Turning the page

New Years is a few days away so now seems an appropriate time to wrap up what happened this year, and set my goals for next year. A virtual Board of Directors meeting if you will, and since my social media followers and fans are the closest thing I have to a BoD I figured I'd share the wrap up with you.
At the start of 2011 fencing was still something new, and Cookies were still mostly an experiment. In February I was told that I should start thinking about upgrading my equipment to the international standard, this or course came with a hefty price tag. at that point I set a sales goal of 200 dozen cookies. Thanks to some lucky breaks, a spotlight interview on Thrillist ATL andThrillist Seatle I was able to get my internationally rated uniform, unfortunately I came up a little shy on funds for my first international event in Montreal. It worked out better for me in the long run because it gave me more time to develop as a fencer. In March I went to my 3rd National event of my fencing career in Detroit Michigan. I won my first medal at this event and started to see all that all the hard work was paying off.

I lost focus on cookies in April and got away from sharing my story with my friends and customers and started to use social interaction to inundate time lines with sales pitches rather then interacting with customers. I still find myself falling into the "buy my cookies" trap but I'm trying to be more human and less corporate.
In May I had the opportunity to get away from the normal weekend practices with my team and go to an event in Oklahoma. I fenced well and learned how to enjoy myself on the fencing strip. The trip back home was..Well that's another story  

The cookie biz slowed for a bit during  "swimsuit" season and I found myself getting a little discouraged but the slow down gave me time to refocus on my goals for fencing as well as for Wheeling Chef.

Things started to pick back up in October and haven't slowed down since. Holiday sales were very good this year, my one week sales this year actually eclipsed a great month last year. Fencing has also seemed to have taken off. In Kansas City this month I fenced as well as I ever have bringing home two medals.

The next few months are going to be busy as far as fencing I'll be in Tampa in February, Cincinnati, in March and Virgina Beach in April.   The schedule is demanding but I'm looking forward to it.
Like last year I'm setting a sales goal for a major purchase, this year its a new fencing chair. The one that I use now is my team captains old one. It has served me well to this point but it is time I got one of my own that was built for me. A new fencing chair is approximately $2,000 or 333 dozen cookies. A big goal no doubt, but I have never backed down from a challenge.
Thank you all for your support over the last 12 months and for sticking with me during my cookie experiment and fencing adventure.

Little bites of buttery independence!

No it is not a hobby it is not something I am doing "just because" Wheeling Chef is my business, small at the moment but building every day. The recipes are not ones I lifted from the web they are ones I've developed from research and trial and error. The business supports my passion for my fencing and I wouldn't have it any other way. Granted the business started at a time when all I could afford was a 5lb bag of flour and a box of butter and I needed to raise funds to cover some major expenses that I was hardly prepared for. Now those little bits of buttery goodness have done so much more for me then I ever intended. Yes the budget is still tight, but cookies are helping ends meet more and more. There were times when I wondered what I had gotten myself into, and if this crazy idea was to crazy to go anywhere, but just like fencing, and life in general I just put my head down and powered through. Now like fencing, cookies are turning the corner, with every dozen I get closer and closer to my dream. Who knew that butter flour and sugar could be so liberating. Now its time to head back into the kitchen and create a few more dozen little bites of buttery independence!

Well that was fun!

As most of you know I spent last weekend in Kansas City at a fencing tournament. I am happy to report that I fenced very well rolling away with two shiny medals! Thanks to your suppourt and love of wheeling chef cookies I was able to pay my registration fee, cover my hotel room, eat and buy a new mask! More importantly thank you all for the text messages, Facebook posts and tweets wishing me luck, those meant more to me then the financial support.  Delta behaved themselves and my chair and equipment arrived in one piece, honestly I think they managed to bend it back to where it was before the infamous flight from hell.

I never thought I would be participating in wheelchair fencing nor that I would be supporting my participation in it with the profits from cookies, but here we are almost two years into my fencing career and a year and a half into running a cookie business and things are rolling right along. My next major event is in Cincinnati Ohio March 16th-19th and then  April 13,- April 16,   Virginia Beach, Virginia. I'm going to be vary busy.. And I'm going to have to start selling a lot of cookies.

This years big goal is to pay for the tournaments and  get a new fencing chair, the one i'm using now is hand me down and has served me well but its time to get one built just for me, They are not cheap but worth it, a new chair breaks down to about 500 dozen cookies but  it can be done.


Again I cannot express my gratitude for the support I've received from all of you. Thank you for joining and supporting me on this journey.

I am me I am not a wheelchair

A week or so ago received an email from a good friend, she presented me with an odd yet flattering question. In the course of her job she came in contact with the mother of a young man with cerebral palsy who is having a tough time of it. My friend asked me if I would be willing to introduce myself to the family and share some of my experiences. I remember all too well what  its like to be 16 ,have cerebral palsy and  navigate  the social minefield that is high-school. I decided to write the email, but then I figured the fans of my blog might want to get to know a little more about their favorite sword wielding, cookie slinging, twitterrific guy.  
My name is Rick Zengler and I was born with cerebral palsy.  My parents insisted that I attend school public school rather then a school that was designed with the disabled in mind. I went through the normal awkward stages that kids go through complete with  bullying. My teenage years were tough, they are tough on everyone,  the addition of a wheelchair made those years even tougher. I never felt like I fit in with the rest of the kids at school and had periods of depression because of it. I ended up getting involved with High-school sports  and that helped provide what I needed to navigate the high-school jungle. I got involved with the football team in the esteemed position of "hydration coordinator" better know as water-boy. Eventually I approached the coach of the wrestling team and asked if I could do something to help out. His idea of me helping out was having me join the team as a wrestler. I would love to tell you that I was the biggest bad ass on the mat but I wasn't truth be told I wasn't good at all, but I finally fit in. I found out from my friends years later that at first the team didn't know what to think when they saw me roll into the wrestling room but over time  they saw that despite the difficulties I was having I was hanging in with pace of practice and showing up day after day, It was my dedication that impressed them not the fact that I was in a wheelchair. It took a little time and two summers working in Alaska for me to figure out that I use a wheelchair to get around the  wheelchair does not define who I am. Once I figured that out life became a series of obstacles to be met and overcome rather then ones that would cause me to become frustrated and depressed. Don't get me wrong my life has not been all sunshine and puppies, and I've had some tough times, I've been broke, I've been homeless, and I've had relationships fail. I've learned from everything and  I've grown. and there will always be setbacks. its just how you handle them and what you learn from those setbacks. Its because of all of these setbacks and what they taught me  that I found myself in West Palm Beach Florida  entering culinary school, after even after getting resistance from the admissions department, I knew what I wanted and wasn't going to let anything stop me.
I'm Rick Zengler and I make cookies to help make my dream come true.  Oh I use a wheelchair to get around, but its not what defines me.

