Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Rookie Mistake by Misha Horne Rookie Mistake by Misha Horne. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. What can I do to prevent this in the future? If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. Cloudflare Ray ID: 6610f8ebb9de05f9 • Your IP : 116.202.236.252 • Performance & security by Cloudflare. Pros and Cons of Starting a Limo Business. Are you thinking of starting a limo business? If you are, it's important to know all the ins and outs, and to know what you can expect. It's not all glamorous, mind you. If you are thinking you will be driving a high class clientele only, then you are mistaken. Most of the time you will be providing services for weddings, but also proms, graduations, bachelor and bachelorette parties - which always carries a certain risk of damaging or fouling your car during the ride. But let's see what it actually means to have a limo business, all its glorious and nasty bits. Without further ado, here are the pros and cons of owning a limo business: Pro: Demand. There will always be a demand for limo services and ground transportation, to an extent. If you are well positioned, and competition is scarce in the areas you service, the business could be booming. If you are doing it properly, there will always be a need for town car and limo services. And by properly, we mean that you put enough effort in providing a quality service, do SEO as it's supposed to be done, and make sure you market your services to the right audience. Con: A lot of demand. We presume that at the beginning you will be the one who is driving your vehicle, and then as the demand increases, you should invest in expansion as well. Be prepared to work a lot, to work on weekends, to accept bookings during your grocery shopping, or morning coffee. Rising early one day, working late the next - your sleep schedule is about to get hectic. Every beginning is a bit hard, and you should be prepared for that. It will be especially be tricky to juggle multiple clients, and there is also the rookie mistake of accepting all the bookings and the general trouble of saying no. Pro: Various clientele. Limo services are used by a various lot. This is also largely dependent upon the area where you are providing your services. You have occasion- based users who rent a limo for special events like birthdays, engagements, weddings, bachelor and bachelorette parties, proms, even funerals. Then, you have corporate customers who are trying to impress new clients, conduct business deals, or simply squeeze more work and not wasting time while commuting. Then there are special area-related sights, or activities where you could also position yourself - for example offering exclusive city tours, wine tours, scenic drives, luxury shopping experience, and more. Cons: The wild ones. Special occasions will be the cornerstone of your business. But with various clientele comes the risk of disorderly conduct. Clients will drink and party inside your vehicle, and sometimes they won't be able to hold that liquor down. Pro: It's Cyclical. You will be more busy during certain months in the year - proms, graduations always fall around at the same time of the year, and generally people love spring and summer weddings. You will have less work during Christmas and holidays. Knowing these peaks can help you prepare, mentally and financially, in advance. You can earn more in these times, and spread it out for months with less business opportunities. Con: It's Cyclical. Even when you know the peaks and lows, it's a hassle not knowing how much will you earn in a given month. As opposed to fixed income, having your own business means that you can't make plans ahead and that saving is a good idea. Pro: Lucrative partnerships. There are also clients who require business accounts, with whom you could achieve mutually lucrative deals. You would get constant work and bookings while offering your services at a bit lower rates. You could form similar types of partnerships with various restaurants, wineries, casinos, hotels and clubs in the area. You could promote each other's businesses and reap the benefits, while sharing mutual clients. Con: Not enough demand. Today's market is huge, so there is rarely a service that works based on "build it and they will come" principle. You will have to fight for your customers, offer better rates and/or better services than your competitors. Investigate the market - see if there is room for a ground transportation provider and see whether there is a real demand. Pro: Driving cool vehicles. Again, assuming that in the beginning you will be running a one man show, that also means that you will drive pretty cool and luxurious vehicles at some point. Do you know anyone who can say he drives a stretch limo all day, powerful SUV, or a luxury sedan? Although, this can easily turn into a con if you spend a lot of time behind the wheel and generally start to dislike it. Know the market. Some