Richard didn’t expect his fiance Kate to marry him after his accident left him wheelchair-bound. She worked with Richard and helped him start his business. And in three years, they crossed an unbelievable milestone.
Richard was a nervous wreck at the restaurant. He kept looking up towards Kate at the other end of the table while the couple was having dessert. She needed to be comfortable as Richard was minutes away from popping the question.
Kate, on the other hand, was as calm as ever. She was taking small scoops of her favorite ice cream from the bowl so Richard could get enough time to calm down. She knew what was coming.
“Richard!” Kate interrupted Richard’s racing thoughts with a calm voice. She smiled at him and said, “Just ask.”
Richard pulled a small box from his pocket and got down on one knee. Everyone at the restaurant applauded after Kate said “yes.”
Richard heard some of them snickering when they noticed the modest size of the ring. Kate was the last person to care about the size of the gem, or the fact that it wasn’t even a real diamond. She loved Richard, and that’s all that mattered to her.
Richard came from poverty and had recently made changes to his life. He had found a steady job in the city and moved there two weeks ago. Kate, however, stayed in the suburbs.
Richard was delighted when Kate accepted his proposal. After their romantic date, they had to go their separate ways. Richard dropped his fiance at her house and left for the city.
It was the happiest day of his life. But, it did not last long.
A blinding flash of light from a truck heading from the opposite direction was enough for Richard to lose control of his car. His car swerved and crashed violently into a tree next to the road.
Richard woke up in the hospital. The doctors gave him the bad news that he suffered terrible damage to his spine, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Richard was devastated when the doctors said they weren’t sure if he’d ever walk again.
Just hours ago, he was ecstatic about starting a new life with Kate. But now, he became wheelchair-bound. He burst into tears, knowing he was close to losing Kate. He realized Kate wouldn’t want to live the rest of her life with a disabled person; he wouldn’t want her to live like that either.
By the time Kate reached the hospital, Richard was prepared to let Kate walk away from the relationship.
Kate took a cab to the hospital after receiving the news of Robert’s accident.
“I’m looking for Robert Garner,” Kate asked at the information desk.
The employee looked into her system and said, “Ma’am, he is just out of surgery, and we can only allow his next of kin to visit the ICU.”
“I am going in; I’m his fiance,” Kate declared and rushed to the next floor.
When she reached the intensive care floor, the doctors informed her of Richard’s situation. Kate held her head in despair.
“Is he awake now?” she asked the doctors.
“Yes. But we just gave him the news a few minutes back.” the chief doctor said.
“Move, please. I need to be with my Richard.” Kate gently pushed the doctor aside and rushed to Richard’s room.
When Kate entered Richard’s room, she saw him hiding his face and sobbing. Her heart broke seeing the love of her life crying helplessly in the middle of a terrible tragedy. She rushed to him and hugged him.
Both Richard and Kate let out their hearts, crying. After a minute, Richard wiped his tears, composed himself, and said, “I’m sorry, Kate. You know I love you. But I want the best for you. This accident also means I won’t have a job after I’m out of here. So, please go–”
“That’s enough, Robert,” Kate stopped Richard. “Our love is not so weak, is it? We will get through this together. And don’t forget, the “best for me” is right here.” Kate said, putting her hand on Richard’s chest.
Richard was moved by Kate’s love for him. Kate decided to marry Richard despite his progress being negligible. She was committed to the relationship they both shared.
Richard and Kate got married in a quiet court ceremony in the presence of a few friends. They were thrilled to tie the knot, but they knew they had bigger things to focus on.
And instead of throwing a reception party for their friends, the newly married couple went straight to a small local restaurant with a diary and a pen. They decided to plan out their future by taking small steps. The restaurant was relatively empty, so the duo got the best seats.
“Richard! Remember how you always spoke of running your own business?” Kate asked, playing with the pen she hovered above the blank diary page.
