Handicapped Find Success in Web Sales

“Start-up funds less than one million won; average monthly sales of five million won.”

This is not an advertisement to raise investors for a bogus franchise company.

It is the average profit of handicapped company presidents who started online distribution businesses last year at Auction, an online marketplace.

Kim Gwang-hyeon (age 47) is physically handicapped and can hardly use his right arm and left leg. He manages a private shop called “One Step” which specializes in functional athletic footwear and makes almost 10 million won a month.

Internet marketplaces by nature tend to sell at giveaway prices due to fierce price competition, but Kim sticks to selling at the regular price. Still, he sells over 100 pairs of shoes a month. His shoe company did not want to give him the shoes at first, but now calls him the “best dealer.” He was even given a business card of his own with the company’s brand name printed on it.

Kim’s key to success was the animation motion picture showing detailed explanations on how to wear and use the shoe, which was hard to find in other online shops. Relying on his explanations, customers started to buy his shoes. The time-taking inconvenience, due to using one arm to do all the work, was overcome through sleeping only three hours a day.

Goh Gwang-chae (age 24), who has a hearing disability, is the head of an online kitchen appliance shop called “Wit Life.” Goh’s father had worked in the kitchenware industry and Goh, who had been worrying over unemployment, got the idea from his father’s things.

The idea came from the fact that there are many convenient and inexpensive products which do not have a brand. However, there was no way to inform or answer back to questions of the products. Goh solved that problem by “seeing.” Goh took pictures of the functions, color and design of the products and placed them on the Internet.

It was a big hit. He became a “power seller” making sales of five million won a month.

Lee Hyo-gwon (age 33) was an officer in the military when he was discharged from a torn ligament in the knee. He had more despair than other people. At first, it was hard to endure and accept his physical discomfort.

He started stock investing after working at an insurance company and trade company for a short time, but this led him to becoming a credit delinquent.

He regretted the fact that “if there were more friendly explanations on the investment” he could have succeeded, and came up with a new business idea. He thought that scrupulous and detailed information provided to people in various situations would benefit in gratifying curiosity and establishing reliability.

Lee started a business on the Internet without using much start-up funding. He runs an online clothes and kitchenware shop called “The Ali Baba Shopping Mall” and earns over seven million won a month.

The Korea Employment Promotion Agency for the Disabled and Auction run together a school for the disabled starting business, “My Left Foot,” at no charge for the handicapped to succeed as an online digital seller.

The above-mentioned people, who finished the “My Left Foot” course,” say, “The key to establishing trust with consumers was being more considerate to others. We hope the society becomes one in which disorders in thoughts such as bias and egotism can be overcome with the considerate feelings for others.”

Jae-Young Kim jaykim@donga.com