Of Anchors and Chips

After reading my  last blog entry "discounted" a friend of mine said

"It's really good you have such a good sense of humor about things. I'm sure I would lose patience VERY quickly."
I've always had a good sense of humor about they way some people act around "the disabled" if I  didn't I'd  end up going thru life with a huge chip on my shoulder, I've done that and said chip becomes an anchor really quickly. I'm not saying that I don't have my days, I do and I do get frustrated in the way society can overlook people who don't fit into what is considered the "norm." When I find myself being overlooked or even pitied by individuals and the frustration level rising I take a second, pause collect myself and laugh. Why do I laugh when people approach my like I'm made of glass and have the brains of a  nematode? It's simple really..They have no idea who I am or what I've done with my life, and by treating me as they do, they prove that I'm the one who should feel sorry for them. After-all can they say that they have built a business that supports a habit that gives them a chance to compete on a national stage as well as an international one? How many of the individuals that speak to the people that I am with rather then me  when I'm at a restaurant assume that I know nothing about food or customer service. Some days I just want to put on a t-shirt that says "I'm the one who calculates your TIP!"
My point with all of this is I don't get pissed off when I get discounted by others, I know its a reflection of their  own insecurities and fears, I just smile and laugh. I don't need anchors holding me back in my life.

Discounted

The other day I was at the pet store picking up food for my dogs, and decided to take a look at the selection of fish that the store had to offer. As I navigated through the tanks full of guppies,goldfish and tetras, I found myself  looking at a cool eel looking fish labeled as a Knife fish. As soon as I saw it I wanted to know more, Its called a knife fish after all. I asked the friendly aquarium specialist for the rundown on the knife fish, the first thing she said was that it was half off because it was a "special needs" fish. Knife fish are blind and according to the  aquarium specialist food needs to be placed right in-front of the animals nose. Well It is called a knife fish and since it was discounted by the store because no one would take it due to its disability, I had to have it. The fish is by no means disabled, yes its blind, but it cruises around the tank with ease. As soon as the food hits the tank the little monster is right on it. After experiencing the fish for a few days I couldn't help but laugh. I wonder how many times I've been "discounted" because I roll around instead of walk.

  I've seen it many times, at restaurants my girlfriend gets asked how many for dinner even when I roll in the door first, she gets asked what I want for dinner. If I didn't keep a sense of humor about it I'd go blind with rage. I was at a craft show when I first started my cookie adventure, someone came up to my table and saw the cookie boxes arrayed on the table and asked my table mate who made the cookies, when she pointed to me the lady who posed the question laughed and said "yeah right he couldn't have done that he's in a wheelchair" I think on that incident while looking at what I've done with cookies and I have to laugh.

  This past weekend I took part in another hobby of mine, that of learning rifle marksmanship, while I was engaged in the instruction my girlfriend was approached by one of the attendees and told that "it was good to see me out" to steal a line from one of my favorite movies where am I supposed to be in a closet?

People who use crutches, canes or even wheelchairs are not broken, people with any disability are people, people who have hopes and dreams just like everyone else, true we may have to improvise and adapt how we do things, but we are not to be discounted.

With a little help

I had a great practice on Saturday, my coach and team captain have seen major developments in my fencing recently, So much so that they would like me to get as much experience as I can, to that end they would like me to participate in the Crescent City Open in  New Orleans at the end of the month. Things are going great with fencing and its awesome  that I have this opportunity, I had been planning for Kansas City in December now my timeline for is shorter, so I've got to amp up my training regime and my cookie sales  I've got a little over two weeks to sell 30 dozen..Its a heck of a goal but I can do this, with a little help from my friends.Let's make it happen!

Here we go

The schedule for the upcoming fencing season is out.  I've got a tournament in Kansas City in December, another one in Cincinnati in March and the last one is in Virginia Beach in April . That doesn't include any small events that may pop up  Its going to be a busy few months. I'm starting my second year fencing and my second year of slinging cookies, and I can't help but think of all the help and support I have received from friends and customers, for some strange reason you guys find my story fascinating, I'm just a guy who sells cookies to fund his wheelchair fencing habit, a guy who is making his way the best he can with what he can, but thanks for the support.
We've all been in job interviews where we get the question “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Five years ago I would not have said “I'll be baking cookies to support my wheelchair fencing habit” Fencing just sort of happened, and cookies started out of the need to fill a financial void. I posted an announcement on my facebook page some friends picked up the post, I got interviewed and the next thing I know I had covered the entry fee and the cost of a new epee, and the orders kept coming. Things were going really well, but then things slowed down a bit, the buzz had worn off. At the same time fencing started to ware on me I had suffered an injury that sidelined me for a month, daily workouts had gotten the best of me and my shoulders started to protest. It was during these low times that I had to dig down and find resolve where I thought none existed. If anything both fencing and cookies have taught me where my strength really is and the depth of my resolve.
So here I am about to embark on another fencing season and gearing up for another round of massive cookie sales and marketing. You guys get to follow all the adventures and miss-adventures, you'll get to share in my victories and my defeats, i'm sure i'll piss you off, make you laugh, and I might even make you cry, who knows, but its your support that is helping this little guy with big dreams realise them and feel 10 ft tall.

