Beyond Purple Socks: How to Support Disabled Entrepreneurs By: Michelle Zeman

 

Image of purple socks with hearts on them.
Do you support disabled entrepreneurs? If you answered yes, then you should wear purple socks on December 3!

 

Seems silly, right? Well, the idea for this came about last year from Victoria Jenkins, an award-winning adaptive designer, speaker, disability advocate, and writer. She backed last year’s Purple Sock Day as a way to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

 

Victoria Jenkins' work last year was an incredible way to support entrepreneurs with disabilities. Oftentimes, people with disabilities like myself are often told that we will never amount to anything, much less design a business or make any profits. Let’s explore other ways to support disabled entrepreneurs beyond just purchasing our product or using our service.

 

●     Partner with entrepreneurs with disabilities in areas where they need more support. Let’s say you know someone with a disability who wants to start up a business. However, an area that they need support with is website design. This is one way to support a person with a disability - by helping out with branding, designing their website, and designing their shop page.

○     And for entrepreneurs with disabilities, it’s essential to pay them! Some people are willing to help for free, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case for everyone.

 

●     Spread the word! This goes for both supporters and entrepreneurs with disabilities. Advertising is critical! We want everyone to know about your business - post on social media, share the link with friends, and spread the word. Share your product with the world!

 

And for those entrepreneurs with disabilities, the biggest tip I’ve seen is not just to work hard to create your product/service, but to work hard to sell your story. Why should people want to buy your product or use your service? Your story is critical! Those looking at your business want to know more about you as a person!

 

All in all, there are a variety of ways to support entrepreneurs with disabilities. If there is anything you can do to support, we appreciate it! It doesn’t have to fall entirely on raising money, helping entrepreneurs with disabilities in areas where they need support, or buying the product; sometimes, being a cheerleader and spreading the word is more than enough. 


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