Hi my wife and I formed  a company just before the pandemic - great timing. 

It was a spin off to cover areas the charities we've worked with for years where missing out.  We've got a huge amount of our savings and retirement funds tied up in the assets and systems.  

We specialise in working with small groups with disabilities to take part in remote adventures and to become more independent in these environments.  We differ from the large charities in the sector in that we work with small, mixed ability groups and we maintain support as the clients abilities grow . 

The business is not going great guns - three years of restrictions and a cost of living crisis has taken a huge toll on us and  those living with a disability - who are our customers.  Our model was simply to charge the costs of provision directly to clients but this adds a major "disability premium" which we have no other method of covering as a business and this denies access to many of our users   

We love our work and are in the early stages of forming a charity dedicated to tackling the areas of our work that are specific barriers to our clients disabilities; transport, support staff, additional leadership,  access to adapted equipment and what is essentially outdoor occupational therapy. 

We don't want to stop doing the work, and truly believe there in incredible value in it. We don't want to loose our savings by transferring the assets into a charity.  If we can be paid a reasonable wage going forward that's fine we never imagined we where  getting rich. 

So here is our dilemma we own a company that is well equipped, respected and has all the systems and competences in place to deliver these incredible and life affirming experiences - three essential chair users have just paddled clean across Scotland. 

We want to run a charity that can access community transport and apply for funding to cover: volunteers, supplementary staffing and run a community library of adaptive kit. 

This would allow us to offer pricing comparable to what a non-disabled person would pay for the same experience. 

Our initial thoughts where to create a CIO dedicated to the practical access while the business provides the physical, leadership and equipment. 

But alas this is all basically hinged on me as both founder, chair  and benefiting  business owner.  I'm increasingly convinced the charity commission will refuse the application.