Business Insights From A Blind Blogger

Blind blogger Maxwell Ivey’s life reads like a Hollywood script. Born with perfect vision to a family in the carnival business in Texas, he developed a disease called retinitis pigmentosa, which slowly robbed him of his eyesight. He became totally blind in his 20s and now has to depend on speech-based technology to run his business and use the Internet.

His father died of lung cancer when Maxwell was 37, and he and some relatives managed to keep the business going for about six years. Ultimately, it became difficult to sustain the business which focused on carnival rides and games. Maxwell turned to helping people sell their amusement equipment through his company, The Midway Marketplace.

Maxwell started blogging to promote the company and met a lot of wonderful people in the blogosphere. They told him he had an amazing story, and many commented on how much he inspired them. They finally convinced him that he had a bigger purpose.

So, he started a second blog, The Blind Blogger, where he shares more of his personal journey, struggles and triumphs. He has written a book, Leading You Out Of The Darkness Into The Light, and coaches others how to take steps to reach their ultimate goals.

I know you will find his story motivational and inspiring. As Maxwell writes on his blog, “Stop making excuses. Start taking action. If a blind person can do it, then why can’t you?”

Maxwell talks about how he succeeds with his business despite his blindness (he is even a big fan of Pinterest!), and how sighted people can become more cognizant of how to communicate effectively with those who are visually impaired online. (No. 1 tip: Use Alt tags on all images!)

Author’s Note: This post first appeared on Go For Launch.