Still slinging cookies and swording it up

It was brought to my attention that its been over a year since I was fortunate enough to be interviewed for an article on CHUD.com. Its been one heck of a year. The cookie biz has been great at times and I've caught wondering what the heck I was thinking. The same with fencing, I've had days when fencing rocks and I've had days when I just want to toss the gear into the closet and forget I had even heard of fencing. With an injury,  a lull  in sales and the delta fiasco I really had to dig deep, put my head down and power thru.  So here it is one year after my big break and "I'm still kicking ass, baking and swording it up! I couldn't have done any of this without the support of my loved ones and my loyal tweeps. Thanks for all the support. Lets make the next year even better. Tell your friends about this crazy wheelchair fencing baker you know, share my story and enjoy handcrafted cookies from a little guy with big dreams and a rolling pin.

A thank you

With the tone of my last few blogs, you’re probably thinking this is

going to be another one haranguing Delta for their continued lack of
response to my concerns. They have yet to respond, but that is a topic
for another time. Today’s blog is a tip of the proverbial hat to a
venue that is very wheelchair friendly.

On Saturday night I found myself with free tickets to the Georgia Force

game at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.

I received the tickets as part of a promotional effort and they were
not officially in the handicapped section; naturally I was a bit
worried. To my pleasant surprise the ticket was honored as is and I
was given a seat in the handicapped section with no hassle. This is my
2nd time attending an event at the Gwinnett arena and both times I

have been pleased with my experience. The wheelchair accessible seating

allows for great visibility and access to and from the concessions
couldn’t be easier.   The seats were great but I cannot say enough
about the staff - the ushers were helpful, directing me to the nearest
accessible bathroom to my seat, offering to help me get my food to my
seat and even speaking with me, not to my bipedal date. I know
speaking to me doesn’t sound like a big deal, but often when I'm out
with my friends, service staff speaks with my companions rather then

me.  It’s annoying.  Arena staff seemed to treat me as a human being, not

as a novelty. Thank you for treating your disabled guests as guests
and not as annoyances to be dealt with.

I was also pleased to see two staff members who were in wheelchairs; again a very refreshing thing to see, Now if you only sold Wheeling Chef cookies - that would rock!

The game was fun and even though the Force came up short, I was
impressed with the fan interaction of the Force through the

@GeorgiaForceAFL twitter account and the PA announcer’s attempts to
bring the crowd into the game. You've gained a fan!

Hey next season maybe during the pre-game rush you can have some sword wielding
wheelchair dudes giving a demo!

The Delta saga continues

On July 1st I posted  an open letter to Delta on my blog, detailing my flight experience on June 12th.  A member of the Delta Assist Twitter team contacted me that night and asked for my flight my fight info and claim number.  After I provided the information the Delta Assist Twitterling asked for a contact email, and told me that a file would be created.  A file was going to be created?  A file was created on the day of the flight when I talked to my first customer service representative and then again on the 21st when a letter was sent to corporate customer care.  Ten days after the letter was received by corporate and eighteen days after the flight I had heard nothing from Delta,  not even a “We are looking into this” or  a “Go to hell, this isn't worth our time.”  So I took action by posting my letter.

I didn't expect anything to happen over the holiday weekend so I went on with my weekend, including attempting to practice in my Delta-modified fencing chair. On Sunday I was enjoying the Braves game when I saw a Delta commercial where they claim to have the customer's back; they are not just building a bigger airline but a better one.  My experience indicated that was not true, so I re-posted my letter on Twitter.  Another Delta Assist agent contacted me and asked for my flight information and claim number.  This time when I provided the information I informed the agent that they had already received this information on the 12th of June, 21st of June, the 1st of July and now the 3rd of July. It was at this point that I discovered yet another customer service failure.

When I discovered the damage to fencing wheelchair I reported the damage to the first line customer service representatives at the airport. I was told that I would be contacted the next day by a Delta representative to discuss what they could do to assist in the repair and/or replacement of my mobility device. When I told the Delta Assist agent this they informed me that average turnaround time for a response is thirty days. When one person tells me one thing and another tells me something else, the frustration level understandably rises exponentially. I was promised that my case would be escalated yesterday. I won't hold my breath on this one.

I do have to thank the Delta Assist individual that I communicated with on Sunday; they were the first person to apologize and offer to take action on my case.

I'm starting to wonder if Delta sees its disabled customers as secondary citizens whose safety is not as valuable as those people who have a Delta Sky Miles credit card, whose right to mobility can be compromised for the convenience of gate agents, and who can be given false promises to shut them up.

I wish to thank my friends on Twitter and Facebook who have shared my experience with their friends and family. I will keep you updated on how things progress.

An open letter to delta

Dear Delta Airlines

I'd like to commend you on the professionalism and care of your gate
agents, baggage handlers, and your customer service staff; I'd like to

compliment your staff on how they handled a problem with expediency

and fairness; I'd like to tell you how equitable and reasonable your

fees are. I'd like to compliment you on all of this; but given my

experience on 12 June 2011 and the days following, I cannot.

On 12 June 2011, I was returning to Atlanta Georgia from Oklahoma City
Oklahoma following a wheelchair fencing tournament. I checked my
fencing equipment bag, my secondary wheelchair and my carry on.  I was
traveling alone and would not be able to manage my bag and maneuver my
chair during my scheduled connection. I understand getting charged for
two bags, but individuals who require the use of mobility aids should

be able to check one bag for no charge.  After all, your Delta Air Miles
members get one free bag just for signing up.  I would think as a responsible

corporate citizen you would want to be seen as someone who is
concerned about the needs of your disabled passengers, as well as
those who use your credit card, or has profit overtaken your common
sense?

