What’s up peeps?!! I’m back in the entrepreneur game in a big way with my new food delivery service “Yellow City Delivery” in Amarillo, Texas! Seriously, it’s by far and away the best food delivery service in Amarillo. Just saying 🙂 Ok, so here’s a quick rundown of my life and what’s been going on!
Long time no speak. It’s been a good 2-3 months by my guesstimation. I’ve spent these past months working 110+ hours per week (at least) building my new food delivery service company in Amarillo, Texas.
I literally nearly killed myself.
One evening while working, I was talking to a large group of people in a home, when mid-sentence my brain quit working and speech came to a complete stop. I didn’t know what to do, my mouth wouldn’t work, and the right side of my body became numb and paralyzed. This lasted for a couple of minutes  and I made some super awkward faces and gestures and finally managed to stumble out of the house while mumbling something along the lines of “I’m sorry I don’t know what happened to me”…
The next morning I woke up with a pounding headache and it felt like the right side of my body and legs were moving. However, I didn’t know if it was only the pounding in my head that was making me feel this way or if I was truly in fact moving. I rolled over and asked my wife if my body was moving. She responded, “yeah baby, you’ve been moving all night, I thought you were just trying to bother me”…
Freak out mode! I tried to get up and walk to the bathroom and my body wouldn’t work. I just jerked as I tried to make it to the bathroom. Arms and legs were numb and I was shaking. I began to scream and yell and went into total freakout mode. I went straight to the ER and was admitted immediately for seizures etc.
The docs did a catscan and immediately after the doc came in and said my brain showed signs of masses. WTF? Masses on my brain eh? Â Anyhow, my life began to flash before my eyes. What in the f**ck is happening to me? I have brain cancer? Brain tumors? Does this mean I have to get my head cut open and have crazy ass surgery? No no no, I’m not doing that. I began to cry. My parents were there in the room with me. I told them I just wanted to go home. All I could think about was how was I going to take care of my family if this was as serious as I was thinking.
About 30 minutes later the neuro-surgeon came in and said “I don’t think that’s tumors or nothing, I’ve see this before, it’s a parasite”. WTF?!?! Pheeeeew!
Then the diagnostic doctor (i.e. Dr. House type specializing in figuring out special problems) came in and asked me some questions. One which was “have you traveled outside of the United States”? If you’ve kept up with my writings then you know that I lived in Brasil for a couple of years, got dengue fever, and who the hell knows what else.
Long story short, the docs believe that I got a parasite in Brasil from undercooked pork and I don’t have brain cancer or tumors. We shall see as the results are still pending IMO.
Moving on, I’m fine, I’ve been working a ton, and the new company is going great! We are scaling at a very fast pace and I couldn’t be any happier! Yellow City Delivery is by far and away the best food delivery company in Amarillo, Texas hands down! I mean seriously, there isn’t anything that even comes close to it!
We are currently operating with about 4-5 drivers and completing about 40 orders per day. I suspect by the end of the week we will be closer to 60! In addition, we’ve got about 30 restaurants signed up leaning weight to the local favorites rather than the corporate chains. Come on, you know how I roll! I quit corporate law for a reason baby! But I digress, I’ve already written tomes about corporate America 🙂
So things are going just peachy, I’m still alive, I’ve got about a $20k hospital bill, but hey, life goes on and I’m gonna keep swinging for the fences baby!
On another note, there are tons of wind farms calling me for drone inspections here around the Texas Panhandle. If any of you have any experience doing these inspections, holler at me here, on my Facebook page, or Twitter and maybe I can put you into the mix on some inspections. I just don’t have the time.
Read through some of your shit, & damn you can ramble! Good stuff though. I’m in Midland right down the road from you. I’m just getting started into the drone business although I’ve been flying model airplanes 30 plus years, private pilot, remote pilot (part 107), a&p mechanic, associates, bachelor’s, etc. Anyhow (here I go rambling) I’m just getting started with the drone business (Sky Raider Images LLC) and I’m waiting for my website to be up before I start passing out my flyers. I agree that the money is in inspections. I have not performed any windmill inspections, but if you need help maybe we can work something out. I can meet you in Amarillo, Big Spring, Sweetwater, or where the fuck we need to meet to do these inspections. It would be awesome if we could hook up and you could show me how and what you are doing (if you’re willing). I haven’t yet, but I am planning on getting the Matrice 600 Pro. Let me know Holmes!
Let’s do this! Better yet, read the post I’m about to write, it could be a very long time before I’m able to write again, much less work.
