Entrepreneurship Creates Opportunities for Individuals with Down Syndrome

For individuals with Down syndrome, owning a business can mean more than earning a paycheck. It can mean having the freedom to make decisions, build something around a personal passion, and share talents with the community.

According to a 2024 article from the US Department of Labor, individuals with disabilities are nearly three times more likely to engage in self-employment (9.9%) than in wage-and-salary roles (3.7%) as means of employment. While entrepreneurship offers exciting opportunities, starting and growing a business can come with challenges, including finding funding, accessing training, and connecting with the right support.

A recent segment on The Today Show, "Shop These Businesses for Down Syndrome Awareness Month," featured The National Down Syndrome Society and many of the small businesses on this page. Thank you to Peloton instructor and TODAY contributor, Ally Love, for helping us highlight entrepreneurs with Down syndrome! Click the button below to watch the segment.

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A young woman with Down syndrome and straight, shoulder-length blond hair smiles as she looks down and threads a small gold hoop earring at a light wood table. She wears a navy V-neck T-shirt and a thin gold necklace. A second earring with a pink tassel lies on the table in front of her, and the background is white.

The Upside Down Collection

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The Upside Down Collection's mission is to shine a light on all with special needs and their often overlooked abilities. We offer handmade, everyday jewelry created with love by Lucy. It is our way of supporting all of those with differing abilities and honoring God for all His creation.

A smiling man with Down syndrome and short gray-brown hair sits at a cluttered basement desk with art supplies, a fan, and a “Welcome” doormat on top. He wears a blue T-shirt with the words “Welcome to” above a hand-drawn figure.

This is Jacob

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Jacob is an advocate for the Down syndrome community who creates awesome, hand-painted doormats and apparel. Jacob started making doormats for his family as a hobby and had so many requests he decided to turn my hobby into a business! He wants to show that people with Down syndrome can do anything.

Tall man in a dark suit, white shirt, and maroon tie smiles with his arm around a boy with Down syndrome in front of a snack cart. The boy wears a light blue T-shirt with a round “Trey’s Snack Shack” logo showing an eagle with flag stripes, gray shorts, and black sneakers. Chip bags hang on a pegboard on the cart, baskets of snacks line its side, and a banner above shows the same round logo and a photo of a boy. A brick house is behind them.

Trey Evans

My name is Trey. I graduated high school in May 2022 from Powell High school. This summer I started my own business., Trey’s Snack Shack. It’s a mobile concessions trailer. I sell snacks, candy and drinks. I am able to help my former school by donating a portion of my profits to their Special Olympics program and their Powell Peps program. I have so many people who have seen me in the community or on social media who have brought me donations of snacks and drinks to sell. I’ve also had an officer from the Sheriffs office visit with his K-9, and our Knox county Mayor, Glenn Jacobs (AKA Kane, WWE wrestler) visit.. I feel proud to own my own business and help my community.

A smiling woman with Down syndrome and shoulder-length light brown hair pulled back looks over her shoulder at the camera while sitting at a white sewing machine. She wears a blue-and-white paisley top. A teal wall behind her has cropped script lettering that begins “Trista’s Sunshine” and a wooden sign that reads “You were born to sparkle.”

Trista's Sunshine Company

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Trista Kutcher started Trista's Sunshine Company in 2019 as a hobby but it quickly grew to a business model that lives both online and in stores in the Charleston area. Trista's product line has grown to include Trista totes, beach bags, Charleston fabric baskets, headbands, scrunchies, bowties, and baby burping cloths among many other items. Trista's main message is that she wants everyone to “be someone's sunshine” and spread happiness and now she does that through her love and talent as a sewing artist and business owner.

A man with Down syndrome and short dark hair looks down with concentration as he presses his hands on a flat slab of tan clay in a pottery studio. He wears a black T-shirt that reads “Pottery” above three icons of clay pots. Shelves of glazes sit behind him.

Troy Made It

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Troy, a potter who was born with Down syndrome hand makes each piece of pottery, sometimes with a little help from his mom. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of each item will be donated to Ruby's Rainbow and other non-profit organizations that are making the world a better place. We're so excited to offer his one of kind pottery pieces to you!

Overhead view of two smiling young men lying side by side with their heads together, surrounded by glittery flower, tulip, and teddy-shaped ornaments in orange, green, blue, purple, and brown, each with white string. The man at top has a buzzed haircut and wears a heathered green-gray T-shirt. The man at right has dark curly hair and wears a heathered gray shirt.

Two Fresh Brothers

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At Two Fresh Brothers, we design, craft, and ship delicious-smelling air fresheners nationwide. Founded by Eli and Malachi in rural northern Illinois, our journey began with a desire to overcome limited options for jobs and find ways to use our skills and creativity to make our own mark on the world. Shop now and freshen up your life, one air freshener at a time! 

Two brown paper bags of dog treats sit on a stone ledge in front of a brick wall. Clear windows show waffle-shaped peanut butter treats. White labels show a round logo of a cartoon tan dog on a blue circle, with the text “Woofles & Biscuits” and “Made with organic ingredients.” The left label reads “Peanut butter” and “Net wt. 8 oz. (227 grams).” The right label reads “Peanut butter,” “Share bag,” and “Net wt. 4 oz. (113 grams),” and its dog wears a daisy crown.

Woofles and Biscuits

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Woofles and Biscuits is about organic ingredients, our canine friends, and a young woman named Ashley who uses her abilities to overcome disabilities. We pride ourselves on baking delicious biscuits, made with exceptional ingredients, that your dogs will love. Compare our ingredients labels and guaranteed analysis to other biscuits. You will see the difference. And your dogs will taste the difference!

A smiling young woman with Down syndrome and long, wavy dark hair stands with one hand on her hip beside a window, holding a canvas painting of a bird in green, yellow, and red with red dots. She wears a black polka-dot blouse with tied sleeves, a black skirt, black boots, and a gold necklace. Another painting in yellow, red, and teal sits on the windowsill, and a leafy plant and wood floor are visible.

Zoie's Art 21

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Zoie's ART-21 is an online business featuring a collection of vibrant printed inspired and painted by Zoie. Zoie's paintings are an external expression of her inward sense of her inward sense of Joy. Her enthusiasm for color is a direct reflection of the happiness she exudes along with a genuine hope that her Art elicits those same feelings of happiness in the world around her.