Guest Post |How and Why People with Disabilities Should Start A Home-Based Business by Patrick Young

Hello!

Today’s post is about something different, I was contacted by Patrick back in May I think, and he wanted to write a piece about why people should create home-based businesses. I thought it was really interesting and a good read for anyone with a disability, and can’t work a normal job.

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Having a disability can make both finding a job and working more difficult. A *study showed that 50% of unemployed disabled people reported some type of barrier to employment. Additionally, more than 50% of employment disabled individuals reported some difficultly completing their work duties because of their disability. For these reasons, those with disabilities may look to launching their own home-based businesses to reap the benefits of being their own boss.

Why You Should Go For It

Entrepreneurs with disabilities report that “being able to work from a particular location, in hours that suit the individual, can be hugely liberating.” Working set hours, such as the typical 9-to-5 schedule, can be difficult for those with disabilities, especially if the disability tends to be worse in the mornings, like with Multiple Sclerosis. Similarly, veterans who return home with disabilities find it difficult to work these hours or to work with a new disability, and those suffering from mental health disabilities tend to benefit from a more flexible schedule.

Travelling can also be difficult for people with disabilities, particularly those with mobility issues, such as someone confined to a wheelchair. If you were to own your own home-based business, you could work hours that accommodate your needs and set up a home office that fits your lifestyle.

Starting your own business also means you get to decide what tasks to assign yourself, so there’s no worry about duties that are difficult for you to tackle. Likewise, you don’t have to worry about not getting assigned work because someone else doesn’t think you can handle it, even though you can. You get to determine your role within the company from day one, and you can modify that role as you see fit.

Funding

Running your company from your home will save you money since you won’t have to rent or purchase property, but you’ll still need to find funding for other aspects to your business. Freebies are hard to come by, so when you come across someone offering free help, don’t pass up the offer. Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) are located all across the United States and support and promote small businesses by offering face-to-face business consulting and at-cost training on a variety of valuable topics, including accessing capital, writing business plans, marketing, technology, development and more. Take advantage of this opportunity and find an SBDC near you.

Although federal and state governments do not offer grants for disabled people looking to start a business, they do offer loans with admirable interest rates and grants for entrepreneurs in general. Many private companies also offer loans specifically targeted at disabled entrepreneurs. Grants may be available through colleges and universities.

If you do not get 100% funded from one place, combine funding from multiple avenues. For example, a chef in Chicago worked with her local SBDC to write a business plan, obtain permits and licenses, and launch her corporation. Their combined efforts helped her harness a grant from the University of Illinois at Chicago for $5K, a grant from the Illinois Department of Rehabilitation services for almost $29K, and a microloan from Accion for $7K.

Finding People

In order for any business to be successful, it needs customers. Since you won’t have a storefront in the community for people to find you, you’ll need to utilize social media. Almost every business uses at least one social media platform, so it’s an easy way to reach your audience. Attend events and network with the community and other businesses. Do a giveaway for people to sample your product your product or service.

Once you start your fan base, get them to help you grow it even further. Word-of-mouth referrals from other customers grow your audience and make your business more appealing. Consider providing coupons or discounts in exchange for referrals and reviews. You can also offer a small commission on referrals.

You may be a veteran who is returning home with a disability and cannot fathom working 9-to-5 shift. Perhaps you suffer from a mental health illness, and the ebb and flow of the office environment exacerbates your symptoms. Or maybe you’re confined to a wheelchair, and transportation is a major hurdle for you. No matter your disability obstacle in the workforce, home-based entrepreneurship can offer a way for you to avoid the barriers and work comfortably on your own terms. With a little help and a lot of planning, you can successfully make it happen.

Tune Tuesday | Where Does The Name ‘Upon Wings’ Come From? by Anne Erickson

Howdy!

We’re back with the second Tune Tuesday post featuring Upon Wings lead vocalist Anne Erickson!

Are you loving these pieces so far? Everybody seems to love them, which is really great for the band as the more we do this, people who have never heard of them will grow more curious about their music and eventually want to check them out, which is something that I strive for on a daily basis. That’s what every music blogger wants to do, inspire people to look into this artist or group, so that maybe they’ll start to love them and become a steady fan, if that’s an actual term for musical purposes!

