Inaccessible support services, poor access to finance and the ongoing ‘burden of proof of disability’ are among major barriers that need to be radically overhauled for millions of disabled founders across the UK to flourish, according to interim findings from The Lilac Review. Launched this February, The Lilac Review is an independent, Government-backed Review looking to address and overcome the barriers facing the nation’s disabled entrepreneurs – who represent 25% of the UK’s 5.5m small business owners, but account for just 8.
6% of business turnover . The Review estimates that levelling-up entrepreneurial opportunity could unlock an additional £230bn in business turnover across the UK. On the back of extensive research and submission of evidence – including undertaking 18 focus groups with over 100 disabled entrepreneurs – The Lilac Review identified a series of common struggles which need to be overcome to make entrepreneurship more accessible.
This included balancing health needs - which are often chronic - alongside running a business, and also managing the burden of unnecessarily complex processes to access business support, finance, and welfare, as well as inaccessibly designed services. It also highlighted the need to move away from requiring annual benefit re-assessments for life-long conditions, to reduce the administrative cost to Government and the pressure on entrepreneurs to repeatedly justify their need for support. The Review is calling for busi.