Please help a young entrepreneur save his concession business

Hello, thank you for reading my post. My name is Trent, I am a 27 year old entrepreneur and owner of a local food trailer business in Medicine hat, Alberta.

I sparked my dream from my grandmother restaurant and my fathers desire for a carnival style concession trailer, but unfortunately my parents are both disabled and have not bin able to see my dream build or help create it. My father lives with crushed disk and degenerated disk syndrome and is currently ongoing problems of severe health issues. As much as he would love to he cannot help me save up or build my dream. I would love to make him proud well I still can.

I opened my business in 2017, as Whippletree catering named after my grandmother's restaurant in Ontario before her passing, Operating solo serving the community, specializing in grab and go lunches and holiday packages, I profited fairly for almost a year. I purchased a 1976 camper trailer and began renovating it to a concession trailer. But with my dad's health and my brother absent raising two kids, I was no carpenter and found out that the roof leaked, the walls leaked and after I started I ended with a wrecked camper. I moved on quit the project and kept catering. But then I thought i was ready and attempted to open up as a small cafe, but after investing all my time and money, the city required endless inspections and to many changes to the building, leaving me in debt and unable to pay for affective advertising and signage forcing me close and out of my investment.

After starting my business and losing the space, I was low on funds, I returned to work full time at a local restaurant. I was then presented an opportunity to open a concession trailer, opening in April of 2019. I took the opportunity and started Whippletree Chuck Wagon. Gaining lots of popularity and attention in the community I quickly gained great events such as the local race track, farmers markets, home and garden shows, setting up for HALO medic rescue events and many stampedes and rodeos.

Now that I prepare to go into this season, I have found out the owner of the mobile venue (trailer) I was renting, has now moved to British Columbia and is taking the trailer with him, leaving me out of a venue and potentially out of business. I still have all my start up take out containers and utensils, equipment etc. I only lack the trailer. As I just finished paying administration fees and operation cost for the 2020 season and bills left from the 2019, I do not have the funds to access a new trailer and rentals for concessions have sky rocketed this year, leaving that option out. I have found a trailer on Kijiji that I am negotiating payments on that is $12.500. I currently have a portion towards a first payment and deposit and have raised $300 from family, but he has not yet agreed to anything as he is looking for a minimum of around $5000 deposit and others want higher, not to mention being the worst time to need to source a trailer as most are already sold or rented for the season.

I only write this as I hope someone from the community might be willing to help me out as I do not have the option to quit or I will be in debt and without my business will have no way to re-build for the future of it easily. I set a goal around the approximate price I'm finding used concession trailers at, but really anything will help towards a deposit, as I need to be open for March 5 for events and will be glad to pay any remaining amount myself.

I am looking to buy a small concession unit that can help me re-build and earn enough to grow my dream. I am very involved in the community and will dedicate myself to help out events and fundraisers that I can in the area and will be proud to prove my pay it forward to the community by updating with community events I will hold myself to attend. I currently work with HALO medic air rescue on there events and would be glad to attend more charity gatherings, I will also give a gift card for Whippletree Chuck wagon as a thank you gesture, I want to look at this as a fund raiser not a Charity. (See bellow).

But on the down side, I live with spontaneous pneumothorax and gastric ulcers. After many hospital stays and lengthy test, surgeries. My funds have bin drained into helping my family and my health. I currently have $2000 that was suppose to be my first month's rent on my venue, that i will be putting towards a deposit on a used trailer on Kijiji and will be investing my whole checks, as I am seasonally employed thru a local restaurant in medicine hat. I am looking for a hand up not a hand out. thank you anyone who may consider to help me out and would be very appreciative. Even a share helps. ://m.facebook.com/TheWhippleTree/?ref=bookmarks

This is Whippletree (In the rental)

IF YOU ARE LOCAL AND DONATE I WILL EMAIL YOU A GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR WHIPPLETREE 40% OF DONATION, GOOD ANYTIME DURING SUMMER SCHEDULE (NO EXPIRE DATE). ANYTHING YOU CAN HELP WITH IS APPRECIATED, JUST EMAIL AFTER DONATING FOR GIFT.([email protected] with the name of donor)

IF YOU ARE OUT OF AREA AND DONATE, I WILL DONATE THE GIFT CERTIFICATES TO LOWER INCOME PEOPLE, FAMILIES OR HOMELESS IN THE AREA AND SUPPLY A UPDATE WITH PICTURES, UNLESS YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC PERSON IN MIND, I CAN SEND IT TO THEM.