Rick Shrowder – a businessman who doesn’t look like a businessman. Key and notes

1 He is a businessman in that he runs two sports businesses. He is a sports coach who trains and teaches sports skills to young children.
2 He wears shorts and a T-shirt even in cold weather; he says he is quite recognisable as being ‘the person who wears the shorts’ and can be recognised as being ‘a bit different’.
3 It is called Global Community Sports and aims to use sport as a way to develop communities and have a positive influence in people’s lives.
4 He loves what he does, looks forward to what he’s going to do every day and feels driven and passionate about sport.
5 That 1) he enjoys being with children; that 2) there’s an honesty about children or 3) something about children which allows adults to have no inhibitions at times, and that 4) he can be more naturally himself around children than with adults, many times.
6 Because it is said that this is the best thing you can do – just make sure you let him ‘get on with it’ because his rapport / manner / affinity with children puts others into the shade, so that nothing you can do compares with him!
7 It requires a lot a lot of self-discipline because you need to keep on top of the business.
8 Not much. He meets parents and teaches in schools, but most of his working life is spent with children. He says he doesn’t mix with adults as much as he’d like.
9 Not really – his salary isn’t guaranteed, but he considers that if does his job well (to the best of his ability), and does right by people (treats people fairly) there will always be children around and a need for sports coaching for children.

Vocabulary
To be out and about – to be active doing the things you usually do
Eg It’s good to see you out and about (i.e. back to doing normal life after having been ill / otherwise engaged
A franchise is when you pay a company for the right to use their name, concept and advertising material, and then earn your living from what you make on top of that (on top of that = in addition to that).
self-employed – adj – not working for an employer but finding work for yourself or having your own business
the pluses and minuses – the advantages and disadvantages
If you let someone get on with it you allow them to work without being interrupted or inconvenienced – you get out of their way.
An upside and a downside – an advantage and a disadvantage
Note: Rick says ‘as far as the security…’ and misses out the words is concerned.
I guess = I suppose
The way around that – the way to deal with this / the way to tackle this challenge ….
To do sth to the best of your ability = to do sth as well as you can
To do right by someone – treat sb fairly