A Place At The Table

Although it's a popular claim, one size fits all hardly ever works for everyone. Invariably, that one size that seems to suit everyone else, leaves someone feeling very left out. Not much fun if you're that someone on the outside looking in. For anyone hosting an activity for people of different abilities then, the challenge is to create place where everyone feels equally welcome and involved.

Willing And Able

Our featured guest on Kickstart Your Business, Caríosa Sullivan of AbleTable.ie, introduced a true one size fits all solution that naturally makes a space for people of all abilities to sit around the table and interact easily. When Caríosa's mum and Special Needs Assistant Esther was looking for a table for her classroom, she was unable to find one. One size simply didn't fit all. And so she asked her husband Martin, who's pretty handy, to make one and he created the first Able Table.

The Able Table is designed in such a way that able-bodied and people of varying abilities can eat, work and play side by side without anyone feeling left out. Caríosa and Martin are now manufacturing Able Tables for a growing and eager market in both the mixed abilities and senior sectors where disability of any kind can often mean subtle and not so subtle exclusion from social activities.

Tabling A Discussion

Both Shane Coleman (sitting in for George) and I were immediately won over by Martin's very simple solution to a complex problem, and admired both his ingenuity and can-do attitude, often the hallmarks of the great entrepreneurs.

However, I suggested that they are being too coy in presenting their pricing to potential customers on their website in particular. Now this is a not uncommon challenge facing someone who wants to make a difference, but struggles to put a commercial value on the difference they make. When a prospective customer, whether carer or client, knows the cost of something, then they're much better placed to determine the value of it, and able in turn to make an informed decision around their purchase. Keeping people at arms length from this all-important detail simply doesn't make for good business.

Pull Up A Seat

Why not visit AbleTable.ie and suggest how else Caríosa and Martin can make a place at the table for more and more customers?

Listen back to Caríosa on Kickstart Your Business  (with thanks to Energia) and tell us what you think? We'd love to hear from you.

Kickstart Your Business is broadcast on The Right Hook on Newstalk every Thursday around 6.25pm and is available for playback immediately afterwards on Newstalk.com.