First post on here

Premier Sponsors

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our privacy policy which includes details of cookie usage. Hide this notice

Posted by Alex_C on Monday, November 24, 2008

Well, here I am.

OK so it's a long story, I'm sure no one wants to hear .... too old to do the heavy physical work I did in my 20s, too blind to drive a cab, the IRS has placed a lien on everything I own or will own, and it's all my fault - I strived.

Never ever ever start your own biz, especially not in high tech! And stay away from college! Yes, I mean YOU unless you're wealthy enough to do it as a lark.

Go into something blue-collar and Union, and you'll be OK.

If you didn't do that, you poor b*stard.

Better get your street hustle on.

That's where I am. Not quite homeless but not far from it - living a couch at the apartment of an alcoholic, which I think the guy will be able to hang onto for the next few months, then who knows ...

Well I know! I know that I will probably survive the winter, but I want to have something better to do than panhandling by the time the weather gets warm. And I love the banjo. I've seen Aric Leavitt play at the Sunnyvale market a few times, back when I had a business and a car and used to hang out there with other things on my mind than spare change, and all I can say is, he's my hero.

I've hung out with other street musicians, and I can say it may not be all beer and skittles, but it's something you can feel good about. Especially the thing with the little kids, and anyone who's played on the street knows what I'm talking about.

So, my quest in life right now, besides surviving the winter, is to somehow get my hands on a banjo and get out there playing.

I've given up on anyone helping me out of this, I have to panhandle up the money to buy an axe myself, and so, off I go. Another day of politely inquiring of the public whether they have any spare change they'd likely lose in the couch cushions anyway.
It keeps me alive.

2 comments on “First post on here”

twayneking Says:
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 @9:11:32 AM

Sounds like my summer.

Don't give up on starting your own business, even in this economy. Just find something somebody needs doing and do it.

Edison botched the light bulb a couple of thousand times before he got it right.

Hey, if the street musician thing is lucrative, you might try getting a small business loan. There are some nonprofits that do micro-loans for small business ventures, especially in the arts related field. I bet if you showed up with a business plan......

Drop me a note and maybe I can give you some coaching on putting the plan together. It would certainly help you make the case for someone loaning you the money for a banjo.

Maybe you could even find someone with a spare banjo that, for a cut of the profits, would fund you.

It would help if you could put up some audio or video of you playing. Find someone who could lend you a banjo and videotape you. That would help "sell" yourself as a potentially lucrative street performer.

If you believe you can make a decent living doing this, you ought to be able to find someone who would sell you a banjo on time payments or something.

You could post your street musician business plan right here on the hangout. The question is how badly do you want it?

Alex_C Says:
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 @11:42:48 AM

SBA loans take good credit, mine's shot. No video camera etc so putting footage online isn't possible.

I want it badly enough to post on here about it, but the solutions proposed by the wealthy on here don't work if one is down and out.

And the one thing I ask for, just some good old money to buy the damn banjo and get going, an amount many of you blow in a night in a bar, doesn't seem to be possible?

You must sign into your myHangout account before you can post comments.

More posts from Alex_C