Entrepreneurship as a Means to Employment First: How Can it Work?

1. Entrepreneurship as a Means to Employment First: How Can it Work? October 25, 2017 CT APSE Conference 1

2. Session participants will: • Compare and contrast social enterprises, microbusinesses, and self-employment as forms of entrepreneurial opportunity. • Learn how entrepreneurial education can facilitate employment first. 3. Learn about resources and considerations for self- employment Learning Objectives Agenda 2

3. Flexible process • Personalized relationship between employee and employer • “Win-win” for both • Specific match between what employer needs and individual’s strengths, preferences, interests, talents, and what works/doesn’t work • Approach must be individualized for employment planning and job development • Based upon your relationships with local small businesses Nice tie in to Customized Employment Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

4. Opportunity Driven Entrepreneurship – recognizing opportunities in the market and assembling resources (assets, knowledge, and relationships) to capitalize on those opportunities • Necessity Driven Entrepreneurship – pursuing entrepreneurial activities as a means of survival because there are few or no other alternatives. In developing countries, can be symbolic of empowerment and democracy. • You Tube Video – Necessity Driven Entrepreneurship Talk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2AUD6acjpc • Entrepreneurial Context Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

5. A business that responds to market and public policy failures with transformative and financially sustainable innovations aimed at solving social problems. • Impact driven business. • All activities and proceeds are organized around the business’ social mission. • Business can take several forms, either delivering the social mission in the course of business activities typically with an employment focus or by donating a portion of proceeds to social causes. Employment Oriented Social Enterprises • Models Employment First! Provides venue to identify strengths, preferences, reasonable accommodations, etc., and build a diverse network • People prosper in productive work environments. Experiential learning is the best learning. • The business is part of the labor market providing an integrated environment hiring employees who can provide natural supports to individuals with disabilities • Social enterprise is part of the local community. Numerous opportunities for interaction with other local businesses, civic organizations, schools, etc. What is Social Enterprise? Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

6. While the notion social entrepreneurship is romanticized in mainstream media, these organizations are particularly challenging because social missions and business ventures are associated with divergent goals, values, norms and identities. Attending to them simultaneously creates tensions, competing demands, and ethical dilemmas. (W. K. Smith, Gonin, & Besharov, 2013) What is right for my business? What is right for my mission? • NPO’s need to embrace entrepreneurial thinking and understand the potential risks and rewards such opening unrelated businesses endeavors. Risk of dedicating scare resources, financial and people, to risky ventures • Managers and entrepreneurs must create viable business models based upon market principles while also benefitting social causes. • Organizations need to make investments in marketing infrastructure and figure how to package and sell their goods and services, as well as their identity and mission, in a compelling way that is not for charity alone. • Emphasis on sales and profits to sustain the business. • Knowledge gap in social services of knowing how to manage a small business • Challenge of effectively integrating the employment program into the small business • Double of Triple Bottom Line of people, profits, and planet Delancey Street values economic development and entrepreneurial boldness to solving social problems Challenges of Social Enterprise Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

7. A Micro Business can be described as a business that has only one owner, with a total of up to five employees including the owner. • More and more people of every age, particularly women and minorities, are starting their own Micro Businesses because of the upward mobility and flexibility that they provide. • According to Small Business Bank, • microenterprise represents92% of all U.S. businesses. • They’ve had a profound impact on American job growth, contributing to the creation of over 26 million jobs, the most of any industry. • As a result, they’ve also contributed to the creation of 1.9 million indirect jobs and 13.4 million induced jobs. • In fact, if each Micro Business owner in America hired just one person, we would reach full employment in America. • Employment First – Microenterprise allows us to teach employment and business management related skills in the context of a real business • Allows for more individualized and more skill specific instruction • Less risk because microenterprise requires less resources, i.e. flexible hours, limited overhead, limited inventory and supplies • Less profits due to the small nature of the business • Concern about reliance of knowledge of one or two key people Case Study: Printability • Microenterprise Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

8. Self - Employment: Someone who is self employed is the owner of a business, an individual who earns a living by working for himself/herself and not as an employee of someone else.  • Poppin Joes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=2vhBSqnGDZU • Side Gig – Deriving side income based upon talents, skills and hobbies. Eventually develop into full self-employment • Vioude Designs • Two Canes Comics • Ty’s Bath Salts Self-Employment Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

9. Road to Self-Sufficiency, A guide to Entrepreneurship for Youth with Disabilities - http://www.ncwd-youth.info/road-to-self-sufficiency • Explorations In Entrepreneurship – 8 Week Proprietary Curriculum taught as part of our Transition Services Summer Program • Intro to Self-Employment • Blue Sky Thinking (What Kind of Business Could I Start?) • What is a Business Plan? • The “Creatives” and 5 P’s of Marketing (Product, Pricing, Place to sell products/services, Promotion, Packaging) • The Financials: How to Make Some Money? (Pricing, Costs of Doing Business, Profitability) • Challenges of Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment • Cool Trends and Maker Spaces • Making the Pitch • Pitch Panel – • Justin’s Just Fresh Lemonade - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBNhFRI9TEQ Entrepreneurial Education Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

10. Creating a viable business model • Financing the business • Family or personal investment • Crowdfunding • Sales and Marketing • Sales opportunities • Network • Direct Support Staff • Job coaching • Handling the business responsibilities when the individual can’t • Administrative Oversight • Who runs the show? • Managing Entitlements • Maintaining SSI • Blending entitlements to pay for support staff Self-Employment, Real Challenges Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

11. Conduct a SWOT or similar analysis before making a commitment. (Don’t just assume there will be a market because there “should be” for charitable purposes.) • Avoid sunset or already closed businesses. Consider successful franchises or a well-established business with aging owners looking for successors. Have a business plan with solid financial backing before making an investment. • Plan for flexibility in products/services provided. Your product/service must be able to compete in the market in terms of quality and pricing. Today’s market may also be tomorrow’s dinosaur. • The leadership of your social enterprise must be able to make balanced business decisions that honor your social mission. • Devote time and resources to marketing the business. • Hire former trainees only when there is a legitimate business interest to do so. Avoid the “$50 brownie syndrome” necessary to stay in the black. • Crises and failures are opportunities to reassess, redesign, and move forward with new knowledge and assurances. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Only 50% of start-ups survive 5 or more years. Social Enterprise - Lessons Learned Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

12. Connecticut Economic Resource Center • Small Business Administration • SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) • Chambers of Commerce • Incubators (e.g., RESET and Innovate Hartford) • Maker spaces • University of Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation • Dept. of Economic and Community Development • Dept. of Labor, DDS, DORS • Virginia Commonwealth University • The JAN Network (Job Accommodations Network) • Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) Resources to Get Started Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

13. Maintained by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8rSCXoAIsM Clerical Services Others Who are Self-Employed Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11

14. Thank You! Michelle Ouimette, Managing Director of Roses for Autism and Ability Beyond Transition Services Michelle.Ouimette@abilitybeyond.org 203.948.2812 Linda Rammler, Research Associate II University of Connecticut Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Linda.Rammler@uchc.edu 860.679.1585 Questions? Proposed Organizational Objectives FY 2017 11