Today, Anne will be discussing how the name Upon Wings came about and I think it’s a very touching story on how different things, like verses or words in general can touch and help us create something entirely new! So I hope you all will enjoy it!

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When I was thinking of different band names, I wanted something simple and something that somehow felt right with the band’s sound. I was looking at different places for inspiration, and I looked through the Bible for some inspiration and ideas and I read Isaiah 40:31:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

The phrase “Upon Wings” stood out to me. To me, that phrase implies depending on something outside of yourself in times of need. It could be God, a friend or family member or something else to help you in some way. There are times in life when all of us will need to rest “Upon Wings” of Eagles to soar.

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How is that for an answer?! I really loved hearing about this, because I remember the afternoon I found Upon Wings and literally I thought how the band name came about, honestly for most bands with out of the box names, this is usually the first thing that pops into my head!

How to follow Anne and Upon Wings?

Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

 

Guest Post | Top 5 Favorite Rap Songs by Rachel of Where The Wild Things Grow

Today I have a special guest post for you!

Back in early February, I was on Twitter and Rachel from Where The Wild Things Grow, had posted a tweet about how old school doesn’t even compare to the newer stuff that the younger generations are listening to nowadays. We literally had a whole conversation about it, because I completely agree! The message was different, you could understand them, and they used some gnarly beats behind their lyrics! The day after our little chat, I asked her if she’d like to do a guest post about some of her favorite rap songs that came out of the late 80’s and the early 90’s.

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When discussing the topic of music with others, I always say that my favorite genre is rap and typically, I’ll receive a response such as, “You don’t seem like the kind of person who would like rap music.” I’m still not entirely sure what that means, but I always assure them that listening to rap music has brought a lot of joy into my life in more recent years. It’s been the one genre of music that never fails to put me in a better mood and provide your girl with a little confidence booster. But allow me to make what may be quite a shocking confession, today’s rap music just doesn’t do it for me. I mean, I’ve been wracking my brain, trying to come up with more than three artists that are still currently making music that I actually listen to, and unfortunately, I can’t.

Thanks to the internet, I’ve been lucky enough to come across some of the most amazing, old school rap and hip hop artists to ever exist, some that make me envious of those who happened to be young adults in the mid-80’s or early 90’s! It’s safe to say, I’m forever hooked on the men and women who paved the way for the young rappers we know today. And with that being said, I have a list of my top five, absolute favorite rap songs ranging from those time periods! Friendly reminder, these are just my personal favorites and are not necessarily the most popular songs ever made in the genre. If I’ve left out one of your favorites, please leave a comment and let me know!

Disclaimer: The songs featured on this list may not be suitable for all ages due to some language and themes, please be aware and if you’re under the age of 18, have permission if needed before listening or watching the included videos. Thank you!

5. Let Me Clear My Throat – DJ Kool (1996)

This song was literally released the year I came into this world, but somehow it still manages to hold up today! I discovered this song a few years back when Apple was still offering their iTunes radio for free, which was ultimately how I discovered most of the artists on this list. My reason for enjoying this song as much as I do, is that it’s completely carefree and most importantly, fun! It’s the kind of song you could play toward the end of your wedding reception, when you’ve got all of the formalities out of the way and everyone is anxious to bust a move!

4. None Of Your Business – Salt N’ Pepa (1993)

I’ve been listening to Salt N’ Pepa for a little over a year now, but it wasn’t until just a few months back, that I was able to dig deep and find this little gem, that would quickly become my favorite from the all female hip hop trio! The song dives in heavily covering the of judgement. Discussing what it’s like when those surrounding you, attempt to pressure you into living life the way they believe you should be, when you’d just like to be left alone to do your own thing. Which I definitely think is something we all have experienced to some degree.

3. Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice (1990)

Confession time again, I absolutely love Vanilla Ice! His music was what had originally pulled me into exploring more of the older generations that rap music has to offer and I’m almost positive I’m not alone in saying that “Ice Ice Baby” was one of the very first songs I’d ever heard in the genre. I mean, love him or hate him, this song is a total classic, and the odds are, you probably know all of the words and wouldn’t be able to resist rapping along. It can’t just be me, right?

