I sometimes wonder what my economics degree gave me in day to day life. But then I realise it gave me various tools and frameworks by which to view the world. This is definitely the case when looking at disabled people as consumers and employees.
As a consumer I need physical spaces to be accessible, digital places to work with assistive software, and customer service that can understand my needs. Otherwise quite simply I cannot spend my money with that business. Nor will I bring my friends and family with me.
As an employee I have a whole load of value that a business can benefit from. Moreover they have other customers with similar backgrounds to me. Meaning employing a diverse work pool serves a diverse customer base. However if the business is inaccessible or discriminating, I cannot work for them.
Basically it pays to be inclusive. Remember the purple pound!? The spending power of disabled households is around £250bn.
Meet Simon Minty
In one of the first episodes of the Martyn Sibley show I interviewed Phil Friend. Along with his friend and business partner Simon Minty, they paved the way for inclusion of disabled consumers and employees.
We have a lot to thank them for!
So it was really nice to sit down and talk with the other member of the dynamic duo. Since revolutionising a whole set of industries, Simon has also branched out into other pursuits.
You will probably have heard him on the BBC Ouch podcast. He and Phil have their own podcast too. Plus Simon loves a bit of comedy. It was a really interesting and enjoyable interview to make.
Listen, rate, share
I hope you enjoy hearing all about Simon. Please do leave me a rating on the PodBean or iTunes platforms. Most importantly please share this episode and indeed the whole show with your friends and family. It’s the only way we can reach more people with these great guests.
Here’s the iTunes version (PodBean is embedded at the top of this page).
Keep the love coming 🙂
Martyn ‘economist’ Sibley
– World Changer @ martynsibley.com
– Captain of Inclusion @ disabilityhorizons.com
– Author @ ‘Everything is Possible‘
– Motivational Speaker @ pro-motivate.com/speaker/martyn-sibley
– Adviser @ Governments/Businesses/Charities
