About Me...Freedom Or Bust
The Making Of A Bum
The thing about me, I was born on a cold Chicago night...except it was just before lunch and not in Chicago. It wasn't even remotely close to Chicago. But that's another story altogether. This is about one man aspiring to become a bum. An RV Beachbum, that is.
Having dreamt for many years about escaping the rat race and taking off in an RV to tour North America for a while, I finally took the first step in December and bought a used motorhome. I've been full-timing in it since January 2012.
Here is a photo of me and my mom standing in front of the RV. It's a 27FT 1987 Pace Arrow.
Now you may be looking at me and then my mom and then back at me and wondering, "What gives? He must be adopted." Nope. That's my real mom and I love her with all my might. It's so sad though, she was born without the ability to tan. And a German accent. Every summer it's the same thing. At some point she proudly sticks out her bare arms for all to inspect and says, "Yah, I dink I'm gedding a little tan. Vot do you dink?" We all take a thoughtful look and say, "Yeah, I think you do have a little tan going". Of course, we are lying. She is 17 shades of pink and red but there is no tan. The good news is she makes a kick-ass Sauer Braten and has only attempted to rule the world once. But that's another story altogether.
A lot of content on RV Beachbum pertains to starting and owning a small business. Although I can't remember it, I must've owned a small business even before I was old enough to walk. I say that because I have older relatives who clearly remember my mom saying, "Look at dat face. He must be doing hiss business." I've questioned her about it but she wont talk about it. She tears up and starts to sweat like a Vietnam vet who's seen too much.
The first business I can remember owning was actually a limited partnership (LLC) with Mikey, the kid next door. We were quite young. Maybe 4 or so. We sold Kool-Aid and fluffer nutter balls from a fold-up poker table at the end of my driveway. A fluffer nutter ball is created when you take a slice of fresh bread, remove the crust and squeeze the rest into a kind of dough ball. Then you push something like the handle of a butter knife into the ball creating a cavity. You fill the cavity with peanut butter and marsh mellow cream, pinch it shut and if it looks like a dirty, sticky golf ball, you're done. Sales were brisk with the 4 to 7 year old demographic. We had a few adult customers as well. Though they were mostly interested in my dads tools, which we were using as weights to keep the napkins from flying off the table. Tool sales were brisk as well.
It didn't take long for the authorities (my dad and Mikey's grandma) to shut us down. Apparently we had neglected to get the required permits. AKA "permission".
My first real, licensed business was a little antiques and collectables business. The plan was to hit flea markets and garage sales, find the good stuff (see photo) and sell it to local antique dealers. That got old quick.
I also owned a coffee service business which I ran along side with my janitorial business. I owned and operated the janitorial business for 14 years. It treated me well, but after 14 years, cleaning people's toilets and showers had lost some of its charm. Folks with bladder control issues might be suited to running a janitorial business. There is always a toilet close by.
Besides having owned small businesses, I spent 6 years in the U.S. Army as a helicopter mechanic and crew chief. I managed an auto parts store for a few years.
Now I work full-time for a company called Pirtek. Pirtek provides mobile hydraulic hose service 24/7.When I'm not on the clock for Pirtek, I am busy working my RxCut business or working on the RV Beachbum website. You can see the RV safely tucked in at the shop while I go out of town.
This is my first website. I'm learning as I go. (I'm using Solo Build It to host the site and highly recommend them. Hopefully by the time you read this they will be an affiliate.) My goal is to create a fun, useful, interactive, resource for those living, or wanting to live, the RV lifestyle. If I end up with a few real friends because of this site, I will consider myself blessed. Please feel free to contact me with any ideas suggestions on how I can make the site better.
And now...it's Margarita time!
