People with disabilities thrive in their own business

[Guest guest]

People with disabilities thrive in their own business

http://www.thetelegram.com/index.cfm?sid=100077 & sc=82

Dan Bauer, who started a successful property management business

three years ago, is just getting going.

The 46-year-old resident of Osoyoos, B.C., is a paraplegic, and

plans to sell his company in a couple of years and put the money

towards building a wheelchair-accessible wilderness retreat for the

disabled and for seniors.

" There's such a need for this, " Bauer said in an interview. " I'd

have no trouble getting bookings. We're now looking for investors. "

Despite a crippling injury suffered in a motorvehicle accident in

Alberta in 1985, Bauer maintains a positive attitude that is typical

of many disabled business people.

In fact, according to Statistics Canada, people with disabilities

have a much higher rate of self-employment and small business

experience than people without disabilities and they start

businesses at almost twice the rate of the general population.

There are many reasons, but perhaps key is their resilience and

ability to bounce back from great adversity and challenge —

important attributes in the business world.

As well, many people with disabilities simply can't function in the

rigid " nine-to-five " centralized work environment that is still so

pervasive in today's offices.

They often have to set their own hours to accommodate such things as

medical appointments and many must work from a home office — and

what better way to do that than by being your own boss?

" I came here with an open mind and pocketful of ideas, " recalled

Bauer, who was first interested in web design but instead saw an

opportunity in the property management field. So he took out a

$10,000 loan from the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program (EDP)

" It was very helpful. The banks won't even look at you. " — and set

up Sunrise Eagle Cleaning and Property Management, which caters to

dozens of condo owners in the south Okanagan town who need someone

to clean and manage their homes while they're away.

" Business is good, " said Bauer, who runs the company with his wife,

Judy. " She's the meat and potatoes. And I handle the telephone, the

bookings and the books. "

EDP, a partnership involving several parties including the federal

government through Western Economic Diversification Canada, B.C.

Community Futures associations and others, has made 765 loans

totalling $16.2 million since being established in western Canada in

1997.

Entrepreneurs with disabilities have traditionally had a harder time

accessing credit, start-up loans and business services needed to get

a new business off the ground. The one-size-fits-all approach of

lenders and government support services hasn't always taken into

account their diverse needs.

The EDP helps these entrepreneurs by providing a range of services

to entrepreneurs with disabilities who are starting or expanding

smaller businesses, including assistance in developing business

plans, access to a business loan, business coaching and training in

business management, and referrals to other government agencies and

training resources.

Deanna Bhandar, EDP provincial co-ordinator for Community Futures

British Columbia, said in an interview that self-employment is an

option because it allows them to work from a home-based business and

manage their time. " What we see in entrepreneurs is someone who's

incredibly motivated and has a lot of perseverance. Often that's the

same characteristic as people with disabilities. They're on fixed

incomes (and) they're looking for ways to contribute to their local

economies and communities. "

Bhandar said the program has helped people start businesses " across

a broad spectrum " and that clients include people with physical

disabilities, mental health issues and chronic health issues.

The program is especially helpful for people with disabilities

living in rural communities. Bhandar said the program offers them an

opportunity to build on the strengths and skills while moving them

from isolation to fuller participation in their local economies.

A recent evaluation of the program indicated that in B.C. last year

47 loans were made to entrepreneurs with disabilities for a total

value of $1.4 million; loan recipients indicated that there was only

a 12-per cent likelihood that they would have been able to access

financing from other sources in order to start their own businesses

if EDP loan funds had not been available to them; and that the

average EDP loan recipient generates revenues of approximately

$346,000 over the five-year period beginning from the time of their

initial business start-up.

The evaluation also found that success rates of small businesses

owned by EDP loan recipients range from 50 to 70 per cent by the end

of their fifth year of operation, compared to a 46-per-cent survival

rate of small businesses in general by their third year of operation.

Bauer said he started a business because he simply couldn't work

nine-to-five for medical reasons.

" Most people with disabilities can be very productive, but they need

that flexibility. In everyday life, we face barriers and challenges

(and) we either overcome them or we don't. In business, if there's a

wall, we have a tendency to figure out how to get around it. The

trials make you stronger. "

s, who started Camellia Gardening and Landscaping in

several years ago after getting a $23,000 EDP loan, does

residential landscape design for mostly high-end clients. s,

50, can only work for about 25 hours a week due to a chronic disease

he didn't want to disclose. " I have to be my own boss because at

times I have to take time off because I'm not feeling well. "

s said he understands why many people with disabilities start

small businesses. " We don't want to sit on our asses. I couldn't

work for two years, so I was on disability. Now, I work completely

on my own and I make my own decisions.

" I believe a lot of people on disability feel they're wards of the

government. And they don't like that. They want to be independent

and apart from the whole bureaucracy of disability. " Of his EDP

loan, s said: " It was immediately helpful and I can't stress

that enough. I wouldn't have started this business without it. I owe

everything to them for taking a chance on me.

" This is the best job in the world. And I work outdoors all year

round. I have a whole bunch of projects to do this winter. "