Wednesday, March 21, 2012

A New Beginning


Thank you for checking out my new blog and welcome.

Part 2 A New Beginning.

To be honest I don't know what it is but I feel like I need to start fresh. Am I changing? Well really we all do in life as life goes on. I guess doing a new start with this blog is having a new start with what I do with it. Maybe it's because I'm not a Big Issue Vendor any-more, I don't know.

I was sitting here all excited, thinking what to write about first. Ha ha.

A quick history.

I'm called “Grant the Polite Guy” because I'm always polite, my parents drummed it into me well as a kid.

I had an accident and spent 9 months in and out of hospital then became homeless and after a while started selling the Big Issue.

While selling the Big Issue and being homeless myself I started helping others who were homeless themselves, with my 'Pie and Coke' days and then moving on to doing BBQ'S with 100's of homeless on a bigger scale.

I got my wife and family back and got remarried last October.

I got on my feet in a huge way by starting a new franchise with Buffed doing shoe shines at the BOQ building (259 Queen St Brisbane City).

There all court up. Ha ha.


Pie and Coke

A lot of people don't know what I mean when I say 'Pie and Coke' so here it is.

I meet homeless and ask them if they would like to join me for lunch or a meal. (Depends on what time it is) The idea is that I buy both of us a meal and drink and then sit and just talk to them as friends or even mates. I don't really talk that much but I do listen a lot. I hear lots of different stories about so many things. The one thing I'm looking for is that one person that wants to get on there feet and not be homeless any-more.

Don't get me wrong I never push, ever. I encourage only and wait to see what they say back. Sometimes people aren't ready so I would rather be there friend so they will want to talk to me again and maybe that day they'll be ready or maybe not. But the day they are ready I will be there for them.

Sometimes I post here about people that are looking for help and I ask for others to help as well. I do try and do it myself as much as I can but I too have a family to keep.

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Buffed

I'm not sure if I have mentioned them much in the past. But they are Australia's first social franchise and I was one of the first to get one. Pretty much it means it helps people who have hit have times or come from a bad past they have to opportunity to start there own business and they set everything on a payment plan and give you all the training you could ever need, In fact it's still ongoing even after 3 months now. Helping people that what to get on there feet. But really check them out or even better come meet me and get a shoe shine from me at 259 Queen St (I'm the good looking, Polite Guy in the foyer)

Facebook name
Buffed


Twitter name
@BuffedOz

Hey they even give me a mentor. “Hi David” ha ha

But really it's a business set up by great companies like:

The Wise Foundation,
They set many of things up including The Big Issue.

Bank Of Queensland BOQ,
They have helped me and others so much with everything including getting the chairs and letting me be in there building foyer.

The University Of Queensland,
They a great they helped put the whole franchise plan together and continue to work with us.

Wil Valor,
Hey they gave us our shirts as a uniform. The guy is A's in my book. Check his site www.wilvalor.com.au mention me and I might get a beer or two out of it. Ha ha.

Really all these together banded together to help others that need it most and that's when they needed a hand up not a hand out and I can say I was one.

I say “Thank you”

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I have so much I want to write about but I always remember a mate of mine saying that anything over 1,000 words and I lose the reader. I don't know if it's true but I do try and keep it under 1,000 words when I can. I must admit I get to excited and just keep writing and then I have to shorten it. Ha ha not fun.

Once again welcome to my new blog and please do share with others as I'm sure I will lose a lot of readers because of the blog address change.

I am excited to be starting a new blog and really in my eyes I get to show a new start as well.


I have the same Facebook, Twitter and email for chatting to.

Facebook:
Grant Richards

Twitter:
@grantpoliteguy

Email:
grantthepoliteguy@gmail.com

Thank you again for reading my new blog and I hope you all have a great day. Remember being polite cost nothing but get so much out of life.

Grant the Polite Guy