Disabled Man Needs Help Starting New Business Selling Hot Dogs

by Iris Chandanais
(Smithtown, NY, USA)

I am writing this for my son Robert, who is 45 years old. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia 25 years ago.

For the past year he has been treated in a hospital and is now under a program New York has for housing. He is living in a State home but soon they will find him an apartment and will be out on his own.

He is doing very well and the doctors and his family are very proud of his accomplishments and his mental health improvement.

He owns an old RV camper. He would like to start a business with it by turning it into a hot dog truck.

The RV needs mechanical work and will need to be remodeled and converted to a truck that can sell hot dogs to the public. They are all over the place: along the sides of roads and in shopping centers. It's very common in New York.

My research has found that this can be a profitable business. He would be working for himself and able to make his own hours and finally have a lucrative source of income.

As his mother I have agreed to help him try to get financial help, find the permits needed, location for the truck and even work with him part-time until he can run things by himself. I know that this business will give him more self-respect and confidence.

Robert has worked from time to time and does very well but his sickness has been a hindrance in the past. Getting someone to hire you with his background has been difficult and most jobs only offer minimum wage.

He lives in NY because of his family and with his own business he won’t have to worry about income or finding a job. He will benefit from this a great deal.

He is very smart and can do many things. He even found the RV and talked the price down to $300 several years ago. It needs work now but lack of income has kept it off the road for a couple of years.

Please help him find some source of money to get this business started.