Being blind in business

Liz Jackson MBE, co-owner of Initium Corporate Finance, kickstarted her thriving career in business by launching her own marketing company at the age of 25, the same year she went blind

“I didn’t do very well at school…it felt like something to endure rather than enjoy,” Liz Jackson shares candidly; an unexpected statement from a successful businesswoman bestowed with an MBE and honorary doctorate. “I left at 16 with very little to show for the experience!” Liz was born with an eye condition that made school challenging. “My tunnel vision made certain things tricky and I was pretty embarrassed of my condition; I wanted to hide it…I didn’t want to be treated differently.” Like the majority of teenagers, Liz focused on fitting in – blending in to the rebellious norm – and ignoring her ominous prognosis that she would eventually lose her sight. “Every time I went to the eye hospital the doctor would say, ‘You will go blind.’ But I wasn’t going blind, so I stopped believing them. I didn’t want to keep hearing a prognosis that wasn’t happening, so at 14 I stopped going.”