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Triumph Vocational Services Triumph helps Island man launch business A Triumph Vocational Services™ Success Story • May, 2005 Richard Nixon knows the value of the product he sells from firsthand experience. Richard (not to be confused with the former US president of the same name!) operates a business called Body Fuel Delivered Naturally in Courtenay. He delivers freshly-prepared juice to 50 customers in the Comox Valley, many of whom did a double take when he first introduced himself.“Oh yes, the name,” says Richard. “It mostly works in my favour; I find it opens doors for me. But it was tough during Watergate.” Even tougher was Richard’s bout with illness that began in 2003 when he was diagnosed with Hepatitis C. The illness and treatments were so debilitating, he couldn’t work and had to seek disability assistance. He found great relief by drinking wheat grass juice at a juice bar. “Wheat grass is a blood detoxifier. It has every vitamin known to man and 92 of 102 essential minerals.” When his health stabilized and his strength returned, a light bulb went on in his head. He had always wanted to operate his own business so he came up with the idea of preparing and selling the juice to customers and delivering it fresh to their doorsteps. Richard now grows the organic wheat grass himself. He offers the blend of apple-orange-carrot-ginger juice with or without wheat grass, and for adventurous customers, wheatgrass shots, straight up. To get from A to B—idea to successful business—Richard enrolled in self-employment services through Triumph Vocational Services, which helps British Columbians with disabilities return to the workforce. Richard was referred to Triumph by a Ministry of Human Resources case worker in Courtenay. Triumph helped him plan his business strategy and research the viability of his idea. He was allowed to remain on disability assistance while he started up his company, which helped take the financial pressure off. Richard works long hours on his own and is happy to see his business thrive as he continues to satisfy his customers. “It’s been a fun ride, I’m having a blast.” Now that his business is growing, he hopes to hire a part-time employee to help prepare fruits and vegetables for juicing. He’s looking to Triumph Vocational Services again to find the right person to help grow his business. Richard says he would definitely recommend Triumph to either someone looking for a job or a company seeking to hire an employee. Richard was allowed to remain in disability while he started up his company. "It's been a fun ride, I'm having a blast." Success on your own terms |