Hope everything goes good for you with the surgery. Once again, I’m in Midland and have family in Lubbock and Amarillo. You need anything, let me know. I’m ready to start working with you (as you said you could use some help) whenever you get your body up and running again! Again I truly hope everything goes smoothly for you and your family. You are young enough and should recover el pronto!!
Thanks Matt! If all goes as planned, let’s try to get together in a couple months and put some stuff into play. I’d love to help you out!
Okay so I don’t know why I am awake right now suddenly, but anyways I happen to stumble upon your story on Facebook which led me here! I just want to say that I am so very sorry for the curve that has been thrown your way and that I will keep you and your loved ones in my deepest prayers! Not trying to get deep here but I just have the urge to share, my wish you is that you keep your faith close during this and show it loudly.. It’s hard to understand how or why things happen to us and more that not we’ll never know why. I believe that God wouldn’t put you through anything he doesn’t think your strong enough to handle, it’s sucks and it’s not fair and I’m sure your going through that motions. I know it’s basically impossible to ever figure out how some situations will work out or why things happen but I truly hope that through all this you come out 110% stronger than you’ve ever been and that you can take this as your personal testimony and embrace all that the future holds for you! Anyways God bless, I subscribed and will be looking for updates! I pray that you will be empowered!!
Hi James
Real quickly I’ve checkout most of your stuff especially about making crazy money with energy companies that really got my attention. I live in Dallas and I’m about to tell the company I work for to stick it! No doubt I’m a renegade so I’m with on not work for someone the rest of my life.
Here’s my question you never mention anything about the FAA why? Because you are talk about commercial usage how are you getting around this? The reason I’m asking is because the only reason I brought my drone is to make money not for a hobby. Back to getting around the FAA is it that there is so much money to be made that the energy companies don’t care if I’m flying under the radar just as long as I can help achieve mission success by saving them time energy and money. I’m a fucking good pilot I should be I crashed for four years perfecting my flight skills and as of right now I’m at 150 plus flights on my phantom and zero crashes. So how do you get around the FAA and do wind farm companies not care? Last question I’ve never inspected a wind turbine before obviously the blades what else should I focus are should I ask them? I’m doing my research I just don’t want to come off as an amateur. I can do the work. Please share?
Found your YouTube video and been following you. Hope all is well. I am in Oregon and just started an aerial inspection and scientific imaging company called Viewpoint Aerial Imaging. I’d like to talk with you when you are feeling better. We have some serious equipment and we’re excited to get moving with some wind and industrial inspections. I’d like to know how to approach companies. Any tips we can get are great, I’d like to talk with you by phone sometime. http://www.vpdroneimaging.com
You betcha big man!
James,
I’ve been following you and wow I’m sorry for what you’re going through. Seems like this is a time of transition for everyone. Stay strong, you’ll have our thoughts and prayers. Thanks for the invite on the call, that would be awesome. Keep up the inspiring writing.
Thanks Josh I appreciate the kind words and the prayers! Have an awesome week!
Hi James, hope is all is well and consider you in my prayers. Now what led to me to you was on Quroa and about the drone business. Currently in the military but looking forward to embark on some business endeavors to be as far reliant from the government as I possibly can. $50,000 in such a low amount of time seems righteous, and it is something I’d like to get my hands on. Please give me a shout out @ jrenriquez0925@gmail.com in regards to FAA 333 exemptions. BTW> where and how did you establish your domain if you don’t mind me asking. Did you create your own website? If so, what platform did you use? Do you recommend on establishing a Drone Business Plan prior to FAA exemption? Appreciate your help. Thanks bud. Take care.
Hi James. I am in South Africa, and my entrepreneurial spirit led me to your post on Quora about drones and I was like what the hell are drones. I did my research and wanna know if this will work only for people with experience with flying or what, I know I can learn but I just can’t seem to wrap my head around all of these FAA’s and stuff that I don’t understand. I will be reading more on all these things that you write about to get a clear understanding and possibly see how I can get started. Please let me know if you are able to assist get international people such as myself to operate in this business and how. Wish you well on your recovery and hope to hear from you soon.
Don’t let the FAA crap bother you. It’s not as hard as or complex as it seems. This is the part that confuses people to the point of becoming scared and not trying. DON’T BE ONE OF THESE PEOPLE! I’m slowly recovering from my brain surgery and am only logging in now and then….I’m on my Facebook page more than here these days but I do expect to write a post (about my cancer) here in a couple days. Hope all is well my friend 🙂