Christopher Catt

The Enabled Entrepreneur

Christopher Catt has spent most of his career helping other disabled people find and keep employment – working across the private, public and charity sectors.

Christopher was the first person in the UK with severe sight loss to gain qualifications in Computer Aided Engineering, but in the 1990s he moved tracks to work for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) at their Rehabilitation Centre in Torquay. At the RNIB Christopher set up a service advising people about their welfare rights and providing training, supporting hundreds of the centre’s clients to find work. 

In 1995 Christopher left RNIB to study Politics at the University of Plymouth. While there he helped many other disabled students to navigate the benefits system and get the right support through the Disabled Student Allowance. After graduating, Christopher worked for the social enterprise Pluss, running their Employment Bureau. He created a ‘one stop shop’ for employment services and helped thousands of disabled people to secure paid work and – through that – greater independence. 

In 2012 Christopher made his lifelong dream of running his own business a reality, setting up The Life Coach Station. With a focus on supporting disabled people around work, life, and entrepreneurship, The Life Coach Station has now worked with over 500 people, informed by Christopher’s years of experience. In 2015 he was winner of Coaching for a Cause at the International Coaching Awards. 

Christopher has now set up Enabled Life and the Enabled Entrepreneur Elevator, supporting disabled people to get their business ideas off the ground. Christopher also trained at Andy Harrington’s Professional Speakers Academy, achieving Elite Status. Meanwhile Enabled Life and the Enabled Entrepreneur Elevator are being rolled out to service providers in the public sector as a ‘train the trainer’ model to improve self-employment support and services for disabled people. He says: “Enabled Life: it’s a mindset, you might already have it.”