They’d never moved out of their starter home. While he continued to work at several different car dealerships, he also continued to look for the next big thing.
They’d invested in a storage locker business and then a t-shirt business, and then a nutritional supplement. With each venture, money got tighter.
But Hope dug in. She was determined to bring the girls up in a nice home.
She’d renovated every square inch of their starter home. She painted, tiled, and changed out fixtures. And she did it all on a shoestring. She turned a house she was reluctant to move to into something she was proud of.
They always seemed to have next to no money, except when Archie had a new business investment idea. Then he figured out how to sink what they didn’t have into the next thing that wouldn’t work.
Be that as it may, she loved their little home now, and as the girls left for college, it wasn’t even little to her anymore. It was a source of pride and what had kept them afloat. The bank offered them a line of credit on their home. This had become a lifeline for Hope.
That line of credit was going to turn Hope’s idea into reality.
Hope planned to open a food truck for graduation parties. She had the menu figured out. That was the fun part. Then, she’d mentioned it to her mom group, and the ball started rolling fast! If she could pull it together over the winter, she had four party bookings already.
The hard part was always the money, but this time, she was ready.
The line of credit at the bank was robust and would be more than enough to start her food truck business.
She just needed to find the truck.
She’d hunted every website, classified listing, and called everyone she could think of.
It took a month of leg work, but she’d found what she needed, a used food truck for sale, and it was only two counties over.
The truck needed a good scrub down and a new paint job, but she wasn’t afraid of hard work.
She’d call her new venture Venerable Events or something like that.
The truck had everything she’d need. A stovetop, a fryer, a rinsing sink, a cooler, and it actually ran! She’d checked out three trucks before this, and there were too many repairs required or not enough equipment inside, and the ones with no issues were out of her price range.
But this one, the former Fuzzy’s Rolling Taco, had everything. And it still rolled. The owner had it listed for fifty thousand dollars. It was old, on the small side, and a little dingey around the edges. But she could work with all of it.
She’d walked around, tried the equipment, kicked the tires of Fuzzy’s Rolling Taco Truck, and was satisfied that it was a good deal.
The final step was getting that price down a bit, and then she’d be in business. She couldn’t wait.
“I’ll want it. I can do thirty-five thousand.”
“You’re kidding. I need at least forty-eight.”
That was too much, and it was over-priced. Hope knew it because she’d done her homework.
“You won’t get that from me or anyone. Thirty-eight-five.”
The seller looked like she’d told him his mother was a hamster. “Forty-two.”
Ooh, she had him. She knew it. Hope went in with her best offer.
“Forty and I’ll be back this evening with the cashier’s check, drive it right out of here, and you’re done. Cash in hand instead of out here getting rusty and losing value.”
The seller thought a minute.
So, she pushed. “That’s a good offer. People aren’t clambering to start businesses in this economy, trust me.”
“Deal, forty thousand cash by the end of business today.”
Hope wanted to fist bump, happy dance, hoot, and holler, but she was trying to be cool.
