Support for Disabled Entrepreneurs

Ongoing progress to better support disabled entrepreneurs across the UK has been celebrated at an event to mark one year since the launch of The Lilac Review’s final report.

The independent, Government-backed review set out a series of recommendations to overcome barriers, and unlock a £230bn opportunity to boost the UK economy by empowering millions of disabled entrepreneurs.

To mark the milestone, BT, a founding signatory of the Disability Trading Framework and member of the LILAC Centre advisory board, hosted a special event at its London headquarters, in partnership with the LILAC Centre, an inclusive entrepreneurship hub supporting Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent founders, established following the review and led by Small Business Britain.

The event reflected on the impact of the landmark review and explored the next phase of action through the LILAC Centre, Disability Trading Framework and Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship to drive inclusive economic growth.

Disabled founders represent 25% of the UK’s 5.7 million small business owners, yet account for just 8.6% of total business turnover – highlighting the scale of untapped economic potential across the UK. 

The event also highlighted the need to improve access to supply chains for disabled entrepreneurs through the Disability Trading Framework, with calls for more major organisations to sign up and adopt best-practice across six core areas, including inclusive procurement, raising visibility of Disabled business owners in supply chains, as well as actively embracing internal training and awareness, promoting disability inclusion and inclusive process design.

“Since the launch of the Lilac Review’s final report last May, we’ve seen a good step forward in economic equality for Disabled entrepreneurs, but there is still so much more to be done to help unlock greater growth, opportunity and innovation.” said Michelle Ovens, CBE, CEO and Founder of Small Business Britain.

“It’s our mission to bring down barriers to entry and make entrepreneurship more accessible. Yesterday’s milestone was a clear representation of how far we’ve come but also made evident how much more is needed to support the growth of Disabled entrepreneurs and their essential contribution to our economy.”

Following an 18-month inquiry The Lilac Review published its final landmark report in May 2025, issuing over 20 recommendations for central and local government, financial institutions, and business support organisations to build a more inclusive economy.

It has since launched The LILAC Centre, championing inclusive entrepreneurship for disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent founders.

This move also follows the launch of a new Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship last year, to improve access to finance and tackle inequality for Disabled entrepreneurs, with backing from the UK Government, major high street banks and the wider finance industry. 

At the end of 2025, a new Disability Trading Framework was launched to improve access to supply chains for disabled entrepreneurs and ensure that trading processes are fair and accessible to all, with initial backing from leading businesses including BT Group and eBay.

For more information on The Lilac Review visit https://lilacreview.com/final-report, and information on the LILAC Centre: https://lilaccentre.com/

To find out more about the Disability Trading Framework visit https://lilacreview.com/disability-trading-framework, and the Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship, visit https://lilaccentre.com/disability-finance-code

Picture caption: Sir Stephen Timms, Minister of State for Social Security, attended the event in support of disabled entrepreneurs across the UK.