I have flown extensively in my life and am familiar with airline

policies regarding disabled passengers, specifically those that deal

with the gate checking of mobility devices and those regarding

boarding of those individuals.  Apparently those policies have changed
in the last few months since I last traveled with  Delta, as when I

approached the gate agent in Oklahoma an hour before boarding of my
flight to secure a gate check for my chair and to make the boarding
process easier for the gate agent, an attempt was made to have me
transfer into a seat in the waiting area and have me wait there until

the flight was boarded.  My chair would be placed aside, along with my

mobility until the flight.  Is it now the policy of Delta to limit the
mobility of disabled individuals within its waiting areas?  

 Surely you are not intending to deny a person freedom of movement within a
public area for the convince of your staff?  I did not give up my
chair, as I am sure you would not give up your legs.
I know that statement sounds ludicrous, but my wheelchair is my legs
and to be asked to give up my mobility shows that your staff are not sufficiently

trained and have total a disregard for individuals with disabilities.
Another disturbing policy change that I noticed on my 12 June 2011

flight was in the order of boarding.  It has been my experience that I

am first on the plane and last off, giving me sufficient time to

negotiate the jetway and get to and from my seat, providing a

measure of safety for myself and my fellow passengers. 
 I am fortunate that I can walk the short distance from the cabin door to my seat at
the bulkhead or a just behind it with the aid of the seat-backs and

arm rests  as balance points.  This eliminates the need for an aisle
chair and makes the gate crew’s job a bit easier.

 On this flight I was boarded with general boarding.  I was followed down the jet way by the
rest of the passengers and preceded on my way to my seat by the
passengers ahead of me.  The seat-backs and armrests that I needed as

my handholds were eliminated because the first class passengers had
already been seated. This policy must have been changed to accommodate
the tight scheduling now required in the world of air travel, because
I am sure you would never put scheduling ahead of the safety of any of
your passengers.

After my flight landed, the luggage I had paid $185 for was not to be

found.  This happens; it’s an annoyance of travel and I have had this

happen before so I waited for the flight that my luggage had taken.
When it had arrived I found my secondary wheelchair had been bent

beyond repair, and its wheels had been warped beyond true. 
 Following procedure, I filed a damage claim and was told that I would be

contacted by a Delta representative who would assist in the repair or
replacement of the wheelchair. I waited until 16 June to hear anything
from your customer service department and when I heard nothing, a
registered letter was sent to your corporate office, which I was told
initially did not physically exist, detailing what has been detailed
in this open letter, again I heard nothing, no explanation as to how
you intend to replace the wheelchair that cannot be mended. No
explanation as to why the individuals who sign up for your credit card
get one free bag on Delta flights when a person using a mobility
device cannot have one bag. Nothing regarding the treatment I received
at the hands of your gate agent, and what you as responsible corporate
citizens plan to do to prevent something like this from happening to
disabled individuals in the future. No response was received to the
registered letter so I have now been forced use this forum.  I hope
that we can finally come together and reach a solution to the issues
mentioned above.
Respectfully

Richard F Zengler

My lessons in micro-business marketing in the social media world

According to my twitter profile I've been tweeting since July 9^th 2009, I started the account in 2009 when I first decided to start the business that would eventually become wheeling chef. I started my cookie business in a small Michigan town with very few outlets and thought twitter, along with a website would be a great way to get the word out about my cookies. I created wheelingchef.com and started my @wheelingchef account. Things should have started rolling right? Yeah no. I made a few good showings at some local craft shows and handed out countless cards, still no business. Some things occurred in my personal life and in October I found myself starting over in Atlanta. I still had my shortbread idea and during the holiday season I tried to drum up some business on my personal facebook page and website, but the only sales I made were to friends and family, so the idea got put on hold to maybe come back to someday. In July 2010 I decided the time had come to resurrect my cookie idea, the question was how would I get the word out that I existed, and not break the bank doing so, then I remembered that I had started a twitter account the year before My first tweet was that I had decided to try a local Irish Pub for lunch, that started a twitter-sation between myself and the social media guy for the pub, the next thing I know I was picking up followers in the Atlanta area, then came the moment when I realized I needed to start tweeting more, but the question was; what do I tweet about? I'm a micro-business whose business was started as a way to supplement my income so I could be able to participate in wheelchair fencing.

I found success at craft fairs by engaging my customers talking with them, telling them my story by just being myself, so I figured I'd try the same strategy on twitter, and it worked sales started picking up and I started making enough money to start paying for registration fees, food for the trips to tournaments and more importantly, new gear. My swords and cookies story was picked up by the friend of a friend who is a very talented writer, she decided to blog about me. Something she said started me thinking that I should tell my story and share it with my tweeps and on my wheelingchef facebook page. Others picked up on my story and I was interviewed by a local radio personality and then by a local ezine. Things were going great for wheelingchef I was even asked what I was doing to get all the attention the simple answer was nothing, I just did what came naturally I was myself.

Things were going well but for some reason I decided that I needed to change what I was doing and switched from talking about my daily training runs, my fencing adventures and misadventures and the occasional sales pitch and went straight with the “hey buy my stuff” line. I forgot that people want to know who they are buying from, not just what they are buying, in short I started to disengage with people and not engage them. Using that technique I lost followers, and sales bottomed out. Now that I've re-centered and remembered that the key to success in the world of social media for a micro-business, is to engage people, its really no different then selling my product at craft fairs the venue is just bigger!

