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Starting A Business... With A Difference
As you may know, my various medical conditions make me unemployable. (Even the state DVRS says I'm beyond help.) But I'm very lucky to have a supportive family.
My parents suggested years ago that I should start a local business. My high school classmate's father used to own a local Arby's. You put the money in to set it up, hire people to run it, and keep the profits as income. (Which he then used to support his family while he tried to make a successful biotech lab.) But it never felt real to me. I wanted to actually *earn* the money, if that makes any sense. I wanted to be productive and contribute to society.
But I have to face my limits. And I don't want to have to live off the generosity of my family for the rest of my life. So I reconsidered the idea. Dad suggested I go with a safe franchise. Something like McDonald's, which earns well even in a rough economy and which has all the infrastructure and plans in place.
Thing is... I don't like a lot of what McDonald's is, what it does, or what it stands for. I want to make a positive difference in the world, not buy into the things that are making it worse. I don't want to slash and burn the rainforest to raise methane-producing cows so that I can hire minimum-wage workers to serve unhealthy food to people at prices which more responsible local restaurants can't hope to match.
So I asked for ideas for something better. And someone reminded me of Greyston Bakery. You might be familiar with them as the bakery which makes the brownies in Ben & Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. What they do is extraordinary. They hire homeless people to do the baking. Provide good, honest work in a supportive, safe, and clean environment to people who are down on their luck and would have a hard time getting hired anywhere else just because they are down on their luck. Greyston built that up into a successful business which has been running in the outer boros of New York City for nearly three decades.
That's what I want to do. Their profits go to their parent company, Greyston Foundation, a nonprofit which helps the homeless in other ways. But I could make something like that. Something with that model, which is both profitable and making a real difference.
I don't know what, exactly.
Perhaps a similar bakery somewhere in NJ, in a place where poverty and affluence mix. New Brunswick isn't too far from home. It's a small city (or maybe a large town) where a rising tide of poverty has been slowly turned back by the presence of a state college campus and the world headquarters of Johnson & Johnson. Or maybe Newark or Trenton or Jersey City. Or Philadelphia.
Or maybe a different business working off the same general idea, but in New York, where there are so many people in all walks of life packed together. A friend has an idea for some kind of new business I don't fully understand yet which sounds like a cross between a coffeeshop, a function hall, and a small hotel. (I'm not really sure how that would work, but it could build a snack menu off Greyston Bakery's goods.)
I reached out to Greyston, asked if they might be able to offer any help or advice. I'd appreciate any constructive input you might have, too.
I don't know what I'm doing here. I never trained to go into business. I was supposed to be an engineer. But I have the financial resources to make a start at it, the will to do it, and, now, inspired by Greyston, I have the beginnings of an idea.
ETA: A couple of other possible sources of inspiration:
Doughy Dogs (which operates a hot dog truck with a similar idea)
Bon Jovi's Soul Kitchen (which isn't quite what I'm thinking of and wouldn't necessarily translate to a for-profit model, but might have some good ideas)
My parents suggested years ago that I should start a local business. My high school classmate's father used to own a local Arby's. You put the money in to set it up, hire people to run it, and keep the profits as income. (Which he then used to support his family while he tried to make a successful biotech lab.) But it never felt real to me. I wanted to actually *earn* the money, if that makes any sense. I wanted to be productive and contribute to society.
But I have to face my limits. And I don't want to have to live off the generosity of my family for the rest of my life. So I reconsidered the idea. Dad suggested I go with a safe franchise. Something like McDonald's, which earns well even in a rough economy and which has all the infrastructure and plans in place.
Thing is... I don't like a lot of what McDonald's is, what it does, or what it stands for. I want to make a positive difference in the world, not buy into the things that are making it worse. I don't want to slash and burn the rainforest to raise methane-producing cows so that I can hire minimum-wage workers to serve unhealthy food to people at prices which more responsible local restaurants can't hope to match.
So I asked for ideas for something better. And someone reminded me of Greyston Bakery. You might be familiar with them as the bakery which makes the brownies in Ben & Jerry's chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. What they do is extraordinary. They hire homeless people to do the baking. Provide good, honest work in a supportive, safe, and clean environment to people who are down on their luck and would have a hard time getting hired anywhere else just because they are down on their luck. Greyston built that up into a successful business which has been running in the outer boros of New York City for nearly three decades.
That's what I want to do. Their profits go to their parent company, Greyston Foundation, a nonprofit which helps the homeless in other ways. But I could make something like that. Something with that model, which is both profitable and making a real difference.
I don't know what, exactly.
Perhaps a similar bakery somewhere in NJ, in a place where poverty and affluence mix. New Brunswick isn't too far from home. It's a small city (or maybe a large town) where a rising tide of poverty has been slowly turned back by the presence of a state college campus and the world headquarters of Johnson & Johnson. Or maybe Newark or Trenton or Jersey City. Or Philadelphia.
Or maybe a different business working off the same general idea, but in New York, where there are so many people in all walks of life packed together. A friend has an idea for some kind of new business I don't fully understand yet which sounds like a cross between a coffeeshop, a function hall, and a small hotel. (I'm not really sure how that would work, but it could build a snack menu off Greyston Bakery's goods.)
I reached out to Greyston, asked if they might be able to offer any help or advice. I'd appreciate any constructive input you might have, too.
I don't know what I'm doing here. I never trained to go into business. I was supposed to be an engineer. But I have the financial resources to make a start at it, the will to do it, and, now, inspired by Greyston, I have the beginnings of an idea.
ETA: A couple of other possible sources of inspiration:
Doughy Dogs (which operates a hot dog truck with a similar idea)
Bon Jovi's Soul Kitchen (which isn't quite what I'm thinking of and wouldn't necessarily translate to a for-profit model, but might have some good ideas)
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I'm excited to have something real to do.
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And thanks. :)
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Oh, thought of one just now-- Would it be possible to maybe take a small class in small business ownership? I feel like this is something that chambers of commerce or libraries offer sometimes, but maybe I am making that up?
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A class is worth looking into. Our public high school offers a variety of adult education courses. But there are, of course, difficulties with my taking even a relatively simple class. I'll have to see what's possible.
I'll keep posting as things progress. Thanks for your help and encouragement. :)
And perfect icon. :D
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I'm just going to hop on over to that other entry so I can offer comments all at once.
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