STEPHEN PRITCHARD could not have set up his own business without the advent of the internet and other new technologies. Left paralysed by a motorcycle accident, he needed to create a company he could run in spite of his physical disabilities.

The answer was to set up a virtual one, Accessatlast.com, helping people like himself to find accessible hotel rooms. “The internet is the crux of my business,” he said. “Ten years ago I would not have been able to do it. Something as simple as going to the library to do research would have been a real challenge. E-mail, the web and wireless technology put almost everything I need at my fingertips.”

Pritchard is just one of a growing number of entrepreneurs using the internet to compete and succeed in business despite facing physical, geographical or lifestyle barriers that would have made running their own business impossible only a few years ago.

Sarah Lord, founder of Steptoes Dog, decided to start her own business when dyslexia prevented her from getting on the career ladder, even though she had a degree in retail management.

“My dyslexia was a real hindrance in getting jobs after I finished my degree. I would make a lot of mistakes in typing documents or in data entry and soon realised that it wasn’t going to work.”

She set up her own business selling antique clothing and jewellery online and it is rapidly outgrowing her home base. She plans to open her first retail outlet in May.

“Technology offers so many advantages,” said Lord. “Spell checkers are invaluable, of course, and the public nature of a website means that family and friends can proof-read my web pages for me. Integrated office-management systems also save me a lot of time and minimise the amount of data entry I have to do.

“The other advantage of a web-based business is that it enabled me to start with little cash and little risk. Opening for business with a shop can swallow your start-up funds very quickly and you can find yourself in deep water in no time at all.”

New technology is also a lifeline for Zoe Partington, who runs her consulting and training business from the wilds of Shropshire. Geographical remoteness is not the only barrier she faces in running her own business - she is blind.

Specialist screen-reading technology gives her access to the internet and e-mail, while modern innovations make all the difference to her ability to run her firm, Diablo Arts.

“Broadband is fantastic and wireless internet means I can look after the kids and work at the same time if I need to. Text messages are also incredibly useful for setting up meetings, particularly when working with deaf colleagues. Video calls on Skype cut down on the number of meetings I attend — which is a great help because I need to plan any travel carefully.

“Technology works on so many levels for me. It also means that people do not necessarily need to know that I have a disability, which stops it becoming an issue.” Despite all this, there are still barriers that prevent business owners such as Pritchard and Partington from competing on equal terms.

Pritchard’s firm is rapidly outgrowing his home and finding business premises with the right ramps and wheelchair access is a headache.

“The business is really starting to grow now and we hope to reach £3m in sales by year three, but it’s a real problem finding accessible office space. I’ve had to convert the garage as a stopgap measure but expanding beyond this is going to be a real challenge for me.”

Partington sometimes finds she is at a disadvantage when bidding for work. “Tendering for contracts, particularly for government or large organisations, can often involve printing off tons of paperwork, rather than allowing you to submit applications online, which makes it very difficult for someone in my position.”

Such barriers still exist, but these days it is far easier for people with disabilities to start their own firms, according to Mark Bishop, head of corporate partnerships at the Leonard Cheshire charity, which helps people with disabilities set up their own businesses.

“The fact that people with disabilities can run a business from home is a huge advantage,” he said. “And since they often don’t have much capital to invest, internet-based businesses, which are not usually capital intensive, offer them a real opportunity to get started.”

Leonard Cheshire runs the Ready to Start campaign, which aims to help 600 people with disabilities become self-employed by offering start-up advice, remote training and funding as well as mentoring from Barclays bank staff in 27 towns and cities. The scheme also plans to launch a forum in which entrepreneurs with disabilities can share tips and advice.

“We want to ensure disabled people are enabled for enterprise, and technology is a key way of achieving that,” said Bishop. “It is about helping them with IT and online skills as this is an area in which one in four of the people we surveyed felt they were lacking.”

The aim of the campaign is not just to help disabled people to start up but also to help them grow their businesses, said Bishop. “A lot of these enterprises are cottage businesses with low turnover, so an important part of our scheme is to help people really grow their turnover and ensure the long-term sustainability of their businesses.”

The flexibility offered by new technology is also making a huge difference to groups such as mothers or carers who need to work from home.

Lord is able to run her business around caring for her parents, who are not in good health. “The flexibility of a web-based business is a great advantage. I was also the main carer for my grandmother before she passed away. Having an internet business meant I could spend time looking after her but also keep up with the business on my laptop.”

Glenda Stone, chief executive of business-women’s network Aurora, said there was growing evidence that an increasing number of women were using new technology and the more flexible working practices it offers to start their own businesses in just this kind of way.

“We’ve seen a marked increase in the number of women starting their own business in 2006 compared with 2005 and the majority of these are set up from home,” she said.

“There has also been a fundamental shift in the mindsets of women starting businesses. Previously they saw technology as an expense, but now they see it as an investment - more so than ever now that prices for services like broadband have fallen. They are increasingly grasping the opportunity new technology is giving them to run and operate their businesses more flexibly.”

readytostart.org.uk
disabledworkers.org.uk
direct.gov.uk