Self-employment is a viable option for adults with significant disabilities — and now there’s a book that gives you the guidance you need to help individuals start and maintain their own small businesses. Whether you’re a counselor, an employment specialist, or a transition professional, you’ll benefit from

• an in-depth discussion of person-centered business planning and its primary components
  
  
• a step-by-step guide to building a business plan, complete with illuminating case studies and examples
  
  
• a thorough overview of marketing tactics, including aspects like defining customers, conducting research, positioning the product, and advertising in a variety of media
  
  
• chapters on finances and social security
  
  
• a spotlight on the supportive roles of rehabilitation personnel, vocational counselors, school transition staff, and community programs like Ticket to Work and Plans for Achieving Self Support
  
  
• photocopiable worksheets that help individuals pinpoint their interests, strengths, and goals
  
  
• a list of more than 50 web sites, including links to SSA and other government sites

Perfect for sharing with individuals with disabilities and their families, this guidebook shows how self-employment can work and offers the realistic, practical advice needed to get a small business off to a strong start.

About the Authors
Foreward
Alice Weiss Doyel
Preface
Acknowledgments

Chapters

1. Self-Employment as a Mainstream Approach to Adult Life
   
   
2. Person-Centered Business Planning
   
   
3. Business Feasibility
   
   
4. Building the Business Plan
   
   
5. Marketing and Sales Tactics
   
   
6. Small Business and Social Security Income Benefits Analysis
   
   
7. Small Business Finance and Small Business Owners with Disabilities

Afterword
Paul Wehman and John Kregel

References
Appendix A: Blank Forms
Appendix B: Internet Resources
Index