Customized Self-Employment 10-Module Online Training Package
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Nationally, unemployment is at a record low for most of the general population. Unfortunately, for people with disabilities, unemployment rates remain much higher. Self-employment provides a powerful opportunity for people to create work that both fits them and generates income. These courses are designed for employment and other service professionals, prospective business owners, and family members. They provide a roadmap to business startup, from identifying business concepts to researching and writing business plans, to identifying funding sources and navigating government benefits. Courses may be completed individually, to learn more about a particular topic, or as a package.
Customized Self-Employment Part 1: The Basics
This course provides an introduction to Customized Self-Employment. Blending interactive exercises and detailed examples, this course will show you how business ownership can be an exciting employment option for anyone, including prospective business owners with disabilities or complex support needs. This course provides an overview of the customized self-employment process and is the first in a series of ten trainings that cover best practices in Customized Self-Employment.
Customized Self-Employment Part 2: Discovering Personal Genius
Discovering Personal Genius (DPG) is a personalized way of identifying an individual's interests, skills, and key themes to help shape their vocational profile, as well as a customized self-employment plan. This course will provide you with planning tools and practice activities related to DPG. Through extensive course content, you will learn how to best gather information about the prospective business owner and ways to match their interests and skills with a marketable product or service for a small business. This course is the second in a series of ten trainings that cover best practices in Customized Self-Employment.
Customized Self-Employment Part 3: Small Business Feasibility and Support
Micro-enterprise and self-employment can provide exciting employment opportunities for people with disabilities and other complex support needs, but what happens if prospective business owners jump into starting a business without first thinking about its feasibility, marketing, and sales? Many businesses fail to make a profit due to this lack of preparation. In this course, you will learn how to evaluate the feasibility of potential business ideas. You will also learn step-by-step marketing and sales techniques. This course is the third in a series of ten trainings that cover best practices in Customized Self-Employment.
Customized Self-Employment Part 4: Business Planning
Starting a business requires careful consideration and planning. Business plans provide a working, flexible roadmap for setting up and sustaining a company in a systematic and controllable manner. Through interactive lessons, personalized planning tools, and descriptive examples you will learn a step-by-step guideline for creating a business plan. This course is the fourth in a series of ten trainings that cover best practices in Customized Self-Employment. .
Customized Self-Employment Part 5: Business Operations
There are many elements to business operations, and the prospective business owner (PBO) and Small Business Design Team (BDT) should not be restrained by one suggested format. Operations plans must identify and detail the specific processes of the particular business being considered. This course will provide interactive lessons, personalized learning tools, and descriptive examples of how to research and develop business operations plans. This course is the fifth in a series of ten trainings that cover best practices in Customized Self-Employment.
Customized Self-Employment Part 6: Small Business Financial Management Overview
Starting and operating a business requires new skills and abilities for both the prospective business owner and their support team. Failure to take care of managing finances and government benefits can cause many problems. This course provides critical information on two of the most important aspects of self-employment: managing the finances of the business and the business owner's government benefits. Through comprehensive lessons and examples, as well as interactive activities, you will gain the skills necessary to support business owners to manage their finances and benefits while operating their small business. This course is the sixth in a series of ten trainings that cover best practices in Customized Self-Employment.
Customized Self-Employment Part 7: The Business Plan and Business Financials
This course discusses the two core components of a business plan: the business plan narrative and the five business financial documents. Loan applications, start-up expenses, break-even analysis, P&L projections, and cash flow projections are described in detail so prospective business owners and their team can manage finances and benefits within a business. This course is the seventh in a series of ten trainings that cover best practices in Customized Self-Employment.
Customized Self-Employment Part 8: Overview of Benefits Management
This course provides insight into managing the finances of the business and the business owner's benefits. While there are some pitfalls to avoid in being self-employed while on benefits, there are also opportunities that occur as a result of small business earnings and resource exclusions in government benefit programs. The two benefit programs covered in this course are SSI and SSDI. This course is the eighth in a series of ten trainings that cover best practices in Customized Self-Employment.
Customized Self-Employment Part 9: Benefits Management for SSDI Recipients
This course addresses the specific concerns of Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) and self-employment. SSDI is one of the Social Security Administration programs and benefits for individuals with disabilities. Business owners who receive SSDI must document and report their business income, but with careful planning and management of benefits and income, it is possible to maintain critical benefits while working- and to have more money overall. This course is the ninth in a series of ten trainings that cover best practices in Customized Self-Employment..
Customized Self-Employment Part 10: Benefits Management for SSI Recipients
This course addresses the specific concerns of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and self-employment. SSI is one of the Social Security Administration programs and benefits for individuals with disabilities. Business owners who receive SSI must document and report their business income, but with careful planning and management of benefits and income, it is possible to maintain critical benefits while working- and to have more money overall. This course will provide prospective business owners with the resources and tools necessary to manage SSI benefits and to take full advantage of the opportunities associated with owning your own business. This course is the tenth in a series of ten trainings that cover best practices in Customized Self-Employment.