Blog #186: Neurodiversity Business Spotlight: “Little Otter Flower Farm” in Bedford, VA
- Jeffrey Snyder
- Feb 21, 2022
- 3 min read
Little Otter Flower Farm co-founder, Max Cohn
I want to try something a little new for my blogs: every so often, I will profile a neurodiverse tailored business and explain what its purpose is and why other businesses and companies can learn from them when trying to accommodate those who are neurodiverse/disabled.
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Little Otter Flower Farm co-founder, Jennifer Kohn
For this first entry, I want to talk about a business that my older sister recently brought to my attention: Little Otter Flower Farm in Bedford, Virginia. Little Otter Flower Farm is a business that was created by Jennifer Kohn, a mother from New Jersey for her neurodiverse son, Max in order to build a business centered around his abilities and strengths.
Sadly, according to the website, the unemployment rate of neurodiverse job applicants is at 80% which is, of course, a major problem. What Little Otter Flower Farm does is give neurodiverse individuals like Max, a chance to thrive and grow in a business environment. It gives him the chance to be in the outdoors, interact with the community and use his strengths to get the job done.
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As I have mentioned before, the problem with hiring neurodiverse/disabled individuals from a company’s point of view is that they just don’t understand that its best to give neurodiverse/disabled individuals a chance to make their mark on the business. So, what do we do for the neurodiverse/disabled individuals who WANT to work and MAKE their mark on the world?
We take it upon ourselves to create something that they can growth and thrive around. Not everyone who wants a job has to go to college and get a degree, we want a job that we can be happy at doing while also making a decent living.
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In addition, because it is located in a small rural community, Little Otter Flower Farm can make it easy for neurodiverse/disabled individuals like Max to interact with members of the community without any pressure. That is actually one of the true benefits of having a small business, you can easily build friendships and relationship with your customers that are on a personal level.
You don’t need to work for a major business or company to climb the ladder of success. Sadly, that’s how some people are judged in society, but remember that you are not pleasing them, you only please yourself and only you can set your limits which includes founding your own business to work around your strengths and weaknesses. If you want an example, take a listen to this great Ricky Nelson classic from the 1970’s:
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As of this blog, Little Otter Flower Farm is currently hiring at a rolling internship level for neurodiverse individuals to build on their job and people building skills for three months. So, if you are a neurodiverse/disabled high school student for example that needs some summer work, reach out to Little Otter Flower Farm today and see if they have any openings.
Of course, Little Otter Flower Farm can also hire volunteers as well. But if you want the true taste of work life while also using your strengths, I will strongly recommend the three-month internship that the individual can add onto his or her resume and have that be the first step to either working for someone or founding their own business.
Besides, working with flowers isn’t a bad thing at all. Remember, flowers can go further than any item we seek as Wayne Newton sings in this classic song from 1962:
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If you know of any other neurodiverse/disabled businesses that you would like me to review for this website, please let me know and I would be happy to review for you!!
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Catch you all later!!
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