Slide 1
Initial Meeting
· Misnomers:
o May not be the first time you have met with the customer
o May need to meet several times with the customer; not just one meeting
· Meet and Greet:
o Not billable
o Potential to help connect with customer and increase referral base
The majority of cases will begin when a CBTAC receives a referral for the first benchmark, the initial meeting. Calling it the initial meeting is something of a misnomer for two reasons, however. First, it may not necessarily be the first time the CBTAC has met the customer. When we were talking about the referral process, we mentioned that sometimes CBTACs may send individuals with whom they have already been working, to DVR for an intake. And since DVR encourages informed choice, it is possible that potential entrepreneurs might like to meet several CBTACs before selecting the one with whom they would like to work. The second reason that it is something of a misnomer is that in order to provide the services associated with this benchmark, the CBTAC and the customer may need to meet several times over the course of a few weeks, so it really isn’t a single meeting at all.
If a customer is interested in meeting several CBTACs before selecting one, the DVR counselor may contact you to see if you would be willing to do a “meet and greet”. It is completely up to you as to whether or not you are interested in doing so, but it is important to know that these are not a part of the benchmark structure, so you will not be paid for this. It can, however, potentially help you to connect with customers and increase your referral base.
Slide 2
Goal of the Initial Meeting
· Is Self-Employment Viable NOT Likelihood for Success
· Ensure Your Customer Understands What’s Involved in SE
· Develop a Business Design Team if Necessary
· Is SE Reasonable NOT the Best or the Only
· Contact TA if Presented with a Request for Evaluation of a Specific Business Idea or Concept Does Not Initially Appear Viable
The primary goal of the initial meeting is to work with the customer to decide whether or not self-employment appears viable enough to warrant more intensive exploration- moving forward into Module 1. Counselors sometimes expect CBTACs to evaluate particular business ideas or to assess customers’ overall “likelihood for success” at this point. This is not the goal of this first benchmark, however, as it is far too early in the process for any of that. Instead, CBTACs should use this time to help customers think through self-employment: the advantages and disadvantages, what’s involved in the process, etc. and decide if they are interested in moving forward.
For many customers, this will be the first time they have had the opportunity to fully consider self-employment, and CBTACs are a critical resource for ensuring they understand what’s involved. Your role is not to “sell” customers on the idea of self-employment, but rather to help guide them through full consideration of the process. For some customers, in-depth conversation about this may be sufficient to determine the next steps. For others, you will need to spend more time with them and learning about their interests, ideas, and critical support needs.
The initial meeting has the function of replacing the Vocational Evaluation. DVR counselors are therefore relying on CBTACs to spend enough time with the customer and/or members of his or her Business Design Team to decide if self-employment seems to be a reasonable, not the best or the only, avenue. Since the CBTAC program was designed to help screen customers “in” to self-employment versus screening them “out”, it should not be surprising if the majority of those referred for an initial meeting do move forward into the business concept development phase.
If counselors are requesting evaluation of a specific business idea at this point, it is recommended that CBTACs contact the state DVR representatives and/or The Center for Social Capital for technical assistance before proceeding. Customers espousing a particular concept that does not initially appear viable (e.g., selling mittens on the beach) may still be reasonable candidates for self-employment.
Slide 3
Benefits of Self-Employment
§ No job search required
§ Businesses grown specifically around the individual
§ Necessary accommodations are written into business plan
§ Minimize impact of transportation challenges
§ Start at the top of the career ladder
§ Potential for greater financial rewards
There are numerous benefits associated with self-employment. Entrepreneurship has many advantages, but none of these advantages are without a counterpart. The role of the CBTAC is to assist customers to process through the pros and the cons so that they can make an informed choice about which path might be best for them.
One significant benefit of self-employment is that no job search is required. Individuals with disabilities frequently (and legitimately) express frustration over how long the search for wage employment can take and the total dependence that they feel on others during this time. The process for researching and designing a business can start at any point in time. The challenge though, and the caveat to this, is that the process itself can be a lengthy one. It can take time to identify potential concepts, complete the necessary research, write and submit the business plan, secure the funding, and launch. Once the business is launched, it can take even more time to hit profitability. So while it can begin at any time, this is not necessarily a quick process. For customers in extreme financial crisis, self-employment may not be the optimal approach.
Self-employment also allows the business to be grown specifically around the entrepreneur. It emerges from an analysis of analysis of who the customer is, what his/her skills, interests, abilities and support needs are. Necessary accommodations can be built into the business plan from the start, and transportation concerns may be minimized. The opportunity for creativity and flexibility in self-employment can be difficult to mirror in wage employment. However, this does not mean that anyone can launch a business doing anything. If that were so, I would certainly be a professional singer; instead, I sing only in the shower, and even my dog runs from the room when I do. To be a successful business, it would still have to be financially feasible.
Many individuals with disabilities find themselves trapped in entry-level (or one or two levels up) positions, working part-time for low wages. Self-employment flips this picture from the start, where the individual starts as the boss. Income is limited only to the quality of the business idea and the production capacity of the entrepreneur. However, it is still important for people to realize that it can take time for businesses to actually turn profit. So while the potential for greater financial rewards exists, it could take some time to get to that point.
Slide 4
Benefits of Self-Employment, cont.
§ SSA benefit programs offer unique incentives
§ Challenges “job scarcity” and “tight labor market” in ways that benefit the entire community
Many of you participating in this training have probably worked with individuals who worry about losing Social Security benefits as a result of work income. Individuals frequently choose to work part-time, minimum-wage jobs as a result. For those who are concerned about the impact of even low-level wage income on their benefits, the idea of starting a business might seem particularly overwhelming.
