Steve Martin Associates
FREEDOM TECHNOLOGY
The UK recession at the beginning of the 1990s led to the banks putting a squeeze on businesses and tightening credit lines, including overdrafts. As a direct result of this, Elfin found themselves struggling with cash-flow problems and, as the banks tightened the reins, it went into administration. Mike Gomm moved on to other organisations working in the technology and special needs arena. Steve Martin salvaged what he could from the business and set up a new concern – Freedom Technology, essentially taking over where Elfin had left off.
However, other British and American companies had seen the potential in the market and it became much harder to compete with them. During the 1980s, Steve had done some occasional medico-legal consultancy for some of his customers on a non-fee-paying basis. He now began to consider this area more seriously as a business proposition. All of his experience up to this point allowed him to talk with expertise about disabled people’s real-life needs.
An initial mailshot to firms of lawyers who had asked him in the past, brought in a flood of consultancy work and the business very quickly took off in this direction. Steve continued to work as a sole trader offering expert-witness consultancy services to legal firms involved in medico-legal cases.
Mike Gomm, in the meantime, took a job with Dolphin Systems, then a start-up company specialising in manufacturing and marketing computer access systems for people with visual difficulties. From there, he moved to AbilityNet – a charity helping private individuals overcome technology-related issues and disseminating information on computer adaptations. Mike then set up his own consultancy in 2003, delivering training and consultancy services within the disability sector.
Steve Martin became Steve Martin Associates ...
Mike Gomm (L) & Shamus Reddin (R) at Dolphin - 2016
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