There may be 25,000 marketing agencies in the UK, but Inkfire has something that none of the others have.
That is because it is the UK’s first agency staffed entirely by disabled people.
It is all the brainchild of married couple Imali and Cameron Chislett, who have overcome severe illness and setbacks to turn Inkfire into a trailblazing company for work equality.
When the pair met by complete chance at a teenage house party, little did they know the health and career challenges they would go through together.
First diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, Imali, 24, was rocked by more diagnosis of irritable bowel disease and severe ulcerative colitis.
Cameron, 24, on the other hand, was coming to terms with his severe autism and ADHD.
Imali told Metro: ‘It’s an unusual one because we both didn’t realise how disabled we were when we met.
‘We were actually more disabled than we thought we were.’
Just as they had to reckon with this, they had to reckon with a modern work culture which didn’t accommodate their needs.
‘We were both trying to attend corporate office jobs and trying to fit in.
‘But there were all these rules stopping me from doing what I loved. There was counting toilet breaks.
‘We were trying to fit in, but we were getting pushed further and further away – it was just not fair.
‘I went freelance, but I was sick and tired of trying to find jobs at places,s and there were constantly being hurdles put in the way.’
So after years of frustration, that is when Imali and Cameron decided to act.
They got together and built Inkfire, which provides marketing, tech, website and virtual assistant services across the globe – but with a twist.
Their entire team of 14 people all have a lived experience of disability.
But it is not just that they have disabilities, but their unique way of working, so every one of them is included in the workplace.
They have remote working options, customised schedules to match individual needs and other personal adaptations for each of their staff.
The business has gone from strength to strength.
They just won the Disability Smart Award this year and are expanding their offering to clients.
Imali said: ‘It was never meant to be what it is now, it’s taken off more than we thought.
‘To be able to have a team that can support each other and can provide the support that is missing in the disabled community and beyond.’
‘Our goal is to keep making positive change to be a positive voice and to support ideas from an inclusion and accessibility point of view.’
They’ve been nominated for disability charity Scope’s Inclusive Workplace award, celebrating the work the company has done to ‘dismantle invisible barriers’ and ‘drive creativity and innovation.’
Scope Awards 2025
Metro is also the official media partner of 2025 Scope Awards that will take place next month.
The ceremony will celebrate the work disabled people and organisations are doing to bring about important change.
Hosted by the BAFTA-nominated actor Adam Pearson, unsung heroes, amazing achievements and the incredible accolades of the disabled community are all being honoured at the Kia Oval.
There are 38 nominees for the nine Scope Awards: Accessible Product, Celebrity Role Model, Community Group, Inclusive Workplace, Journalist, Marketing Campaign, Media Moment, Purple Pioneer and Social Media Influencer.
The company has gotten so much attention that even their postman knows who they are, but they are not complacent.
‘We always take it one step at a time,’ Imali added
‘I think with everything, the disabled community has had to learn its progress not perfection.
‘It’s so empowering to see disabled people in media doing amazing things.’
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