By Jan Long, Founder & CEO of Mitchell Marketing Group, dba The Mr. Canary® Company
Over coffee and muffins back in 1995, my sister, Chris, and I gleefully declared, “We should start our own business!”
Great idea, bet no one’s ever thought of that…in the last three seconds.
Starting a business is like building a coast-to-coast highway. Once the Entrepreneurial Euphoria wears off, you have to go to work. When you do, if you try to imagine how you’ll cross every hill, river or valley in your path before you move your first shovel of dirt, you’ll never begin.
You have to think, “I know I can build a road from here to the next town,” and then start digging. You have to believe that between your starting point and your first goal, you’ll get stronger, learn a few tricks, get some help and find some new ideas that will get you to your next goal.
Then, you have to be willing to work, solve problems and adapt to changing situations to stay in business.
In my experience, that’s how people with disabilities live everyday. If there’s one thing those folks understand in spades, it’s adjusting to challenges. And it’s a key reason why every employer, especially entrepreneurs, should not only hire employees with disabilities, but go searching for them.
But how do they find each other?
When Chris and I started our bird feeder business, our “starting point” was to find a customer; our first “goal” was to sell that customer a bunch of birdfeeders – which we did. Then, came our first “hill.” We didn’t know how to make the feeders we had just sold to Kmart! And we sold a lot of them. (It’s a long story for another blog; just know we had a birdfeeder we could sell….)
Chris had previously worked for Vocational Rehabilitation and knew of a place in our hometown, Carey Services, which might be able to help. Among other things, Carey operates a plant that employs workers with disabilities, most with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. We presented them with a feeder and asked, “Could you build a bunch of these for us and if so, how much would it cost?”
And that was the beginning of our 17-year partnership.
From that day until now, workers with disabilities have produced, excellently and on time, every birdfeeder sold by our company. They order and manage our inventory, build the feeders and ship them across the country to customers like Walmart and Kroger and yes, we still have our first customer, Kmart. We are indebted to Carey for our success, and Carey is grateful for good and continuing work. But that’s only part of the reason our collaboration is the Best Business Decision we ever made.
The other advantages of working with people who have an incredibly hard time finding work are less obvious, but equally valuable.
When I wrote of adapting and adjusting and its significance in business (or any) success, it’s with a special knowledge of what people with disabilities manage daily. My sister had polio when she was a kid. Chris was lucky; she survived with just leg braces and crutches. For her entire life, my family and community have seen, through her, what a “disabled” person can do if you let them. My mom was on dialysis for two and a half years – talk about adjusting daily to changing circumstances! Everyday brought a chance for adapting or giving up. The courage, spirit and ingenuity of people with disabilities, just in my own family, inspire me and challenge me to do better, quit whining and try harder in my life.
It’s that way in a business setting, too. Some of the most creative, out-of-the box thinkers you will ever have the fortune to employ are workers with disabilities. Because the quality of their life is dependent on their capacity to find accommodations, they look at mastering challenges from a different perspective: survival.
What employer of any size business wouldn’t appreciate an employee who is a creative problem solver and wants to work?
The trick is to get those people connected.
Chris and I made a promise to ourselves the day we shipped our first order – whenever and wherever possible, we tell anyone who will listen about the contribution to our success made by workers with disabilities. On every package we sell, for example, we have a disability icon with a brief story of our collaboration.
Throughout the years, you would be stunned at the number of calls, letters and emails we’ve received commenting on our story. We’ve had people from other plants like Carey calling to ask if we have work for them; we’ve had mothers write how much it means that we offer work to people in the same circumstance as their children; and we’ve had more buyers than you would imagine tell us about a family member who has a disability. That little symbol gets attention.
And attention is what this topic needs.
If we want business leaders to do better at hiring workers with disabilities, they have to know better. They need to be aware of success stories like ours. Business owners and managers have to begin to view employing workers with disabilities as an advantage that will add value to their companies, not as philanthropy or charity. That mindset shortchanges the contributions of all of us.
When business leaders begin to see what they can gain, as opposed to what they “should give,” the paradigm shifts. It will also change the way workers with disabilities recognize their value. And when that happens – well, we can tackle the problem between this one and our next goal, right?
For more information:
For information and resources on recruiting and hiring people with disabilities, visit the Employment section of Disability.gov.
Sisters Jan Mitchell Long and Christina Mitchell Mowery own and operate Mitchell Marketing Group, dba The Mr. Canary® Company, which sells The Mr. Canary® Finch Feeder, a product developed by their Dad, Ray Mitchell. Their production is handled expertly by a contracted workforce in their hometown of Marion, IN. Carey Services operates a workshop as part of its many support options for workers with disabilities. Since 1995, the employees at Carey have assembled and shipped every feeder from their facility. Except for the seed, all parts of the feeder are made in the U.S.A. from recycled and recyclable material.
