Introduction
As someone who was interested in starting my own web design business, I did my R&D and set about incorporating and studying for various aspects of becoming a company director. A few months would pass while doing R&D. As I delved deeper, I discovered a myriad of issues that seemed to prevent me from moving forward incorporating a company. Mainly an organisational lockout. I was told by many organisations, charities, government bodies, chambers of commerce and funding providers that I was unable to proceed with my plans for various reasons, which made no sense to me. I incorporated a company anyway, in 2019.
Despite having a clean credit history I was then told I would not be unable to open a bank account by various banks. I enquired as to why and received no response. I didn’t feel as though I was being discriminated against and wondered if something more was going on. I had never defaulted on a loan or payment because I had never had one. Ah. So I got myself a credit card. Some time later I tried again. Bank account open, success.
By this time it was mid 2020.
And my thought was if disabled people are less likely to be hired, can’t get a job, you can’t get a credit card. Luckily for me I am frugal and have good credit. At the time I never saw a need for a credit card. Most working class parents tell their kids not to get one.
Now I’m seeing more problems. I started seeing why other disabled people talk about workplace discrimination and I was shocked to find out how difficult the space for vulnerable people was when trying to expand your career.
2020
I spent 2020 like everyone else, in lockdown. It was a good year for me, I was very productive, structuring, writing & implementing; frameworks, policies, processes and procedures. Due to cost constraints and the approaching filing period, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I learned how to fill out the necessary forms for Companies House and/or HMRC. Despite the hurdles, I was determined to succeed. The information I received from these organisations contradicted my research, which revealed that my circumstances did not prevent me from starting a company if I adhered to certain rules. Nor would my disability hinder me as was the concern for some organisations.
Probing Further
Unconvinced by the information I was given, I decided to investigate further. My efforts led to the foundation of Disability Enterprise Ltd, a company created as an experiment to challenge the misinformation I had received. The company’s mission is to provide resources, tools, and necessities not offered by local or UK government bodies, primarily focusing on my understanding and empathy.
Company Introduction
Disability Enterprise Ltd aims to unify and support service users through various platforms. Funded entirely by myself, without any external help (unfortunately), I embarked on this journey by researching the current environment and developing key performance indicators to measure the company’s success. Many of the resources provided by Disability Enterprise Ltd will be free of charge. My goal is not to profit but to revolutionise the support system for young disabled people who are often left behind in education and the workplace. I want to help those who are just like me. The people who have dreams and are told those dreams are unobtainable. When in reality people would rather help someone they consider socially worthy.
Building the Company Website
Today, I am beginning the development of the company’s website. My first steps involve setting up the server, securing the MySQL database, and connecting the domain name to the server via the necessary DNS records. I am excited about this project but plan to proceed slowly. I aim to launch the company’s beta site within a week, with features added incrementally.
Over the past three years, I have steadily gathered the information needed to launch the company. However, I faced delays due to budgeting constraints and personal life changes, which shifted my focus towards profit rather than revolution.
Future Plans
At this moment, I do not foresee any major projects coming my way, and my marketing budget for CookeCorp is dwindling and requires replenishment. Nevertheless, I remain committed to my vision for Disability Enterprise Ltd and look forward to the positive impact it will have on the lives of young disabled people. Over the past three years I’ve worked slowly towards gathering the required information necessary to launch but held off for various reasons mainly due to budgeting constraints. Later my personal life would evolve, meaning I would also have to focus more on personal earnings rather than revolution.
This blog post captures the essence of my journey from conceptualising Disability Enterprise Ltd to the verge of launching its website. Despite numerous challenges and misinformation, I persevered and established a company dedicated to making a difference. Stay tuned for updates on our progress and the impact I hope to achieve. If you would like to work with me on this project, have any ideas for the development please feel free to get in touch. In this post I have been very impartial not mentioning my feeling about the staffing provided by Capita or the service provided to service users in vulnerable positions.