Episode Details

This week we’re joined by Martyn Sibley, a serial entrepreneur, author and the co-founder and CEO of Disability Horizons, an online disability lifestyle magazine that aims to give people with disabilities a voice.

Martyn is suffering from a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a genetic condition that makes the muscles weaker and causes problems with movement. Experiencing both societal exclusion and a feeling of inferiority because of it hasn’t stopped him in any shape or form from achieving his life goals and dreams. From gaining a Masters degree in Economics and Marketing to working for a huge NGO, to becoming a successful entrepreneur, he has shown that with a right attitude and approach we can all become captains of our own destiny.

Martyn started his career working for Scope, a disability equality charity. After several years, he felt that he is not reaching his full potential, so he decided to pursue and explore the entrepreneurial lifestyle. From his passion for helping others by sharing his experiences, an idea for an online magazine was born. He co-founded Disability Horizons back in 2011 and has been providing people with disabilities with valuable insights on the topics of technology, relationships, sports, employment, and travel ever since. In 2015 Martyn had co-founded Accomable, an online portal for accessible tourism which was subsequently acquired by Airbnb.

He is also a published author, having released a book titled “Everything is Possible”, in 2016. After successfully funding the project through Kickstarter, Martyn shared his experiences from his travels around the world, hoping to provide others with energy and motivation on their path to self-actualization.

Martyn also hosts his own podcast called “The Martyn Sibley Show” where he interviews influential and successful people, covering all aspects of life from politics to sport, from business to arts.

It doesn’t really matter if he’s traveling across the far ends of the globe, blogging about his ideas and experiences, or even flying a plane, Martyn is on a path of inspiring others, regardless of whether they’re struggling with disability or not.

Connect with Martyn:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/martynsibley
• Tumblr: http://martynsibley.tumblr.com/
• Website: http://martynsibley.com/

Becoming an Entrepreneur in the Face of Adversity

“I’ve always been a dreamer and wanted the world to be a better place.” - Martyn Sibley

Drawing inspiration from the great entrepreneurial minds of our days, naming Richard Branson as an example, Martyn has always felt deep inside him the desire to run his own business one day. With Disability Horizons, he has made his dreams into reality, providing people with disabilities with an abundance of interesting stories and articles, but more importantly, building a sense of community around his brand.

While working at Scope, he gained relevant experience which would help him become a successful business owner he is today. But to be truly happy and achieve his full potential, he had to leave the sense of security coming from a steady 9 to 5 job, and dive deep into the oceans of entrepreneurial lifestyle where uncertainty and new challenges are an everyday theme.

“I had this dread about getting up every morning and going to the same office. Sitting in the traffic in London, and stuck at my desk and being in all these meetings that didn’t