While I’m very tempted to write something nasty back to the last 3 people to comment, I realize that everyone who visits this blog has good intentions to help people with disabilities. That being said, I vehemently disagree with the Cheryl, Kristin, and Karen.
First, I don’t understand what could be misleading. The author clearly stated the relationship with the sheltered workshop, and even linked to their website! Obviously the best case scenario for both the disabled workers and the company would be to hire people directly, but that isn’t always feasible. It is very expensive to employ a workforce, and it is an option that is simply out of reach for many small businesses.
This is a company producing a product in America with the help of disabled workers. If “cheap” labor was all they wanted, why not just outsource to China? Maybe it’s not ideal in your minds, but this company is doing something great for the working disabled population, and for their community.
The goal should be employment in the community and in an integrated setting. Not a sheltered workshop where people with disabilities are segregated from their community. This isn’t an employment opportunity for people with disabilities – this is a company taking advantage of the cheap labor of a vulnerable population.
Did we read the same article? This is a two-person company trying to make a difference in an economically depressed community. If she was only looking for cheap labor, why wouldn’t she just have the bird feeders produced in China? Hiring a workforce directly is completely unrealistic for a company of this size. Do your research, check your facts, and actually read this post before you post such comments.
I agree with Cheryl. While the overall line of thought is encouraging, this company has not hired people with disabilities, they have just outsourced the work to another “company”. I was looking for an article about the prospects and hope for employment for my son, but instead found someone who is just supporting a sheltered workshop. Not a bad thing in and of itself, but the article was misleading.
While I appreciate the acknowledgement that people with disabilities can work and have skills and talent to contribute, why doesn’t this business hire these individuals directly and offer them full employment opportunities and real wages for the work they do? Instead they rely on a captive workforce that segregated and isolated, and which the organization (probably) pays these individuals based soley on productivity which translates to less wages than the real cost of getting the work done. Space, overhead, warehousing, transportation costs, etc. are bourne by the facility and therefore allow the work to be “costed out” at lower production costs. Why should businesses make a profit on the backs of people with disabilities? Why not share the profits fairly with real wages for real work?
I am trying to get back home due to the fact my leg is getting worse, I work at the VA, and I realize now that being near my children is very important. I have fallen 8 times in the last year. I have a metal rod and a lot of pain. WA state is nice, but I need to get home. I have applied for over 30 jobs I know I am qualified for and I have had 5 interviews. I am a schedule A, but no matter what I do I can’t get home for anything. I even took a trip to Northern California and talked to every VA that would talk to me and the strangest thing is the Palo Alto VA just keeps sending me letters saying I am not qualified. Yes I am, and I am applying for jobs I have done for over seven yrs. I need an Attorney. I have even applied for lower GS levels. I have an interview tomorrow. I hope I get home soon…or I have to seek help. I need to be near family.
As a disabled person, (dysthymia, a form of depression) I appreciate what the purpose of this artlcle calls for, the realization that I, as a disabled person, do have skills, and am willing to put my hard-earned experience/skills to use, for someone/someplace that can see beyond the disability and see the ability.
I would like to know where I can buy your birdfeeders! I like to support companies that support their local community and inclusion!
I have a problem where I cannot write or type prrpeoly (as I am constantly on the next page so to say) to put information in writing. I am well read but tried typing, which had the same problem. I am currently receiving (P.W.D.) living allowance from province of B.C., but need to get computer skills to work. I know a computer with a Dragon speech program would be of help as I understand it would self correct my speech impediment (too large a tongue at birth). If there is any program which could help, would you please advise where I could find out more info.?
I agree, but in TX for someone who is legally blind and cannot get a drivers lic., it is very hard to get opportunities. I even have a level 1 cert. in HVAC and cannot get work because it requires a drivers license, like most all the jobs in TX. So DARS is supposed to help, but they say look for work and when you get a job we will make accommodations for you. What good does this do if they do not help you because of not having a drivers license? I WISH THEY WOULD GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY INSTEAD OF GIVING EXCUSES.
Thank you for sharing an article that needs to be taken seriously. Sometimes those who encourage the hiring of persons with disabilities miss the big picture – NOT charity—but opportunity. Thank you again.
Great article Jan. I admire you and your sister for finding a situation that benefits all people involved. It is so smart, and unfortunatly, not as common as we would like. Keep up the great work.
People with disabilities should have the same opportunity as anyone else. Some will amaze and some will fall short but isn’t that true of everyone! None of us is perfect; we all have our strengths and our weaknesses whether anyone can see them from looking at us or not.
One of the biggest problems is to get employers to look past the disability and see the real person.
Great post Jan.
Great article,people with disabilities are shunned way to often,this article shows that there is hope in this society ….
Great article with a wonderful common sense message.
Well said. I hope this brings attention to other small business owners looking to expand their workforce.