Disability and Entrepreneurship

Read time : 40 mins Added: 24/04/2023

Disability and Entrepreneurship report

Our Disability and Entrepreneurship report produced in partnership with Small Business Britain reflects the views of around 500 disabled entrepreneurs from across the UK.

This is a key moment in deepening our understanding of the barriers being faced by the UK’s disabled entrepreneurs. The findings in the report couldn’t be clearer - entrepreneurship is currently not equitable for the UK’s disabled founders.

Read the full report (PDF, 6.7MB)

Read the plain text report (PDF, 406KB)

Listen to the report

The report found significant hurdles are holding founders back, including higher start-up costs, and challenges accessing funding and support. It also highlights the innovation, unique perspectives, experiences and ideas that disabled entrepreneurs bring to the business world.

Key findings:

25% of entrepreneurs are disabled or neurodiverse.
37% report they have been discriminated against because of their disability.
33% of disabled entrepreneurs followed the entrepreneurship route out of necessity.
60% did not get any support when starting their business; either financial, training, advice or other support.
59% are worried to take on debt, whilst 48% don’t know the right type of funding.
Disabled people on average face £570 of additional living costs per month.
70% lack appropriate role models.
84% feel that they do not have equal access to the same opportunities and resources as non-disabled founders.
35% say their disability has positively impacted them as an entrepreneur.

Read our full Disability and Entrepreneurship report (PDF, 6.7MB)

Photograph of Michelle Ovens CBE

“What strikes me the most from speaking to entrepreneurs during this research is the shift that is required from talking about deficiency and weakness to talking about skills and strengths.

"When we look at the journey of entrepreneurs all the way from childhood, through education, to starting up and growing, there has too often been a focus on what disability detracts from the entrepreneur, and not what the individual brings.”

Michelle Ovens CBE
Small Business Britain

Photograph of Michelle Ovens CBE

“What strikes me the most from speaking to entrepreneurs during this research is the shift that is required from talking about deficiency and weakness to talking about skills and strengths.

"When we look at the journey of entrepreneurs all the way from childhood, through education, to starting up and growing, there has too often been a focus on what disability detracts from the entrepreneur, and not what the individual brings.”

Michelle Ovens CBE
Small Business Britain

“Supporting businesses is part of our core purpose, and Britain can only truly prosper when it’s inclusive of all communities. We passionately believe that all businesses should have the same opportunities to succeed as each other but we recognise, through what disabled entrepreneurs are telling us, that there is still much work to do to create an equitable landscape.”

David Oldfield
Interim Group Chief Operating Officer & Executive Sponsor for Disability, Mental Health and Neurodiversity, Lloyds Banking Group

Photograph of David Oldfield

Photograph of David Oldfield

“Supporting businesses is part of our core purpose, and Britain can only truly prosper when it’s inclusive of all communities. We passionately believe that all businesses should have the same opportunities to succeed as each other but we recognise, through what disabled entrepreneurs are telling us, that there is still much work to do to create an equitable landscape.”

David Oldfield
Interim Group Chief Operating Officer & Executive Sponsor for Disability, Mental Health and Neurodiversity, Lloyds Banking Group

Small Business Britain

In partnership with Small Business Britain

Small Business Britain is the UK’s leading champion of small businesses, supporting all 5.5 million small businesses in the UK – no matter their background or circumstances, their location, their sector or their ambition. Through a series of reports, events and campaigns, Small Business Britain champions, inspires and accelerates small businesses in the UK to foster growth and increased confidence.

Small Business Britain

In partnership with Small Business Britain

Small Business Britain is the UK’s leading champion of small businesses, supporting all 5.5 million small businesses in the UK – no matter their background or circumstances, their location, their sector or their ambition. Through a series of reports, events and campaigns, Small Business Britain champions, inspires and accelerates small businesses in the UK to foster growth and increased confidence.

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