; you get to hone your skills and the agency has a better candidate to offer a client.

Okay, do I sound like a PSA for temp agencies or what? But it’s ‘true’. Talk to anyone who’s worked through a temp agency and I bet they’ll say pretty much the same things that I’ve said here. Now keep in mind, not everyone will have the same results. That’s a given off the top. And that’s just because we’re not all the same. I’ve known other temps […that’s what we call ourselves…”temps”…] who’ve said they’ve had bad experiences on a job and didn’t want to go back to complete the assignment. And in cases like that, I must say that yes there will be times when ‘a fit just doesn’t fit’. But then you have to ask yourself “before” you accept an assignment, “…is this what I want to do right now?” Because the temporary agency does give you a chance to decline an assignment beforehand. And if the temporary agency representative is on the ball and has the complete job description in hand, then you’ll know right up front all that the assignment requires of you. I know, I know…there were times when I’ve willingly accepted an assignment, got to the site and thought to myself, “…WTH!...” or “…AYN!” But then I had to swallow my pride, think of my family and how much we need the second paycheck right now. To be totally honest, if the work is not all that bad then just bite the bullet and get through it. This is the beauty of it all. Once you complete the assignment, barring any moaning and groaning on your part, you come out the other side not only with a much needed paycheck, but [hopefully] with a better mindset of that particular company and you’ll know for future reference to never go back there again.

And always remember to NEVER bad mouth a temp agency or their clients. Because you never know who’s watching you for future endeavors. Would it be any more cliché to say, “Don’t burn any bridges that you may have to cross in the future.”? For all of the self help and positive attitude guru books out there, I say that if you keep the “Golden Rule” in the forefront of your mind at all times, then how can you go wrong.

Take Care!
Mrs. T.A. Pinder-Chambers
Lakeland, FL


(“WTH” = what the heck? )
(“AYN” = are you nuts? )

Cry No More (...my lyrics...)

death is there
right in our face
death is always right there
we never give it chase

we stare death in the eye
and it stares right back at us
so we tell death, "go to hell!"
'cause you can't forever rule us

there's going to come a time death
when you no longer rule the way
'cause right now I'm giving you the finger
so you might as well go away

I know, I know we'll meet for sure some day
but until then death, all I have to say
is that you can't rule us
that you can't fool us

we know what you have in mind
for all of human kind
but in the end, in the very end
you remain the foe, not the friend

so we won't stop livin'
and know we won't stop givin'
a damn about our fellow man on this here earth
because we know that day is coming...a brand new birth!

chorus:
no I'm not gonna' cry no more for ya'
no I'm not gonna' die no more for ya'
you been here long enough to know
that my love for you will always grow

to reach the highest hill and tree top
no I'm not ever, ever gonna' stop
lovin' you ... lovin' you ... lovin' you