Rick moved back in with us then, and changed to a local GP who quickly discovered that his current course of meds were having adverse effects.  Within a few days of being on a new prescription Rick was a completely different person – up & about, talkative and ready to get going. 

He’d lost quite a bit of weight, so it was great to see his appetite back. If there were leftovers in the fridge they would not last the night – I had no chance!  After a while we talked about him getting an income.  We needed to find a job where an employer could tolerate Rick being off for days with migraines or other complications. Retail was not such a sector.

Rick learned some new skills in electronics as there were quite a few companies that were hiring. He taught himself to solder and learned about electronics, making a few circuits from kits.  But again the entry level roles were unlikely to withstand him being off many days on sick leave.

 

The solution came out of the blue. My friend had just had his bicycle tube replaced from the Bike Shed yet the same evening it was flat again. He knew Rick had a bike background so asked if he could take a look at it as my friend needed his bike first thing the next morning. That night we went up to his house and I watched as Rick quickly removed the wheel, tire and tube – in the dark. Then he expertly slung the tire over his shoulder, and shining a light inside, he rotated the tire around his shoulder until he found a small piece of glass. The Bike Shed had replaced the tube, but didn’t find the root cause of the problem. I think it took Rick 15 minutes to do the whole job, which he just shrugged off as nothing.

 
Over the next while we talked about him being a mobile bike mechanic and the concept of Cardiff Cycle Care was born. Rick decided he would do services for a set price –riding to the client’s home or workplace. We made a website and Rick hand-delivered some flyers we had made up.

He couldn’t believe it when he got his first two appointments within a couple of hours of delivering flyers. It was the start of a great few years for Rick as he proudly grew a client base of close to 1,000 customers. He met many really interesting people – lawyers, doctors, actors, book cover designers, politicians, photographers, musicians, homemakers – as he rode all over Cardiff, toolbag on his back.  I often worked from home and he’d stop by in-between appointments, make us a nice lunch, and field a few calls in his business phone voice.  Diary and map to hand, he got to know almost every street in Cardiff the fastest route to get there.  He was proud of what he’d done, making his own way without relying on government benefits.  Through contacts he made he picked up a casual job pulling pints at the Cardiff Devils games, giving him a chance to make a bit of cash while watching hockey.

 

The benefits were fabulous. He was in great shape, had a flexible structure and he got to have many light chats most days with clients and parts suppliers around the city.  He began to win corporate clients as well. The Prince’s Trust hired him to service their fleet while another company asked if he’d work for a few days to service their employee’s bikes. 

 

And while the satisfaction of creating your own business was fulfilling, he was smart enough to know that it had limited potential.  He explored ways to franchise the model nationally – such was his thinking – but he really did not desire to get rich, just not have to work so hard for so little.

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