Random thoughts

Its been a week since I was told that I would receive a call from the airline who  tried to take my wheelchair away from me an hour before the flight took off, loaded me, with general boarding, and bent my fencing chair to a level that the whole thing needs replaced. I mailed off a  certified letter to the corporate headquarters asking for at the very least an explanation for the reason I was loaded with the rest of the passengers, and for some compensation for the replacement of my fencing chair, No contact yet, and I have yet to mention the airline in question in these posts, but my patience is   starting to run a bit thin.

In other news I had a great practice on Saturday and feel that things are really starting to click, my flexibility, strength and endurance are starting to develop, its taken a lot of work to get this far and there is much more to do but I'm proud of how far I've come so. I've got this Saturday off so I'm trying to figure out just what kind of trouble I can get myself into. I'm thinking i'll take in a ball game, although the best chance for that is Thursday, minor league games are cheaper and I grew watching AAA games, and I find those games more fun.
The saleathon for my new mask is going ok, still 30 dozen away from my new mask but every order gets me that much closer to my goal. I appreciate the business and the support all of you have given me.

The waiting game.

The flight from hell was Sunday night and i was supposed to receive a call from the airlines customer service department on Monday, its now Thursday, and still no call. A letter stating my disappointment in the pathetic customer service I received was authored last night and sent to the corporate office. We shall see how that is received, but I honestly don't expect to receive much more then a canned response. The most disturbing part of my flight experience was not the damage my fencing chair received although that's going to be a pricey fix and will most likely result in having to purchase a new chair, but rather the lack of respect I received from the gate agent. Perhaps the gate agent should have his shoes tied together and then be asked to navigate the jet way and the aisle of a aircraft, then have his keys arrive an hour later. Better yet I offer my services as a mystery flier to the airlines and evaluate how the gate agents at various airports deal with individuals with disabilities. Continuing to wait, but getting more and more frustrated by the moment!

The flight from hell

The endeavor games were a great experience for me, I learned a lot and made some new friends, the event was fun, the flight home was another story. I flew home on Sunday, I checked my fencing bag, my fencing chair and a small suitcase. This came to a grand total of $185.00. I understand paying for my fencing stuff, however the small suitcase makes no sense, I'm not being lazy I'm traveling on my own and don’t want to heft a suitcase thru the airport. With the money that the airlines make on baggage fees I think they can make an exception for a person with a disability, hell the state of California doesn’t charge people with handicapped placards parking fee's, all I'm asking is one bag, I don’t think that is asking too much.

After checking my bags I made my way thru TSA, the officers were pleasant enough, what cracked me up were the able bodies individuals who were complaining about the pat-down search, folks, even before the new procedures were enacted I have always been subject to pat-downs by airport security, its all part of flying. So I make it thru security and find my gate, the plane is delayed ,so I settle down with an e-book and wait. A friendly gate agent called me to the desk and asked if i'd like to switch to a flight that got me into Atlanta earlier, I jumped at the offer and asked the gate agent if my bags would be transferred to the new flight, I was told the would so I took the new flight. I made my way over to my new gate and as is my normal procedure I took advantage of a low in the traffic and asked the gate agent to go ahead and place a gate claim tag on my chair. I have flown quite a bit in my life and placing a gate check usually means a day glow pink tag gets placed on my chair, I roll down the jet way to the aircraft where a ramp worker takes charge of my chair and safely tucks it in the belly of the plane where it rests comfortably until we are reunited at my destination. Apparently a gate check to this particular gate agent meant that I was supposed to give up my chair and sit on a seat in the waiting area for over an hour. My wheelchair is like my legs, actually it is my legs, yeah I don’t give up my “legs” for any period of time I keep my butt in my chair until it's time to get on the plane. I don’t know how many of you have flown, but when you hear the announcement that states “ airline X would like to offer pre-boarding services for those individuals needing a little extra time, or those traveling with small children” I qualify as one of those individuals who needs a little extra time down the jet way. That has been policy for as long as I can remember and has been the way every airline has boarded me in the 80 plus flights that I have taken, apparently that policy changed on Sunday, because when it came time to get on the this flight it was decided that I could board the plane with the herd of other travelers, now I am all for equal treatment but there are times when safety take precedence over equality. I managed to get to my seat after waiting for the travelers ahead of me to wrestle with a stroller and a few bags and getting jostled all the way to my seat.

The flight to Atlanta was uneventful I enjoyed a few more chapters of my e-book watched the sunset from window seat and reflected on the things I learned at the tournament. I made my way from the gate to baggage claim and waited for my bags to appear on the carousel, and waited and waited. After 30 mins had passed and no bags had appeared, I rolled over to the baggage services department and asked the obvious question, “where is my stuff?” The baggage services personnel located my bags and informed me that they were still on my original flight! They offered to deliver my bags to me Monday morning but at the time that flight was only an hour out so I figured i'd stick around and wait. So after enjoying an airport hamburger, fries and a coke I made my way to the baggage carousel where my bags were expected to arrive. I received my first bag without incident, then it was off to the oversized baggage claim area to pick up my fencing chair and my gear! My fencing chair arrives on the conveyor belt fliped over upside down, and damaged, the gear was ok thank god, but it was time to head back to baggage service and report damage to the fencing chair. I have been waiting for a claims specialist to contact me since Monday, still no word. I'll keep you all updated on how things turn out, until then I'll trade you cookies for funds for a new fencing chair!

An inspiration? Me?

After I posted my last blog entry, a good friend said

“You never cease to amaze me! You are a brilliant, admirable and inspirational leader on all levels. You are truly one amazing person and I am proud to call you my friend.”

Ive never seen myself as amazing, or inspirational i'm just a guy who is doing what he can to make his way in this world, and finding a way to support his passion and his dream Just a modern day pirate who plays with swords and decided to play by his own rules charting his own course, granted selling cookies isn't anything very dashing, but it works and as my friends will attest I’m not one to do anything that is conventional. Maybe its my unconventionality that makes people think I’m inspirational, I don’t know, but I am honored to be seen the way my friends see me.

