Three Reasons Why Disabled Women Find Self-Employed Success

For decades, disabled people have faced a lack of employment opportunities. There are currently over 11 million people in the UK living with disabilities, long term illnesses or impairments, and yet only 50 percent of those of working age are in employment. Now, more and more disabled women are choosing to embark on the journey of running their own business and it is clear to see why.

As entrepreneurs, we can take charge of our own career, be our own boss and manage our own time. Here are 3 reasons why being self-employed can be the perfect choice for disabled women.

1. Flexibility

Being your own boss means you have much greater flexibility when it comes to working arrangements. You can choose to work remotely, from home or pick an office environment that suits your needs.

If you find that you are struggling to get around, or need to attend an important business meeting but will struggle to transport your mobility equipment, then take a look at companies such as Mobility Solutions, who offer various options that are portable and easily folded to help you get to those important meetings.

Owning your own business also means you can pick and choose when you work, meaning its easier to take time off when you need to for things like medical appointments. If you’re having a day where you don’t feel up to working, you can much more easily take some time out and resume work when you feel like it. An article on The Guardian states “Kath Sutherland, a development officer with the Disabled Entrepreneurs Network (DEN) and a small business owner herself, says being able to work from a particular location, in hours that suit the individual, can be hugely liberating.”

2. Do what you love

Running your own business gives you the opportunity to get away from dead end jobs that you persevere with just to make ends meet. Considering we spend so much time in the work-place, it is important to enjoy and be satisfied with what we are doing day in day out. But only 17 percent of Brits have found jobs that they love. Starting your own business gives you the opportunity to make money doing what you genuinely enjoy, making work feel less like work!

3. Be your own boss

Elizabeth Wright, the Paralympic medalist, wrote in a blog that “there are a lot of frustrated people with disabilities, that genuinely feel that their skills and experience are disregarded in the job market because they are seen as purely a number, a tick in a tick box system. Is this frustration giving rise to the growing number of people with disabilities joining the ranks of entrepreneur?”

Being your own boss gives you the satisfaction to know that your business success is down to you, your hard work, your motivation, your skills. You have not been given this job purely to tick a box.

Taking the leap into entrepreneurship can be the perfect solution for disabled women, giving them the opportunity to have a successful and rewarding career doing what they love, all where and when suits them.