[Nfbf-l] From the Saint Pete times.

Tue May 26 20:22:52 UTC 2009

Marion, Thanks  for sharing this wonderful story with all of us! KH
Kirk Harmon
1031 Lenmore Ct.
Orlando, FL. 32812

Phone:
Office: 1-407-380-3371
Cell: 1-407-473-2176
BVA/FRG
District Director
E. central Division

BVA/FRG
Fundraising coordinator
911 cell phone  donations Program

City of Orlando
Mayor's Advisory Counsil
Counsil member

"Blinded Veteran's Helping Blinded Veteran's"
"Smiles are nothing more than 30 second cvacations"!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marion & Martin" <swampfox1833 at verizon.net>
To: "NFBF List" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 7:37 AM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] From the Saint Pete times.

> Dear All,
>    I thought you would like to read this article from the St. Petersburg 
> Times (Florida) about one of the members of the East Hillsborough Chapter! 
> What is great about this article is that it does not sensationalize the 
> accomplishments of the blind, but portrays Lou Fioritto as a successful 
> entrepreneur because he didn't take his eyes off the prize! Enjoy the 
> article!
>
> Fraternally yours,
> Marion Gwizdala-Schoch, President
> East Hillsborough Chapter
> National Federation of the Blind of Florida
> 813-626-2789
> 800-558-8261
> president at blind411.org
> www.blind411.org
>
> What began as a business of helping the blind to gain independence became 
> a mission of "making the world a more readable place." Lou Fioritto, 62, 
> who has been blind since birth, was out of a job and needed a way to make 
> money. He wanted to help people like himself. He and his wife, Joyce, 
> opened Brailleworks in Cleveland in 1994. They moved the company to 
> Seffner in 1996 and have been going strong ever since. The company mainly 
> handles restaurant menus, but also it prints Braille bank and credit card 
> statements for financial institutions as well as a few other commercial 
> businesses.
>
> Why did you start Brailleworks?
>
> My wife and I went to a restaurant and they gave me a Braille menu in 
> 1993. I had never been given one before. The menu didn't have a table of 
> contents and there were quite a few pages of Braille, and so if I was 
> looking for something, I'd have to touch every single thing on the page to 
> find items.
>
> The first thing I thought is if I had a Braille company we'd do a table of 
> contents. We were both entrepreneurial minded, and we decided to start a 
> Braille company at that table. I started doing research, and in December 
> of 1993 we locked in our first contract, although we didn't have any 
> software or any equipment. We got our first job out for the phone company 
> in Cleveland, Ohio, and then we picked up Applebee's, Bob Evans, Outback 
> Steakhouse and other major restaurant chains.
>
> What is your favorite thing about what you do?
>
> Knowing that we are making a difference out there. We are a 
> Christ-centered company, and we work at that daily, and we make sure that 
> our products have integrity. I can read my menu for myself, and I know 
> that thousands of other people are able to read their menus and credit 
> card statements for themselves and have the privacy to do so. This gives 
> them one more step toward their own independence.
>
> What is the income like for this kind of business?
>
> The company makes more than six figures annually in gross sales. We have 
> 13 staff members now. We've grown every year since we came to Florida.
>
> What has been the biggest challenge in your job?
>
> Money. It got pretty tight there for a while. We self-financed, and the 
> stuff (we needed) wasn't cheap. It took everything we had. In 1994 or 
> 1995, we took our last bit of my retirement savings out of the bank and 
> put it in our checking account. I went to the Small Business 
> Administration in hopes of getting a loan and this lady who had a master's 
> degree in business helped me write a business plan. Finally, I walked in 
> one day and she said the plan was acceptable.
>
> Why is the plan so important?
>
> I had a lot of people telling me we should go after certain kinds of 
> corporations and government accounts, and I took my eyes off of the 
> restaurant industry and started marketing to government agencies and big 
> business. I'd be up at three in the morning praying, saying we're going 
> under. As a last resort I pulled out my bottom drawer of my desk and the 
> whole business plan was centered on restaurants. The next morning I told 
> (Joyce) we were going to be okay, and I got back on the phone and started 
> calling restaurant after restaurant. I went back to my plan and the deals 
> came through. Basically, we quickly learned that sticking to the business 
> plan would always save us and keep us successful. When we divert from the 
> plan, it is a risk for failure.
>
> What are your plans for the future for yourself and the company?
>
> I'd like to see the company be able to get bigger clients, major bank and 
> health care accounts as well as government accounts. For myself, I want to 
> be in more of an advisory role.
>
>
>
> [Last modified: May 24, 2009 04:30 AM]
>
>
>
> Lou Fioritto
>
> Making the World a More Readable Place
>
> www.Brailleworks.com
>
> toll free: 800-258-7544
>
> phone: 813-654-4050
>
> fax: 813-689-8628
>
>
>
> In God We Trust
>
>
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