On Thursday I head out to Edmund Oklahoma, for a tournament, I have to admit that despite the fact that I’ve been to a few, i'm a bit nervous, I keep wondering if i've done enough training since the last time I took to the strip, and if my mental prep is enough, but more so I'm nervous about letting my friends and followers down. I see my customers and friends as my sponsors and partners in this adventure and I want to make sure that they see a return on the money the invested. Yes each and every one of you is in my corner when I am on the strip. Ok so maybe I'm less of a pirate and more of a Privateer! As always thanks for reading and wish me luck in Oklahoma!

what i've learned

I was reading my twitter feed the other day, and saw a post that said social media is about building relationships and interacting with others, not a constant barrage of buy my stuff. I admit for the last few months I have forgotten that. I got wrapped up in the need to fund my new equipment and travels to upcoming tournaments, and so my social media comments became less about creating relationships, and letting the social media would get to know who I am and why I do what I do, and more about buy my stuff. This abrupt change has lead to a huge slowdown in orders, and all because I stopped doing what worked and got caught up in the pursuit of the bottom line.

Let me introduce my self. My name is Rick Zengler, I'm a northern transplant in Atlanta who has developed a taste for sweet tea and barbeque, I'm big baseball fan, history nut and voracious reader, I’m a wheelchair fencer with the Shepherd Swords , with aspirations to compete on the international stage, and to make it to the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. I sell shortbread cookies and toffee to help offset the cost of gear, and competition fees. One day Id like to see the cookie business grow from a home-based entity to a larger one, that will not only fund my fencing dream, but also provide me with the ability to live the American dream, and to provide employment opportunities to other disabled individuals, and help them gain independence and confidence.

So that’s a little about me and my dreams and aspirations in the long run. In the short term I am getting ready to attend the UCO Endeavor Games in Edmond, OK June 10-12. Wish me luck.

The next step is to get my wheelie butt out from behind the computer, out of the kitchen, and take a short break from practice and introduce myself to my friends and neighbors and tell them who I am and what I’m about. Farmers markets and craft fairs are the ideal market, but unfortunately the ones that I have found take place on days when I have practice, so all I can ask is that all who read this to spread the word about this crazy guy you have heard of that sells cookies and play with epee's, and kindly direct them to www.wheelingchef.com

365 days +1

So yesterday was my 34^th birthday. It was a quiet day, not like in the past when its been a night of drunken debauchery. No this year it was a day of reflection I found myself thinking about how things have changed for me so much in the last 365 days. This time last year I was recovering from my 1^st fencing tournament, and I had only flirted with relaunching wheeling chef. Here it is a year later and I am preparing for my 5^th tournament and sitting trying my best to expand my simple cookie business into a thriving cookie enterprise. This year has had its share of challenges as well as triumphs,but its those ups and downs that make life fun.

Following my first event in May I knew that fencing was a good fit for me, yes it was hard work and extremely frustrating at times, but the feeling of accomplishment that comes from participating in such a sport has helped me in more ways then I can express. With all the benefits that come with fencing, there is a cost, not only the physical cost of the workouts, but also the financial cost of the sport, in order to continue in the sport that I had fallen in love with I needed to do something to raise some capital, but what?

A few years ago I was at a small Renaissance festival in Michigan where I saw a vendor selling homemade welsh cookies to the masses. Seeing this I thought I could do something similar. With the encouragement of friends and family I started Wheeling Chef. The 1^st attempt at a cookie business was not very successful, but I knew it had potential. The idea would be shelved until I needed it. I resurrected wheeling chef in July and I haven’t looked back since. July started slow but a friend picked up on the story and introduced me to a friend of his who wrote a blog about “this guy who sold cookies to support himself in a sport that most people have never heard of.” That exposure gave me a push in the right direction. I dove head first into the world of social media and started to gain followers on twitter. My followers challenged me to push my cookies away from the traditional flavors of my original line to flavors that fit my personality and fed into the “inner pirate” that was starting to unleash itself through fencing and following my own path by selling cookies. Guinness cookies, maple bacon cookies were born! About this time I was contacted by a local radio station personality and did a podcast talking about the strange connection between cookies and fencing. 

I started generating sales and was able to pay the entry fee to my 3^rd tournament, and buy a new sword.. My coach was seeing development in my fencing and told me to start thinking about going to an international event. This was a huge wake-up call, not only would I have to continue to develop as a fencer but also reequip myself with an internationally rated uniform and weapons. This would mean selling 200 dozen cookies no small task but after a little more exposure on thilllist and some scrimping and saving on my own I managed to purchase the gear! I was so focused on the gear that I came up short on the entry fee, it stung a bit to come that far and still fall sort, but I proved just what I can do when I put my mind to it. So that’s how my last 365 days of my life have been . I still need a new mask and a of course some funding for my next campaign but I know I can make it happen. Sales will boom and sales will dry up to nothing, practice will hurt, I will doubt my resolve and the wisdom of this whole shortbreads and swords a I will just put my head down and solider on, and thats the fun part. 

Blackberrys dont bounce!

Like most Americans I carry a cell phone with me everywhere I go, for safety reasons, to keep up with twitter, answer emails from cookie customers, the normal reasons everyone has a smart-phone. Today was a beautiful day so I figured i'd take the opportunity to get in some road work On my way back home I was going at a pretty good clip and I hit a bump on the sidewalk, I went one way the chair went another and the cell phone went in another direction! as it hit the ground it crashed in a spectacular explosion of battery and buttons! So at the moment I'm cellphone-less but I'm in one piece. I'm thinking its time to offer a new flavor, blackberry :) I wouldnt be offended if some my faithful readers would like to order some cookies!