areas would do great with simple town car rides, and somewhere a party bus would be a huge hit. Consider offering executive travel around large business centers, etc. Con: Paying for all the cool vehicles. If you spent time working as a chauffeur, as most ground transportation business owners did, don't forget that each vehicle comes with an extra price. Consider what are you going ti do with the storage area - renting those can get hefty. Maintenance for several vehicles, driver salaries, that's all on you. You have to make sure that your fleet is paying for itself. Pro: Owning a business. You will be your own boss and your success will largely depend upon yourself. You will be the only one deciding about where you will put in your hours and well, how many hours to put in in the first place. There is something in knowing that every day you work, you build your own thing, you work for yourself, not others. You set the rules, the limits, conduct business how you please. Con: Well. Owning a business. You will have to become a jack of all limo trades. Especially in the beginning, you will have to deal with bureaucracy, maintaining your vehicle, cleaning, receiving bookings, making your own schedule, getting all the permits in order, taxes, being in charge of the marketing, social, getting a good website, consider what lead generation techniques to employ. You simply have to be on top of it. Pro: Being there for your clients' happiest moments. It's perfect really - you get to be in the front row seats for people's happiest moments in their lives. You will be right there when they celebrate their birthdays, have fun with their friends, and you will be able to paint the city where you drive in your own words, to show newcomers and tourists what you see. You will be there for engagements, for weddings, for proms and anniversaries. It's nice to know you are contributing to their once- in-a-lietime experience in some way. Con: Ruining one of their happiest moments. Well. Accidents happen. And you will surely witness a demise, whether of your own doing or due to unforeseeable events. Cars break down, and no amount of maintenance can affect a flat tire. As you go on in the business, sometimes errors will occur - wrong times, being late for pickups, wrong cars booked, those are all real-life, viable scenarios that can occur and there is a possibility that you may ruin somebody's moments of happiness. So, to summarize: Starting a limo business can be very lucrative, if it's done properly. Pace yourself, expand slowly, offer services that are in demand and invest in Marketing - especially SEO. Be prepared to deal with stress on a daily basis. This is the business that takes a lot of money to set it up. And, the more luxury service you provide, the more it will be demanding. Super pro tip: All limo business offer same services and same rides. Sure, your vehicle must be impeccably clean and in near-mint condition. But that is all regarding the cars you provide. The rest is up to you, and the experience you provide. Our advice? Work for someone, hone the skills, and see whether this could be your world. Smiling in the spotlight. Editor’s Note: September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. As the month draws to a close, The Madill Record staff chose to spend some time on the topic. Our reporter, Shalene White, and her husband, Charles, who many of you know as the Jedi Chef, have been heavily involved with professional wrestling both regionally and nationally for the past two decades. This is relevant because this week, Shalene is sharing the story of Bobby Horne, a semi-retired professional wrestler, who has struggled with depression and even contemplated suicide. We tell you this so you can be aware of the mature content that is to follow and to put a face on suicide and mental awareness that is not someone from our community. There are many types of celebrities who go above and beyond by putting their lives in danger just for the sake of entertainment. The gamut includes actors who do their own stunts, stuntmen, professional wrestlers and others. One may think it is impossible for wrestling to be dangerous, it is fake, right? Wrestlers put their lives in the opponent’s hands every time they step into the ring. One wrong move can seriously injure them, some have been paralyzed or lost their lives. Many professional wrestlers have suffered major, career ending injuries, while some have even proved fatal. Physical health is not the only thing that wrestler’s put in danger for the business. It is also possible to damage one’s psychological self. Many wrestlers, retired and current roster alike, have faced issues of depression, not sure where to turn. How does a celebrity smile in front of fans while fighting back his own inner demons? Bobby Horne is a semi-retired professional wrestler. He hit the big times in wrestling in 1993, back when it was known as the World Wrestling Federation. Even though he was living his dream, inside