Carol's 'steely grit' highlighted in feature on disabled entrepreneurs

LINDA was recently commissioned to write about disabled entrepreneurs for Able magazine...and who better to provide an insight, but our very own marketing director?

"WHATEVER you put your mind to, you can achieve, don’t let anyone tell you it’s impossible.”
That’s the inspirational message from Ama Latif, 33, founder of the pioneering website, www.traveleyes.co.uk.

Amar’s Leeds-based business allows blind and partially sighted travellers to experience holidays worldwide thanks to sighted companions.

The company was born from Amar’s own experience. When he found the adrenaline-filled breaks he wanted didn’t exist for blind tourists, he took it on himself to expand the choice available.

Amar’s determination to make Travel Eyes work from its beginnings in 2005, was influenced by his own background of battling not only a debilitating eye disease but also society’s prejudices.

He has the genetic eye condition retinitis pigmentosa, which was diagnosed when Amar was just four and by his late teens, he’d all but five per cent of his sight. But he vowed that his condition wouldn’t get in the way and gained a degree in maths, statistics and finance before landing a high-flying job in corporate accounts.

Working with such volumes of cash gave Amar the confidence and ‘grounding’ needed to launch his own venture.

Latif believes that being a blind entrepreneur is no different to being a sighted one. “Why should it be?” he asks.

But there are times when the world around him can prove a stumbling block. Amar tackles these problems head on – and educates people on how they can be overcome at every opportunity.

“I struggle occasionally with information, say from suppliers, not being accessible. I also sometimes have to deal with people’s preconceptions as to what blind people can achieve. I soon change their minds.”

Amar has seen his hard work pay off with a growing company and a a prestigious award.
He was named as the latest Stelios Disabled Entrepreneur Award winner, in a contest run by the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability. He was presented with prize-money of £50,000 by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of easyGroup.

Sir Stelios was so impressed with Latif that they are now in talks about a possible tie-up between Traveleyes and easyCruise.

Another award-winning entrepreneur, Carol Garrington, 36, is at the helm of a busy editorial and PR agency in the Midlands, Passionate Media.

Like Amar, her early experiences of being disabled have contributed to the steely grit and determination she has poured into running her own company.

Carol was born with a deformed left leg, a fused hip joint and only one kidney and had to undergo various operations throughout her life, starting when she was just a few weeks old.

She says: “By the age of 12 I decided I'd had enough and I took the decision to have my foot amputated which allowed me to have an artificial leg that was modelled on my right leg so they matched. This opened up a whole new world of shoes and clothes for me and it also to a large extent reduced the bullying through my high school years.

“Having gone through so much at such an early age, and having to listen to people telling me I wouldn't be able to do things because of my disability made me a very strong and determined person, always out to prove people wrong and defy the odds.

“The doctors told my parents when I was born that I'd probably never walk, I was walking by 18 months. Then in my early teens I was told I'd never be able to have children, I now have two healthy boys aged seven and nine and a husband that is more supportive than I ever could have imagined.

“My determination has continued to grow stronger and I have always wanted people to see me for who I am and not for my disability so I very rarely mention it and if I'm having problems walking or am in pain, I just get on with life and don't let it stop me doing everyday things.

“The fighting spirit I have really spurred me on in my career, although having worked my way up through local authority organisations I always had a niggling thought - was I there because of my skills, or so that they could tick another box because they were employing someone who was disabled.

“Four years ago when a friend asked me to join her in business, I jumped at the chance. Having worked my way up the career ladder and then put it on hold to look after my kids for a couple of years, I was really itching to get my teeth into something.

“That friend who put her trust in me is now my business partner as well as a very close friend and my disability has never been an issue in her eyes.

“I don't want special treatment, I don't want people to make allowances. Of course there are times when my disability does get in the way but I have learnt to be accepting of that and not be ashamed of it either.”
In 2006, Carol was named as the UK's most exceptional working mother.

She says: “f this inspires other disabled people then that is great. Our business is now four years old and we are going from strength to strength.

“There are so many more opportunities for disabled people these days, with advanced technology and a disability act that is having a huge impact on the way businesses operate and accessibility for people with disabilites the barriers are so much less than they have been in previous years. I think you need to be positive and determined and be prepared for a bumpy ride.

“You have to be realistic and times can be tough, especially when it comes down to the nitty gritty of watching what’s coming into your business and what’s going out and when – but when it goes right, you can’t beat it.

Businesswoman Amanda Beech underlines Carol’s message of realism being key in business – and says her own experience shows some of the difficulties.

Amanda, of Ayshire-based Beech-Bryan decided to train for further qualifications and set up a business because she was getting lots of knock-backs at job interviews.

This also cemented the direction she took her company – as a consultancy on access for disabled customers and staff - knowing there were real barriers in the workplace for disabled people, not just with building accessibility, but in the attitude of employers and employees.

She says that getting things up and running was difficult. She had no financial assistance and had to use her own money. She didn’t fall into the right ‘category’ to get more support – because she found you had to be a certain age or in a certain area.

“But I did have a business advisor through an organisation called ‘Business Gateway’ and this was a great help.

“It took us about eight months to set the business up,” adds Amanda.

“With three children to support there was a fair amount of sleepless nights and a lot of headaches, but now the business is established and developing, I’m finding it extremely fulfilling.

“I find that first-hand experience of living with a disability a great advantage in the work she does, just as a midwife or health visitor can do a better job if they have children themselves.

“My experience of discriminatory behaviour and knowing of the difficulties facing people with different disabilities gives me an insight that able-bodied trainers can’t offer.”

But Amanda says that one of the hardest things she’s found is building awareness of her business – so she has had to become a skilled ‘networker’ – bringing in new work through word of mouth.

So what advice can Amanda add to those with a disability looking to set up their own business?
She says: “Make sure you are the sort of person who can handle the ups and downs of working for yourself – it’s not all rosy and can be a real hard slog.

“It takes stamina and broad shoulders. Be certain that this is what they want to do, because once you are financially committed – you have to make it work.

“But the sense of satisfaction you get can outweigh the negatives. The positive feedback from people you’ve worked is great – and knowing, when a hefty cheque comes through the door, that it’s because of all your hard work.”