Keep on keeping on

Training, fencing and baking keep going, fencing get frustrating sometimes, training gets repetitive, and cookies sales get slow sometime, the trick at these times is to just keep going, and sometimes that is easier said then done. Last Saturday was a great practice and things are starting to lock into place, so despite the bumps, bruises, and  muscle strains the work is starting to pay off. This week the final NAC of the season is taking place and unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to Portland,  the next domestic event for me will be in Daytona Beach in October, not sure about anything international just yet, but it does give me time to get everything in place to make a great showing the next season. It seems each time I lock into a frame I'm showing signs of improvement, sometimes its slow and frustrating but the improvement is there, so I will keep drilling, keep practicing and keep working out, and doing what I can to excel in my chosen sport.

Cookie sales have there ups and downs like any business, sales are steady, but I'd be lying if I said I was happy with where sales were, of course I'd like to see cookies turn into my golden brown buttery ticket, and eventually open a brick and mortar storefront that will allow me to provide individuals with disabilities a place to work and earn a little extra pocket cash. Like the fencer I am I'll just put my head down, and keep at it one dozen at a time, one mile at a time and one practice at a time!
I always close these ramblings with a thank you to all  those who read this blog, and have supported me throughout the ups and downs of my fencing adventure and my cookie experiment. I couldn't have done any of what I have done thus far without all of you standing strongly in my corner.

Detroit and beyond

Detroit went well and I managed my first medal! All my opponents/ friends have noticed a vast  improvement in my fencing since Cincinnati in  October, and coach seems happy with what he has seen, so I'm happy.

The new gear worked great and I can't thank all of you enough for your support. My next goal for cookie profits is a new mask. The new mask will run about $275 so its a lot of cookies but it can be done!

I was not able to get the cash together to go to Portland either, but the deadline hit the day I got home from Detroit, and after 3 days in Detroit and the drive my bank account was a little light, not to worry there are other opportunities coming up and with your appetites I'm sure I'll be fencing at more and more events.
   

Making the best of it

Over the last two months I have been selling as many cookies as I could to get myself equipped for Montreal in March. Last weekend I managed to do just that, but then there was the registration fee for the event, its due tomorrow, it appears that I wont be able to get the cash together for that one. After feeling a little deflated I found that there is another event in Oregon so I'm going to try and get to that one, so it all works out in the end, I've sold more cookies in the last two month then I had previously, so my concept is valid and I will continue to sell cookies getting my name and product into as many people as I can. So in that way I am making the best of the current situation. Again thanks for reading and for all your support during this adventure 

Who Knew?

I had a great training camp this weekend. I learned a lot and identified things that I need to work on. I have good news, thanks to cookie sales a little luck and scrimping and saving I managed to get my new uniform, and two new weapons certified for international competition, not to mention picking up a new customer in the form of the fencing gear salesmen. I'm going to keep him in cookies :)

 That's the good news, the less then great news. I wanted to make sure I had the gear before I registered for Montreal, the problem is the registration deadline is Friday, and I need to sell 105 dozen shortbreads to have the entry fee! Its a VERY high goal and I realize that, and if I don't make it I don't make it. I have quality gear now that will last, but i haven't given up just yet, I may not make it but I'm not going to give up without a fight.

I can not express the gratitude I have for all of those who have supported me  throughout this adventure, the words of support and encouragement and by buying my cookies. Now its time to head out and go for a run.

5 Miles and one dozen at a time

The sales drive continues! so far I have sold 79/200 Not bad but i've still got a long way to go for the new equipment I need for Montreal. Last weekend I made some major modifications to my fencing chair and found my fencing groove. I also found out that I have a busy few months coming up, Ive got a tournament in March, coach wants me ready for Montreal in April and I'm working  towards that one dozen and 5 miles at a time! Two weeks after Montreal I have an event in Tampa Fl. Things are getting busy and I need to sling some cookies. If anyone knows of any where I can sell a bunch of cookies at one time I'm all ears! Things are going well but i'm starting to feel the fiscal  crunch. This weekend I have a  US National Wheelchair Fencing Training Camp to get me ready for the next phase of my fencing adventure!

 Physically and mentally I am ready now if I can get wheeling chef cranking out cookies I'll be ready with the cash! So if you've got friends that like cookies let them know about mine, heck if you have enemy's tell them too, Im making this happen one dozen and five miles at a time.
 

My Inner pirate

I got an email on Monday from the editor of Thrill-list Atlanta  asking if I had a few pics of my cookies they could use for a write up on me. I was in the middle of baking an order so I sent him some pictures, what could it hurt? I've got a goal of 200 by April so I can get to Montreal and every order helps. I sent the pics and waited to see what would come of it. Tuesday morning at  5:15am my trusty IPhone chirped letting me know I had an email and saw the  Thrillist article! At 8:30 the emails started coming in and so did the orders. I started this week with 29/200 sold and as of right now Ive sold 49. One dozen at a time i'm getting closer.

In many of the emails I received my clients said the line "getting in touch with my inner pirate" struck a chord with them. So I got to thinking, aside from fencing, this whole idea is rather piratical, at least from the romantic view.
Pirates are seen as men of fortune who have take destiny into their own hands  flouted the rules of society and  made things happen for themselves. That's what I have done with this business so in a way fencing helps gets me in touch with my inner but so does the business, I do things my way, and dont follow the conventional rule of what a cookie should be, remember the Guinness cookies?

So I shall continue my Piratical baking  ways plundering cash from my unwitting cookie addicts, whom we all know find themselves addicted at first bite, and continue in the pursuit of an arcane unknown but thrilling sport! As always thank you for reading! 

Fencing? Cookies? Whats the connection?

You have been reading this blog for a while and you know that wheeling chef was started at a time when I needed cash to cover the entry fee for a tournament.  Once I made that goal I decided I needed a new Epee and I made that goal too. Now It seems that wheeling chef can do more for me then just help fund my fencing habit.
It's my business.