his mind felt like a nightmare. In 1994. Horne would not elaborate on the incident but said a rookie mistake caused him to be absent from the spotlight and TV for some time. Horne wound up feeling so depressed that he almost took his own life. He had consumed almost an entire case of beer and was planning on ‘blowing his brains out’ with a 9 mm. Thankfully, fate interrupted and saved him. “My girlfriend was staying with me that weekend, she was down from Chicago. Her dog ran off, and she came screaming into the backyard where I was.” Horne said it took three hours to locate the canine. By the time they found it, he had temporarily forgot about his own issues. Horne struggles with depression to this day. However, he does not take the medications that the doctors have prescribed him because of a diagnosis in the late 90s. Horne was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis — a condition where scar tissue builds on the kidney, demising the ability to filter. Horne discontinued taking Celexa for depression to limit the damage to his kidneys from the side effects. The retired wrestler, who now runs a wrestling school and an antibullying campaign for children, said that even though he constantly has depressing thoughts, he smiles in front of the fans. “I’ve always been about helping other people, no matter my emotional state.” Horne said his depression should not hinder the children having fun or feeling safe, so he smiles through the pain. Horne is not the only professional wrestler who has battled depression. Wrestlers like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Brock Lesnar have struggled with the demon of depression. Some of the wrestlers lost the fight because they did not seek help for whatever reason. There are over 40 documented wrestlers who died by their own hands. Most of the wrestlers thought the end of their depression would be fixed by alcohol and pills. One wrestler did not go quietly into the night. Chris Benoit allegedly murdered his wife and young son before taking his own life. The doctors attributed his actions to brain damage from wrestling, steroid abuse and depression. Oklahoma carries the seventh highest ranking in the nation in suicide deaths. Unfortunately, Horne and the other wrestlers are not a small pocket of people, the trend seems to go into hyperdrive in Oklahoma. Over 3,600 Oklahomans committed suicide in a four-year span. The ratio of suicides to homicides in Oklahoma are three to one. More than three fourths of suicides per year are males age 35 to 44. Some people with suicidal tendencies have a double whammy, like Horne. He also served in the military, adding to the depression by being deployed. According to the United States Census Bureau, the suicide rate for Oklahoma is 122.3 per 100,000 veterans. This number far exceeds the national average at 70.4 per 100,000. Marshall County is a place that is proud and very steeped in the tradition of football and wrestling, two extremely high impact sports. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found significant evidence between sports induced brain injuries and depression. The clinic posted that “some studies suggest that the risk for developing depression following atraumatic brain injury may be two to five times higher than in the rest of the population.” Unfortunately, in sports, a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is not the only danger for depression in student athletes. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) found that the coach/student dynamic can also be a trigger for depression and suicidal tendencies. The need to do well in the sport to please the coach can cause anxiety and depression. “The relationship between coaches and athletes can be complex,” the NFHS reported. “Coaches may feel pressured to base their interactions around techniques and tactics of the sport in order to ‘win now.’ Ideally, coaches will have the desire and administrative support to have a lifelong impact on their athletes, helping them develop into caring, competent and productive adults.” If not careful, the need to please the coach could turn into a bad thing. “In turn, many student-athletes, relishing the positive feedback, rewards of immediate success and attention of a coach may feel pressured to stay in the athletic-performance focused part of the coach-athlete relationship, hiding the ways in which they are struggling and in need of emotional and mental support,” NFHS continued. This means the depression could potentially go untreated, and be fatal. The organization also warns of the “just play through the pain” stigma, or how some use sports as an escape. If the student never learns to deal with the stress, and most times depression, from the game, it puts them at a higher risk for a mental-health crisis. To assist parents or mentors in identifying depression, the Mayo Clinic posted some of the symptoms. “Common symptoms of depression include, among others, persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness