Are You a Disabled Parent Creating a Start-Up? Here’s Some Advice
By Guest Author: Emily Graham
There are millions of small businesses in our country. If you’re interested in adding to this number, you need to have a solid business plan and a bit of knowledge about your target market. While being a disabled parent adds to the difficulty, you can make it work.
Build Your Skills
If this is your first time running a business, take some time to educate yourself on the process and how to tip the odds of succeeding in your favor. There are many business tutorials online that you can look over. Another idea is to go back to school and earn a business degree and learn more about management, operations, and marketing.
Consider Hiring Employees
Think critically about your strengths and weaknesses. Determine if your disability could interfere with your duties. Consider delegating responsibilities that are challenging to you to an employee. You should also designate someone else to perform tasks that you’d prefer not to do.
Hiring a babysitter for a few hours each week could also give you uninterrupted time to immerse yourself fully in your business.
Research Your Target Market
As a prospective business owner, you should consider your target market when branding and advertising. If you don’t, you may waste your efforts and not reach the right people.
Take time to think about who is most likely to want your product or service. Is it women or men? Does it appeal more to a child or someone who’s in their 40s to 60s? You should do this every time you introduce a new product or service to your line.
Although this seems time-consuming, especially when you’re disabled with the full-time responsibility of a child, it’s worth it to reach your market.
Consider a Home-Based Business
If you have a physical disability, the commute to a bricks-and-mortar location may seem overwhelming. Fortunately, when you choose a home-based business, that isn’t an issue. Moreover, you’ll be able to stay at home with your child.
Examples of home-based business ideas include:
- Writer
- SEO strategist
- Babysitting
- Pet sitting
- Homemade product seller
If you’re working from home, make sure you have a suitable home office so that you can stay productive. If you plan on hosting clients in your home, keep your home looking immaculate by hiring the pros at Right Touch Residential Cleaning!
Look Into Grants and Other Funding Options
If you need funding for a business, look into grants. Often, you can find ones for disabled entrepreneurs. You’ll need to read the requirements carefully, though, because some opportunities are only for established disabled business owners.
Additionally, you should consider low-interest loans for small business owners, some of which are specifically for disabled entrepreneurs.
Search Carefully for a Location
Determine your finances to the nearest cent, taking into consideration loans, grants, and savings. Know your budget and make sure you stay within those parameters.
Find a location that can accommodate your unique needs. If the building isn’t already handicap accessible, you’ll need to figure out if you can make it work while remaining within budget.
In addition, factor in whether a location will be profitable.
Create a Solid Business Plan
As you’re starting, create a business plan. The plan should include information about your mission, goals, and structure. The plan should incorporate financial information as well. This will serve as a guideline for reaching your short- and long-term goals, and should be updated regularly.
If this task is too much for you to handle on your own, hire a business consultant. You can find writers who specialize in business plans by performing a search online. Make sure you read reviews and ask about delivery time and cost.
Business Dreams Are Achievable
While business ownership is difficult, especially with a disability and a child, it’s achievable when you start on a solid foundation.