2. It’s Tricky – RUN DMC (1986)

RUN DMC is the kind of group that you can be familiar with even if you’re not that huge fan of rap or hip hop, arguably their biggest hit, “It’s Tricky” can still be found featured in several trailers, promos, and commercials throughout television! Released in 1986, RUN DMC practically ruled the world of rap music at the time and helped elevate the genre to new heights. Plus it wins the award for being one of the songs I blast the most in the my car! I’m sure they’re quite proud of such an accomplishment.

1. Hold It Now, Hit It – Beastie Boys (1986)

I couldn’t complete this list without a song from my all time favorite rap/hip hop group, Beastie Boys. Fresh off of their first album “Licensed To Ill”, I picked “Hold It Now, Hit It” not only for the song itself but for the video that goes with it. Filmed with their fisheye lens effect that went on to be featured in several other classics such as “Intergalactic” and “Triple Trouble” the video perfectly captures the Beasties for what at they actually were, three talented but rowdy teenagers from New York who happened to become accidentally famous.

In conclusion, I’ve always been the kind of person who views music as ageless. Of course, every genre of music has most definitely changed and evolved throughout the years in some way, shape or form. But at the end of the day, when the music was made isn’t nearly as important when you find yourself thoroughly enjoying what you’ve been listening to. In fact, the year something was released, could be the last thing we find out about that new favorite song we’ve been blasting on repeat! Moral of the story, don’t be afraid to educate yourself on different genres of music, both old and new. Because if you limit yourself to the music within your time now, you could be missing out on something great!

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Rachel McRad is a lifestyle and self-improvement blogger who covers topics such as mental health and adulthood. She decided to create her blog “When The Wild Things Grow” in order to help provide advice and encouragement to young adults during more difficult times in life. When away from her computer and blog, some of her favorite hobbies include practicing photography, creative journaling and living the life of a proud dog mom.

You can follow her on these social media outlets! 

 Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin

Guest Post | Character Development with Dylan Callens, Author of “Interpretation”

August was an interesting month for me, because I have started on reviewing books via request like a real bookblogger! 

A friend of mine Amanda, who runs Chocolate Pages, is also a bookblogger. She put up a blog post offering other bookbloggers to help her with the requests. I literally jumped at this and within three weeks I got a request, but unfortunately I was unable to read another book. My mom and I have came to the conclusion that I should only read one book a month to see how I do, but I didn’t want to say no, so thanks to Dylan’s email he gave me an idea!

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Dylan Callens has recently written a dystopian fiction book called Interpretation. The word “dystopian” or “dystopia” is an imaginary place where people often lead fearful lives. I’m not as familiar with the word or genre, so I had to go look it up in the dictionary.

Here is the blurb of the novel:

Carl Winston awakens to find his son, Liam, screaming with fear. Trying to understand why, Carl tries to soothe him. Neighbors gather in front of Carl’s apartment to help – until they see him. The crowd cowers back, afraid of this monster.

Carl runs. His life of luxury is ripped away. Forced beyond the city limits, Carl sees a land bereft of life. Traveling in search of answers, his quest comes to a sudden halt when he collapses. As darkness shrouds him, a figure hovers from above.

Traveling along the same route, Eva Thompson finds Carl and nurtures him back to life. Together, they continue the journey, finding out that their lives have too much in common to be a coincidence. As their affection for each other deepens, an unknown nemesis attempts to remove their only source of happiness – their love for each other.

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I’ve allowed Dylan to write a guest post and he chose something that I might be looking more into for my own story – that I haven’t worked on for a while! Anyways, here is what Dylan says about character development. 

My Character, My Friend

As I began researching different psychological experiments for my novel, Interpretation, the first (and craziest) person I came across was a neurobologist named Dr. Jose Manuel Rodriguez Delgado. His name is important: Jose Delgado. This man had a vision for the future, where people wore electronic stimulation devices so that the government could correct unwanted behavior by stimulating the brain. His research worked towards the end, creating a device that could be attached to brains. In one famous experiment, he had his device implanted into the head of a bull. As the bull charged at Delgado, he administered a shock to the animal’s brain, which stopped it in its tracks.

After reading of his work, I knew that this would be the social condition in my novel: a society where every individual had some kind of device implanted in their heads. As a result, I wanted to give my main character a first name that represented this reality. So, of course, I named him Carl.

Carl. That’s right. Being inspired by the work of Dr. Jose Degado, I named him Carl. Why you might ask?