or hopelessness; frequent tearfulness, anger, irritability or frustration; loss of interest or pleasure in activities a person usually enjoys; sleep problems; significant fatigue or lack of energy; changes in appetite; feelings of worthlessness or guilt; difficulty concentrating; problems with thinking and memory; and recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.” For anybody who is depressed and having suicidal thoughts, needing somebody to talk to, there are resources available to help. National Alliance on Mental Illness has multiple programs to assist. Oklahoma Heartline is a multiple faceted organization with many resources that focus on assistance. This organization makes it simple to connect to somebody for many different crises. One can either call 800-273-8255 or simply dial 211. Review: Working Out the Kinks by Misha Horne. I learned early on that pretty much everything in life is a scam, and love’s at the top of the list. Easy to fake, maximum payout, and people just never stop falling for it. Watching my mom break hearts and empty bank accounts as we bounced from house to house taught me just how dangerous feelings could be. That’s a whole lot of hassle I don’t need. These days, I stick to three basic rules. I don’t take something just because I want it. I don’t ask for help, even if I need it. And I never look twice at a guy who has a bigger bank account than I do. I know where those things can get you, and it’s not anywhere I need to go. I’m perfectly happy being a dive bar rock star who can barely pay his rent, chasing the dream until my time or my sanity runs out. At least, I thought I was. Until Brett showed up. Another thing I don’t do is think about the past. All the people I can never look in the eye again. Who know just how ugly I really am deep down. The last person I need to get mixed up with is someone on that list. The last person I need to go breaking all my rules for is the cocky, spoiled brat who used to sleep in the room across the hall. No matter how gorgeous he is now. No matter how filthy he is in bed. No matter how good it feels when he says all he wants in the world is me. This was an interesting book to read. Working Out the Kinks is about Landon and Brett. Once, many years ago, they were step-brothers for a short time. Landon’s mother marrying men for their money. It’s what she did. Marrying and divorcing men, usually leaving with quite a bit of money from the divorce. Landon never liked his mother doing those things and the time he spent living with Brett’s family was one where he also knew it would end at some point. Brett is wealthy and has nice things. Landon never had any of that. He’s a rock star, or as much as he could be with his band. He doesn’t have much, but he wouldn’t trade what he has for anything else. One night, Landon and Brett do reunite and sparks fly between them. It was way too easy to believe that because it felt right, it was right. That was bullshit. A lie people told themselves to keep from feeling guilty when they did stupid, terrible things. I feel like I didn’t enjoy this book as much as some other books I have read by the author, BUT Working Out the Kinks did get me out of my reading funk. The main hurdle I could not really get over in this story is that the love interests are ex-step-brothers. I know. They’re not related by blood and their parents are no longer together. I have read ex-step-sibling romances before and haven’t had an issue with the trope if it’s done well. But in this case, it’s part of their kink, so…it’s just not my thing. The writing is good. There is a story and there is angst that breaks my heart, which is what the author does so well. So, I guess it’s kind of weird to say the relationship in this book just isn’t for me while there are many aspects about the story I did enjoy? The ending is nice, if not abrupt. We do get a nice little HFN between Landon and Brett. But by the time I got to the last sentence, I felt like I wanted more . The author writes very well-written books that have lots of sex (usually involving spanking) and a lot of angst and heart-wrenching moments. I had no need for attachment. I didn’t play long games at anything. Yet, here I was…Him dismantling me piece by piece until I’d actually started just handing parts of me over. Him making me want to believe that all broken things could be fixed. And that maybe I wasn’t quite as broken as I’d always thought I was. ROUND 1 TO DALLAS. The Cowboys won the game that happened to break out in between the fights that Dallas and the Bears had Monday night. The final score was 15-13 as Rafael Septien hit a 24-yard field goal with 3 seconds to play, but enough of the boring stuff. Bears` offensive linemen Keith Van Horne and Mark Bortz won a tag-team match against Cowboys` All-Pro defensive tackle Randy White, who was kicked out of the game in the first quarter for bopping Bortz on the head with Van Horne`s helmet. ''Because I was wearing a helmet. He