tvices to the hospitality develpment and construction industry
I know that unusual and or out of the box options are not suitable or practical for everyone. Every twice in a while, I think it is good excercise to, at least, try things on that stretch your self concept. Pictured above is an electric runabout that I bought in 2003. It is NOT a replacement for a family automobile. It seats one, it holds maybe six grocery bags (or some sports gear) and has a top speed of 45 mph and won't get you to grandma's house in the next state.
On the other hand, for two cents worth of electricity you can travel almost 50 miles. If you like to meet new people, it virtually guarantees that you will have a new crop to chat with every time you park, or return to your vehicle. In Salt Lake City, Utah U.S.A. you can park downtown for free and you will learn the most flat and level way to any destination (so that you can get home without looking for an available standard power outlet). For American drivers, for whom the statistics show that 87% of all passenger car use is one occupant travelling an average of 27 miles per day, it seems ideal. Why then, did the company that manufactured them in the USA go out of business? (Gizmo-EV (TM) Eugene, Oregon) There are a number of conjectured reasons but among them was the fact that this company was ahead of the curve. This is no Tesla, more like a nerf kiddy car. Styling may be an issue. But it is almost impossible to generate sales when you have to convince your market that they might find it useful. Everyone has a full list of reasons why it is not for them. But there is a group of consumers that doesnt share that resistance. They dont explain why this will never sell, why they will never buy and why you are wasting you time. They literally have almost no other choices and if exposed to this as a realistic affordable option, They usually respond in one of two ways, ear to ear grins or tears, of joy! Sounds like an ideal market for what most automobile consumers will tell you is a impractical, limited unnecessary product, doesn't it? So who is this customer that would be interested in a vehicle nobody else appearantly wanted? These customers that saw a 50 mile range as freedom. Customers that felt 45 mph was almost like flying! An individual that knew that it only needed to hold one person. A customer that finally got to explore the hills of their home again 30 years after mobility was violently taken from them. Our test drives with paraplegics and incomplete quads went amazingly well. The most important metric is difficult to quantify, the joy on the face of a mobility challenged pilot. How do you find your target market? Don't spend time selling a reluctant customer, find the market that sells you on why they want your product. There are over 250,000 spinal cord injuries every year in the U.S. Unlike the past, if you survive 10 days past the initial truama, you will probably live an average of another 10 years. Most can't afford a conversion to hand operation in their vehicle and insurance won't normally pay. So is it time to be immobile? Do the injured need to give everything up? To go quietly away and stay there? Or can we assist with providing as many sustainable supports as we can to assure as complete as reintegration into life as we can? Just like youth is not really wasted on the young, compassion and understanding is never wasted on the differently abled. Robert Brooks 2016
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The age of opulence has been outgrown by the current residents of our only home, Earth. Opulence, when some have surplus they will never be aware of , much less utilize; and some don't have even the basic necessities of life.
We are in an age we could begin thinking of as an age of abundance. There is more than enough for everyone to live a full, healthy, joy filled existence. There is no satisfaction or ultimate benefit in hoarding, possessions or certificates of "wealth". Dignity, privacy, access to resources, freedom from exploitation, access to education, full human participation and the reasonable expectation that governments, social and religious institutions WILL work at and acheive peace. Anything less is unacceptable. The tiny dwelling movement. It is a small simple part of a complex solution. It is worth looking at, knowing about, supporting. It is clearly not for everyone. Most are unlikely to trade in their McMansion (or even a comfortable and modest home) for the adventure of trying to manage in a 200 SF cabin, bungalow, trailer, earthship, earthbag home or yurt. But if you have ever slept in the rain and cold (or know of somebody that has to), if you are one catastrophic life event away from homelessness (which most people are), this concept may be worth a look. The current refugee crisis has made most of us aware that many people sicken or die, damage their health or shorten their lifespan for lack of adequate shelter. But if basic affordable shelter is off the radar for any reason for any person, this may well be a game changer. And the status quo for these folks is just not acceptable. Maybe you don't want to work long hours to pay an unnecessary oversize tab? You might just have the makings of a minimalist! You like a challenge or adventure? Consider small. Small comes in a variety of flavors. There is a growing wealth of options in this incredibly diverse movement. Houseboat? Treehouse? Earthship? It truly is worth a look. Maybe you'll find your passion, or rekindle a long forgotten dream. If you do choose a reduced footprint, there will be more for everyone and you may find you like small packages, or the byproduct of that choice, more money, more time, more options, more freedom. |
AuthorRobert Brooks Builder Developer Entrepreneur Seeker Archives
July 2019
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