Health Issues, Self-employment, & Miseducation
This season’s Great Food Truck Race started with eight contestants. Two of them were on the show because of injury or illness. One an electrician until a major auto accident and injuries meant he had to find a new way to support himself. And recovery from a brain tumor inspired the other contestant to pursue her dream after the major illness disrupted her plans.

In 2011, Restaurant Impossible featured Off Street Cafe, a highly profitable business venture for the operators before things gradually fell apart. Listen to the interview and you learn that a major element in the downfall was that one partner injured her foot in a boating accident, and for six months could not work. And the business started to slide.

These reality food shows are useful business ed tools, but lousy vehicles for
people vying to compete on them as a new means of support, given the tiny number of available slots.

The public has a distorted stereotypical notion of what disability involves. And only when personally confronted by a crisis does the economic reality of the situation become clear.
Unlessit’s a documentary or telethon, here’s what viewers typically see on popular media:
▪ A person with a disability, at the scene of a murder is later tracked by the killer, who is unaware the witness can’t provide an ID. Or

▪ The person with the disability is the killer. Or

▪ The star in a crime drama experiences a major disability but is healed by the end of the program. Or

▪ The star in a crime drama accidentally injures and disables a seemingly innocent bystander…who was not standing by but playing lookout for criminals.

And in notable instances, dramatic TV has portrayed investigators who become disabled because of a criminal act, and continue in their field.

Given the large numbers of people who are temporarily or permanently disabled, each year through accident,  injury or illness and the economic issues they confront, program content on an educational level is zero and could easily be described as ludicrous.

Adapted from Changing Your Work or Career:
How to Explore Self-Employment Options After Injury or Illness.

References
Food Truck Race
http://tinyurl.com/3tfhx9c

Restaurant Impossible
http://tinyurl.com/mureeuv

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Q&A: I am interested in starting some kind of business in the healthcare industry.
How do I go about finding good leads?

A. Narrow your search eventually to a particular field within the profession
to review current information in trade journals.
Meanwhile, review the library reference by Gale Emerging Industries for an overview and leads on associations that may attract your interest.

And look at two recent videos from C-Span for starters:

1. Dr. Jeffrey Brenner spoke at the National Governor’s Association recently
and outlined several problems with segments of the U.S. health care model, including a shifting of jobs, economic and marketplace realities and competition.

Dr. Brenner uses the example of Blockbuster video to make his point and reveals stunning information about who sets certain fees and how they are controlled.
Q&A included.

Understanding problems within the industry and how innovative ideas are being used
as a solution for reform is information that you need to know.
Note: Dr, Brenner’s segment starts about 30 minutes after the opening speaker, and is about 50 minutes.

2. During C-SPAN’s three-hour In-depth session with, the former head of pediatrics at John Hopkins University, Dr. Benjamin Carson, primarily during the final 45 minutes, discusses medical industry problems from a different point of view.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/313840-1

Good luck!

Q. I have been researching self-employment possibilities but still don’t know what I want to do. How long much time does it usually take to find the right idea?

A. It depends on the search strategy that you choose and your motivational level, skill set and personality. All these elements will play a role in the length of time involved. Some experts believe three months is a reasonable time frame for investigation, but some people may let indecision stretch the issue into years. If you are in the latter group, set a deadline for your decision-making, advises the Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation.

The Best Niche Always Wins
As has been the case each year, talent is only a small part of the competition.
The winner must not only present a fresh niche that will attract the right viewers in sufficient numbers to make it profitable for the network.

If a contestant has a persona and point of view similar to an  established network star, unless the hopeful’s  goal is publicity, a win is not possible.

Six weeks ago, I would have said the South didn’t stand a chance but with all the drama lately, it seems there is a spot now open…

Update: Three finalists have now submitted videos and viewers will vote for their favorite. Having viewers vote in the new star is a shrewd move.

If the South wins, then the overall resentment level for Paula Dean’s replacement would be minimal. Although the South is not, in terms of cooking authority and experience, the strongest member of the trio, the contestant with the bubbly personality and talent represents a point of view in the marketplace, which currently is not filled on the Food Network.

Food network.com
Behind the Scenes Season 9
http://tinyurl.com/m72xkqr