| Home-Based, Not Home
Bound
By Patti Lind, The Abilities Fund, Inc.
Working from home is ideal for many people with
disabilities, making it easier to work around the effects of a
disabling condition. Transportation barriers, for example, disappear
when the commute is across the hall rather than across town. A
home-based entrepreneur has added flexibility to take sensible
rests, manage medical routines, and coordinate personal attendant
care services. The benefits of working at home are irrefutable,
but beware—its isolating effects can be detrimental to you
and your business.
Feelings of isolation are not uncommon for home-based
business owners, and people with disabilities are particularly
susceptible to the isolating effects of working at home. The same
logistical concerns that make working from home a convenient arrangement—transportation
and accessibility, to name a few—also make it easy for some
entrepreneurs with disabilities to become hermits. Don’t
let being home-based make you home bound.
Get out and network—it’s not only
good for the soul, it’s good for business. Here are some
networking suggestions:
• Volunteer with a local civic organization. Volunteerism
gives you and your business a chance to shine. Your community
involvement will lend credibility to you and your business, and
it might even lead you to customers.
• Join a trade association, professional
organization, Chamber of Commerce, or business group and don’t
just read the monthly newsletter—get involved. Remember,
networking only works if you show up, so attend meetings and volunteer
to serve on committees.
• Take advantage of public speaking opportunities.
Position yourself as an expert in your field by giving presentations
at association meetings, trade shows, conferences, meetings of
civic organizations, and other events.
• Attend conferences and trade shows in
your industry. You’ll not only meet people who share your
interest, but you’ll also learn about cutting edge trends
and practices.
• Build-in water cooler input by establishing
a business advisory group. The advisory group can function as
a sounding board for your ideas, offer advice, and serve as a
source of referrals. For best results, seek out advisors with
varied experience and expertise.
• Seek out other home-based business owners.
Informal groups of home-based business owners are sprouting up
in communities all over the country. One such group started when
two home-based business owners struck up a conversation at a local
coffee shop. The pair began meeting for coffee regularly, and
others joined in their conversation. Before they knew it, there
was a group of four to eight people meeting regularly, exchanging
ideas, and trading services.
• Find out if a home-based business group
has been established in your community by calling the Chamber
of Commerce or Small Business Development Center. If there isn’t
already a group, start your own. Set a meeting date, time, and
location and publicize it through the Chamber and by posting flyers
at the local coffee shop or copy center. As Ray Kinsella said
in Field of Dreams, “If you
build it, they will come.”
• Talk to other entrepreneurs with disabilities.
Not sure where to find them? Try contacting your local Vocational
Rehabilitation office or Center for Independent Living.
©2000-2001 The Abilities Fund, Inc. Reprinted
with the permission of the author.
Contact Information
Patti Lind
The Abiltites Fund
PRLIND1@aol.com
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