News
The true mark of an entrepreneur
9 Oct 2024
With products such as braille menus and board games, the winner of the new Youth Ambition Award makes life easier for those with visual impairment.
“I want to make the world a better, more accessible place for visually impaired people like me,” says Brandon Hulcoop, founder of All Things Dotty and winner of the inaugural Youth Ambition Award, which recognises a standout entrepreneur from The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme.
Hulcoop, who has been blind since birth, came up with the idea for All Things Dotty during lockdown. “I was bored and wanted to do something that might help others, so I started making and selling braille greeting cards,” he says.
Struggling to generate sales, Hulcoop closed the business after a year and fell into a period of unemployment and depression.
It was hard finding work. Nobody wanted to take me on because I was inexperienced and most companies couldn’t get past the fact that I’m visually impaired.”
At the beginning of last year, Hulcoop signed up to The Prince’s Trust Enterprise Programme, which is backed by LDC, the largest supporter of young entrepreneurs at The Prince’s Trust, and designed to inspire the next generation. “The course taught me how to create a proper business plan and helped me feel far more comfortable with business finance and tax,” he says.
“They modified the course materials so that I could access them and wouldn’t feel left out.”
With the help of two Prince’s Trust grants, Hulcoop bought a braille embosser, invested in textile graphics software and advertising, and relaunched All Things Dotty in April 2023. Alongside greeting cards, Hulcoop has expanded the braille range to include colouring books, board games and online tuition.
He has also started creating braille menus for cafés and restaurants, and has petitioned the government to introduce legislation that requires all hospitality venues to have braille menus. “Restaurant owners already do a lot for disabled people, which is great,” says Hulcoop.
“However, if you’re visually impaired and unable to read a menu, it’s really disempowering when you have to rely on other people to read it out to you. I hope to change that. We at All Things Dotty would love to hear from any restaurant owners who think that a braille menu could be useful for them.”
Next, Hulcoop wants to create braille bus and train timetables and station signs across the country to help people travel independently.
“All Things Dotty is my baby and I want it to grow,” he says. “The Prince’s Trust has helped me to turn my life around. This business gives me a routine and a real sense of purpose. I’m making a genuine difference to people’s lives.”
Finally, Hulcoop adds: “For those disabled people out there – I’d love to be an example of what you can achieve if you put your mind to it. Your disability isn’t a disability if you can learn to live with it.”