Generally speaking, fears surrounding loss of benefits are alleviated when beneficiaries have access to quality, comprehensive, and long-term benefits planning and analysis. This is critical regardless of whether someone is pursuing wage- or self-employment. With regard to self-employment though, benefits planning and analysis typically reveals that not only can critical benefits (such as healthcare) be protected, but also that the Social Security benefit programs can in fact offer some unique opportunities and incentives to beneficiaries who are self-employed that are not available to those in wage jobs. Beneficiaries running a business actually can have more opportunity to accumulate actual wealth. This is a huge advantage and will be discussed more fully when we talk about SSA benefits in Week 4.
The last point is one of my favorite elements. Business opportunities can be found in any community at any point in time. Self-employment can be particularly powerful in more rural communities, where wage job opportunities may be more limited. Supporting someone to identify these opportunities and launch a business benefits not only the entrepreneur, but the entire community as a result. Rather than being bogged down in a “job scarcity” mentality, CBTACs and customers can shift to an “opportunity abundance” approach and create their way into success.
What it Takes
§ Desire to run and grow a business
§ Team of people willing to support the process (formally & informally)
§ Patient, systematic, thorough research & planning process
§ Willingness to revise as needed
§ Self-employment is for anyone (but not everyone)
Perhaps the most significant part of this list is what is not on it: math, reading, or communication skills, entrepreneurial attitude or know-how, or ability to perform all business functions independently. Years of working with entrepreneurs with a variety of disability labels has proven that none of these things are necessary to run a successful business. In fact, self-employment has not only proven to be a viable option for some individuals with the most significant disabilities but at times has even been the best option. What matters most is that the entrepreneur or even family members are interested in self-employment, that the team is able to identify a solid business concept that both “fits” the entrepreneur and is financially feasible, that the necessary supports can be located, and that the team is willing to put the time into the planning process. When these things are in place, they are far more powerful than any grade on an “entrepreneurial skills” assessment.
FL DVR supports the belief that while self-employment is not for everyone, it could be for anyone. Some individuals will be more comfortable with wage employment, where they can count on a steady and predictable paycheck. But if the customer (or family) is interested in self-employment and the right supports can be found, no additional prerequisite skills or personality traits are required.
Initial Meeting: Causes for Concern
1. Financial crisis/needs immediate avenue for producing income
2. Self-employment discussion/consideration leads customer to choose wage employment
3. Exploring self-employment only because of lack of success with wage employment
4. Critical support needs exceed those available through either formal or informal resources and connections
As we discussed a few moments ago, the goal in developing the CBTAC program was to create an avenue for screening customers “in” to self-employment, and the presumption is that self-employment could be a viable outcome for any DVR customer. As a result, most customers referred to the initial meeting will move forward into the next phase, business concept development.
In spite of this, indicators that self-employment is not the right path still might emerge during the initial meeting phase. Given the timelines associated with researching and launching a business, not to mention turning a profit, self-employment might not prove reasonable for customers in extreme financial crisis who need an immediate avenue for producing income. The discussion and exploration during the initial meetings might lead some customers to “opt out” and decide wage employment is the better option. This is not considered a failure, rather a victory of informed choice.
Some customers might be considering self-employment not because they are actually interested in launching a business but only because they have had limited success with wage employment. Frequently this occurs if customers have had limited access to job supports and/or received poor quality job development and supports in the past. As Cary Griffin says, “self-employment is no substitute for lousy job development”. If CBTACs suspect that customers strongly prefer wage employment, it is imperative that they communicate this to the DVR counselor and support the customer to fully consider all options (including better supports with wage employment). The customer may still opt to stay on the self-employment path, but once again this should always be the result of truly informed choice.
Finally, in some cases it may be evident early in the process that the range of support needs exceed those that are available. CBTACs should tread lightly when using this factor to evaluate whether self-employment could be a reasonable path. CBTACs can support customers to recruit team members throughout the process, for example. And business-within-a-business structures can increase the available supports dramatically.
Business Design Team
§ CBTACs responsible for assisting in the formation of BDT
§ Identification and recruitment begins during initial meeting phase
§ Team may grow and change over time
§ Consideration of formal and informal supports
Recruiting members for a well-rounded Business Design Team is critical to the self-employment process. CBTACs are responsible for working with DVR customers to identify, recruit, and build membership for the Business Design Team. Although this will occur throughout the process, the first effort to identify and/or recruit team members typically occurs during the initial meeting phase.
Business Design Team: Possible Members
§ Family members & friends
§ Provider agencies & appropriate State Agencies (e.g. Agency for Persons with Disabilities)
§ Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWICs)
§ Representatives from Service Corps Of Retired Executives (SCORE), the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Women’s Small Business Center (WSBC), etc.
§ Community experts such as: accountants, lawyers
§ Community Business Mentors (person running similar business)
§ DVR Counselor
§ Other Support Services the person may be receiving
There is no standard membership roster; however, at a minimum, consideration should be given to all formal and informal supports, including the following:
§ Family members & friends
§ Provider agencies, Community Work Incentives Coordinators (CWIC), & appropriate State Agencies (e.g. Agency for Persons with Disabilities)
§ Community business resources such as: representatives from the Service Corps Of Retired Executives (SCORE), the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Women’s Small Business Center (WSBC), etc.