Richard chuckled, “Yeah, that was a long time back when I was young and stupid. It’s not easy to run a business, especially without any money. We are struggling to make ends meet, so where do we get money to pay employees and staff?”
“Hmm!” Kate thought. “But, do we really need employees? Can’t you just start small? Like, say, a freelancer?”
Richard realized that Kate was right. “Sure. But my last job was as the errand boy in that advertising company, and I don’t think that would make a good freelance prospect; especially now that I’m stuck in a wheelchair.”
Kate shrugged off Richard’s point, “Forget about that job. Didn’t you take the branding and marketing course last year before taking the job? You can sell that as a service, can’t you?”
“Yeah, but big companies only want to hire other big companies. They wouldn’t come to a first-time freelancer like me.”
“Again, Richard. Take small steps. Forget the big companies. Look at this restaurant. Now, why is this restaurant empty? Why can’t they attract customers? What can they do to get more customers? Can you solve this problem?”
Richard’s eyes lit up. All of a sudden, he saw it! The restaurant was a great case study for branding and marketing. He quickly grabbed the pen and diary from Kate and started writing.
In the next half an hour, Richard enlisted all the points the restaurant could work on. He also added solutions to every problem and how much it would cost to fix them. Not just that, he created a six-month plan for them so that the restaurant could work on its issues phase-wise. This would help them solve all problems without putting all their money in immediately.
Kate was amazed at Richard’s thoroughness, and she was proud of him for taking on a challenge without any qualms.
When Kate showed the restaurant’s owner, Mr. Simmons, Richard’s branding and marketing strategy, he was impressed. He hired Richard as a consultant on a retainer. Kate and Richard built their business model and even had their first client over lunch.
The restaurant showed improvement in their numbers after the first month itself. It had more customers, and Mr. Simmons was thrilled. He gave Richard a bonus check and spread the town’s word about his services.
Soon Richard had multiple clients. Initially, he hired freelancers, but eventually, he had enough cash flow to start his own company and hire employees. Taking small steps helped him run a successful business.
A year later, Richard’s business had clients across the city. And it didn’t take time for him to go national. He even acquired the advertising company he worked for before his accident.
After three years, Richard’s business became worth millions. He decided to take Kate on their third anniversary to the same restaurant where they came up with their business plan.
The restaurant had grown too. It became famous because it was the birthplace of Kate and Richard’s million-dollar company.
When the new proud CEO Richard, entered the restaurant with his wife Kate, they received a lavish welcome. Business partners and investors cheered them as the celebrations of their third anniversary began.
The business partners requested Richard to give a speech, and he obliged.
“Friends, today is a day we all rejoice. Our business is going strong, and many more milestones await us. This success belongs to every employee who has put in their creativity, hard work, and dedication for the company.” Richard’s words met thunderous applause.
“However, I would like to tell you the real reason behind the company’s success. She is sitting here, right next to me.” Richard pointed at Kate, who was embarrassed at Richard’s flamboyant speech.
“If not for Kate, there wouldn’t have been this company, this milestone, this dream that has brought us all together. Heck, I wouldn’t have been speaking in front of you either. I would’ve been living off disability checks for the rest of my life.”
“But such pure is Kate’s soul, she saw potential in a wheelchair-bound man who was lost in his own misfortune. If not for her, I would’ve been crushed under the mountain of my pain. She taught me to take small steps to conquer my mountain.”
“And that’s the culture I’ve set in this company. In other words, Kate’s wisdom and confidence are the real reason for the success of this company. People don’t believe me when I tell them, but it’s true – she made me a millionaire.”
What can we learn from this story?
- True love always finds a way. Even tragedies cannot shatter true love. Kate could’ve walked away from the relationship after Richard’s terrible accident. Instead, she worked with him to devise a business plan that eventually made him a millionaire.
- You are destined to be what you desire to be. Only you can stop yourself from achieving your goal. If Richard had not taken up Kate’s challenge, he wouldn’t have developed the simple business plan that blossomed into a successful business empire.