was nice enough not to hit Van Horne,'' said Bortz. ''He ripped my helmet off,'' said Van Horne, who didn`t know why. ''I didn`t want to hit anyone,'' said White. ''But he (Bortz) pushed me and I just reacted.'' Said Cowboys` assistant coach Ernie Stautner: ''Randy doesn`t need a helmet to lay somebody out.'' Later, Van Horne and Ed ''Too Tall'' Jones squared off. Jones grabbed Van Horne`s face mask, an advantage he didn`t have when he quit football in 1979 for an unsuccessful attempt at the real boxing profession. ''I almost had cardiac arrest I was so tired from the fighting,'' said Van Horne. Bears` defensive lineman Steve McMichael and Cowboys` fullback Ron Springs went at it, too. ''He was cuttin` me (blocking low) and I called him some names,'' explained McMichael. ''So he pushed me. Nobody pushes me. Besides, he was littler than me.'' ''It`s going to be World War III in November,'' said defensive tackle Dan Hampton, envisioning the Nov. 17 rematch when it counts. ''We`re going to ask the trainer if he can get plaster casts and little bits of metal.'' Too bad it`s not on Monday night. Walter Payton could have a rematch with ABC-TV commentator O.J. Simpson. Payton was mildly upset that Simpson told the national audience Payton made ''a poor decision'' on a third-and-1 run in the last minute of the half at the Dallas 29 in which he failed to pick up a first down. ''He wouldn`t say that about Eric Dickerson or Marcus Allen,'' said Payton. ''I don`t know if it was a mistake or not. I`ll have to look at the film. But I pride myself on never making mistakes, no matter how small. It kills me. I run as I see it. I`m an instinctive runner. ''But I still have a lot of respect for him (Simpson) and I`m happy he`s where he`s at. It`s early in the season for me and early in the season for him, too, and we all make mistakes.'' There were preliminary and lesser bouts between the Bears` Jimbo Covert and the Cowboys` Jim Jeffcoat; the Bears` Rob Fada and the Cowboys` Kevin Brooks; and the Bears` Dennis Gentry and the Cowboys` Jesse Penn. ''I don`t think I`ve seen that many fights in one game, but it was competitive. Everybody was after everybody,'' said Dallas coach Tom Landry. ''We don`t teach it and we don`t want it to happen,'' said Bears` coach Mike Ditka. ''Somebody says the Bears are tough guys and the Cowboys know they`re tough guys and pretty soon nobody wants to back down. But you never retaliate. If a guy hits you, you can`t hurt him anyway, so why hit him back? It`s silly. I`m disappointed. We should be smarter than that and they should be smarter, too.'' The Bears also appeared to win the battle of the training room. They lost linebacker Otis Wilson with a sprained ankle in the first quarter. Wilson said it wasn`t bad and he would be back soon. The Cowboys lost No. 1 draft choice Kevin Brooks (foot), receivers Leon Gonzalez (knee) and Tony Hill (ribs) and guard Brian Baldinger (knee) for undetermined lengths of time. Brooks and Baldinger were carried off on a cart. Ditka again was happy with the Bears` performance, although the team fell to a preseason record of 0-3 and couldn`t cash in on numerous offensive opportunities. Four times, quarterbacks Jim McMahon and Steve Fuller had the ball at the Dallas 20 or closer and couldn`t score a touchdown. Yet the defense played well enough to enable the Bears to take a 13-12 lead with 6:29 to play on a 10-yard touchdown pass from rookie Mike Tomczak to rookie James Maness. It was set up by two outstanding catches by Ken Margerum. But the Cowboys had time to come back with the winning field goal, Septien`s third of the game, because the Bears couldn`t make another first down. The Bears` defense welcomed the return of middle linebacker Mike Singletary, Hampton and free safety Gary Fencik. Cowboy quarterback Gary Hogeboom directed a 98-yard drive for the winners` only touchdown--a 6-yard pass to Hill in the second quarter--but that was the only big chunk they took. Hogeboom picked on rookie cornerbacks Ken Taylor and Reggie Phillips during most of the drive, but Taylor impressed Ditka. ''I think he made the team,'' said Ditka. Taylor is the Bears` only healthy punt returner. On less firm ground is punter Dave Finzer, whose 36-yard boot from his end zone set up the Cowboys at the Chicago 42 for their winning field- goal drive. Finzer had three punts for a 36-yard average. Newcomer Maury Buford kicked two for a 56-yard average, including a booming 68-yarder. ''You saw it,'' said Ditka. ''I saw enough all week to see Buford is a fine punter.'' Placekickers Bob Thomas and Kevin Butler remained close, Thomas connecting on a 24-yard field goal and the go-ahead extra point, and Butler hitting an 18-yarder. The Bears blew plenty of chances to score touchdowns after spending most of their training camp working on plays inside the 20-yard line. Yet, Ditka said: ''We`ll be ready. We said three things: we had to play with pride, we had to execute and we had to be consistent. We played with pride.