Because somewhere along the way, Jose Delgado’s name transformed itself into former baseball slugger, Carlos Delgado. I have no idea how this happened – I don’t even like baseball. I must have written Jose’s name dozens of times while taking notes. But when I sat down to write, I put Carl on the page. My character’s name is a mistake.

After reading over the first draft of the first chapter, I knew that something was wrong with his name and I eventually figured it out. By then, it was too late. His name was Carl to me and I just couldn’t change it. He had his own life and it appeared to be a very nice one. He loved his son, had a nice apartment, and a good job. He encountered a brief, blinding pain in his head and a short hallucination in that first chapter but that didn’t mean he should be renamed Joe, to honor Jose.

At least his name is right. Winston. Or at least I hope there is a Winston in Nineteen-Eighty-Four. There is, right? I wanted to pay tribute to my favorite dystopian novel somehow and I saw Carl’s situation similar to Winston’s, in some ways. So that’s how my main character was born.

Identifying with this character was pretty easy for me. I think there is a lot of me in him. He and I took the Myers-Briggs personality test and came up with very similar results. He is an INFP and I am an INTP. Which means we both prefer introversion, intuition and perceiving, as opposed to extroversion, sensing and judgement. Our difference is that he’s a little more touchy-feely than I am (the F stands for feeling while the T stands for thinking). I’d like to think that if his circumstances were a little better, he might be more of an intellectual. His life hasn’t really allowed that pursuit though, so I blame his circumstance for that one.

But Carl and I – we could go for a beer, one day. I think we would shoot a game of pool and philosophize about the implications of Jose’s work. I also know for sure that we wouldn’t talk about baseball legend, Carlos.

If you would like to read Dylan’s new book “Interpretation” and learn more about Joe, I mean Carl Winston’s now crazy life, he has given me several ways you can purchase the book! 

Amazon: http://amazon.com/dp/B073V7LSRV
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/interpretation-dylan-callens/1126732112?ean=2940154727843
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/interpretation-7
iBooks: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/interpretation/id1258997726?mt=11

The Rise of the French House Scene | A Guest Post by The Life of a Thinker

It all started with Daft Punk’s galactic, robotic synth-pop. Since then, artists such as David Guetta, Martin Solveig and Madeon have warped the French house scene. So, with that in mind, what’s next for this genre of music, and how has it evolved over the years?

First of all, we have to start with Daft Punk. At the moment, they have been relatively quiet with their music since the release of Random Access Memories in 2013 and the success of their track Get Lucky with Pharrell Williams. However, despite them lying low nowadays, the majority of French and international DJs admire their work (including Madeon – more on that later).

Aside from their choice of wearing masks when performing causing them to stand out, it was the duo’s (consisting of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) fusion of electro and funk which was one of the setting stones for the French electronic genre.

Since then, other DJs have added to the industry. David Guetta’s album Nothing But the Beat (and subsequently the 2.0 version) was, in my opinion, the album which brought the French DJ to the spotlight. For example, his track Titanium not only brought Sia fame, but was also a successful electronic ballad (almost) which a lot of people still remember today. As well as that, their other single together, Falling to Pieces branches out more into dubstep, and his latest tracks including Hey Mama drift more into the hip-hop genre.

Finally, we have Madeon, who – admittedly – is my favourite DJ at the moment. Last year, he released his debut album, Adventure, which saw the musician (real name Hugo Leclercq) collaborate with the likes of Kyan, Dan Smith (from Bastille), Passion Pit and Mark Foster (from Foster the People).

In terms of his style, Hugo still gives a nod to one of the original artists from the French house scene. In tracks such as Cut the Kid, Ok and Pay No Mind, Madeon uses imaginative and flourishing melodies in an off-beat fashion which develops upon Daft Punk’s original style.

But, at the same time, Leclercq brings something fresh and exciting to the French dance music industry. If anything, as well as making links to other music styles within his music, his ability to creatively tell a story through his songs is impressive. In his track, Imperium, Hugo tries something different and almost branches out into dubstep. Meanwhile, in his collaboration with Bastille frontman Dan Smith, Leclercq almost mimics their alternative style of music and in You’re On, the track is an electronic take on the euphoric pop songs of today.

So, as we enter another year of music, perhaps French DJs are about to make their mark? In terms of the genre of music, could it see a merge between pop, alternative and dubstep? Comment your thoughts below!

Liam
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