Several people have asked me just how I got into fencing and how selling cookies relates to it. Well here it goes. I had just moved to Atlanta and was watching Murderball for the 200th time and decided to see if there was a team in Atlanta that I could go watch. I searched the internet and found the Shepherd Center and a listing of what sports programs they offered, they had the usual, wheelchair basketball, road racing, murder-ball etc but they also had fencing, I was intrigued, perhaps the idea intrigued  my inner pirate! So I emailed the the team captain and thus my fencing adventure started, once I got involved with the sport I started working out and drilling every day. In May my first tournament came up and I realized the competitions had a price tag attached, a rather high one when your on a limited income. So I decided to resurrect an old idea.

I graduated from  The Florida Culinary Institute in 2009 with a Bachelors degree in Culinary/Hospitality Management. The job market was less then welcoming so I decided that I had to do something, if nothing else to avoid boredom. So I started baking shortbread cookies and making toffee, I had some success but it wasn't the grand-slam I had hoped for. I shut down the cookie business for a bit while I dealt with some personal issues. Eventually I found myself in Atlanta on a fencing team and in need of supplemental funding, so in August 2010 I relaunched  wheelingchef.com, dusted off my twitter account and started selling cookies. Now here it is January 2011 and what started as a way to help offset fencing costs and what I called an experiment is turning out to be something I can sink my teeth into and build into something. All of this is happening so fast, and I couldn't have done any of this without the support my friends and family have given me. I've said it time and time again, but thank you all for helping me turn my dream into reality  

Be careful what you wish for

Wow a year  I had no idea no idea what wheelchair fencing was, or that it even existed. Six months I had no idea I could make things happen for myself with cookies of all things. The sport has given me a self confidence that has been hard to come by for me at times, i'm in better shape then I have been in a long time and I'm finding that I enjoy the challenges that come with the sport.  This last year hasn't been easy, in fact there have been several occasions when I wonder just what in the heck I was thinking, but thanks to the support of friends ive been able to put my head down and keep going! At practice on Saturday coach said he would like me ready for the World Cup event in Montreal Canada at the end of April. Its a big step for me and its what I have been working for and I am excited but at the same time i'm nervous, many of the people i'll be fencing have been fencing for 20+ years. It will certainly be a learning experience, but it tells me the hard work I am putting in is paying off. Its what I've been working for but the scope of what I am about to take on is daunting!

  A trip to an international tournament has a slight drawback, like everything else in this sport there is a price tag. I wll need to re-equip to the international standard, to properly equip myself for these events it will cost just under $1000 and that translates into 200 dozen shortbreads! It can be done its going to take a lot of work to make it happen but its nothing i'm not used too.
I will keep you all posted on how the preparations go for this next phase of my fencing journey!

Where do I go from here?

Not to long ago I was asked if Wheeling Chef was just established as  fund-raising activity or was it an actual start up. That question gave me pause, yes Wheeling Chef  was started as a way to supplement my income, then took on a bigger role when I discovered wheelchair fencing. So yes Wheeling Chef was started as a fund-raising activity, but then again aren't all business intended to raise funds for those who own them?

I've thought alot about what and where I want to take Wheeling Chef  and what I really want to do is help other disable people supplement what income they do get  with employment at the wheeling chef. I've thought hard about how to do this and it can be done. The recipes can  be broken down into simple steps, with modifications the whole process can allow individuals with varying disabilities to work the production line.
Why do I want to even consider something like this?
Social security benefits don't go very far and never have. Once i've paid rent, food and utilities there is not much left in the bank account, a part time job goes a long way in putting some money in ones pocket.
I saw on this mornings news that unemployment has actually decreased, that great, but according to a  Bureau of Labor Statistics the Unemployment rate for persons with disabilities is 65%
If I can help a person gain a sense of self worth by giving them a chance to earn a paycheck then I'll do it.

With all the talk over the past year about getting Americans back to work,easing the burden on the Social System  and stoking the fires of the engine of small business to get the economy  going again. One day I will find a "business angel" To  move what was an experiment out of desperation into a unique business that provides a great product and offers a hand up to rather then a hand out to others, and of course help me make a living.

A new year and a new focus

Happy New Year to you all. I hope you all had a great holiday season. The early part of the month was slow for me and I was wondering how it was going to end up. Thankfully took off and I had a really good month. Thank you to all who purchased cookies over the holidays.

 A new calendar brings with it and inevitably I found myself reflecting on the past year. Lets see I discovered wheelchair fencing, started my cookie business, had some ups and some downs, met some cool people gained a slight bit of fame   and  found myself enjoying life, all in all a good year! Fencing has helped me find a side of me that I thought I had lost, the business has given me the means to fence and a feeling of self confidence and self worth that i've lacked at times. Oh did I mention that I started a blog  where I sometimes share a little too much?

Ok enough of the review onto my new year and my new focus.
I started wheeling chef as a way to earn a little extra cash, and as a way to keep from going crazy without gainful employment. I still need the cash that it brings in, and I still get a bit stir crazy but I'm enjoying the freedom that the business is providing me. To that end I'm determined to grow this experiment of mine into a growing concern, make more connections, add handmade candies to the mix and maybe a few other things, and grow it to the point where I can eventually use the business as a way to provide work experiance and a little extra cash to other disabled individuals, more on that as it develops.

Another thing im going to focus on this year is my fencing and training. Ive been fencing for a year now and with each practice I get better, there have been time when I wonder just what I have gotten myself into with this unknown version of an obscure sport supported by selling cookies. I will keep rolling down this road and this year break the top 15 in mens national rankings and take a top three in a national event.

These goals may be a bit lofty but they are attainable, after all I built a cookie business from a cute hobby to a going concern in just 5 months :) 

as always thanks for reading and if you want cookies visit http://wheelingchef.com/4.html