The Business Guide for People With Disabilities or a Child With a Disability
Starting a small business can be filled with uncertainty and stress. If you’re a parent, the added stress of having someone depending on you can make it even more stressful. Furthermore, if you are currently living with a disability, you might be wondering if you can start a small business. If you and/or your child live with a disability, starting a small business can seem impossible.
However, it is absolutely possible to start the business of your dreams and earn a sizable living doing what you love. Follow this business guide for a complete understanding of starting a small business while having disabilities and being a parent. And or being a parent of a child with disabilities.
Choosing a Business
Even if you already have an idea of what your small business is going to offer, it is important to choose your business plan carefully. While you might love jewelry-making, there is a huge number of jewelry-makers both online and in most local regions. Instead, focus on finding a niche for your business. Instead of just starting a jewelry business, perhaps you can focus on selling a particular type of charm bracelet.
To give you another example, perhaps you really like pets and want your small business to focus on them in some way. However, instead of deciding to do any number of things involving pets, narrow your focus to meeting just one need, such as starting a dog walking service. Then, think about narrowing your focus down even further, such as starting a pet sitting or dog boarding business for people who spend time out of town.
A MLM business might be what works best. How often are you offered the opportunity to make money, make a difference, and have fun all on your terms? If a healthy lifestyle with foods that can actually help you or your child with their disability is something worth looking into.
Whatever you decide, by focusing on doing one thing well instead of a lot of smaller things, you allow yourself to thrive and find your place within a complex market. Plus, unless there are other charm bracelet-makers near you, you also limit the competition.
Finding the Funding
Depending on what, exactly, your small business is, it can be difficult to fund it all on your own. While some small businesses might be easily funded using just a couple hundred dollars from your savings, others will have a massive amount of start-up costs. If your business falls into this latter category, you will probably need to look externally for your business funding. NerdWallet explains that banks are usually great options for small business owners, especially if your business is locally based. If your business seems to have lots of interest already, you could try crowdfunding your start-up costs. This is both a great way to get funding for your business and get the word out before you even open your doors.
For those with disabilities, there also might be funding available in the form of grants. While there are no national grants for this sort of thing, your state Small Business Association, as well as local foundations and organizations, might have funding available.
Take Care of Yourself
Self-care is important for everyone, but when you’re starting a small business while also coping with disabilities and being a parent, it is more important than ever. Starting a small business can wear you down, which is why it is important to take care of yourself. Shopify points out that good physical health has been linked to good mental health. In turn, good mental health has been linked to increased productivity and creativity. Therefore, taking care of yourself isn’t just something you need to do to help yourself feel better, it’s a requirement of operating a business.
Plus, as a parent, it is important to take care of yourself so that you can give your best self to your children. After all, it is hard to fill up others’ glasses if yours is already empty. Balancing parenthood, your business, and yourself can be difficult, but it is absolutely possible.
Starting a new business can be stressful and exciting at the same time. If you are a parent and have disabilities, you might be thinking, “Is it even possible?” However, we are here to ensure you that it is completely possible for you to start a business you love.