Creating New Choices for Communities through Self-Employment

By David Hammis, Organizational Consultant at The Rural Institute

Innovation, leadership, and commitment. That’s what made the difference in Stanly County, North Carolina with the Rural Institute’s Rural Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment Design Project (RESEED). Rural Institute organizational consultants believe that every adult is ready to work, and as such, is also ready to own a small business if desired. This was the ARC of Stanly County’s first-ever self-employment initiative involving small businesses owned and operated by individuals with developmental disabilities. The project’s achievements are a direct result of the various stakeholders’ commitment to innovative, person-centered, community-based supported self-employment technologies.

The board of directors, management, and dedicated employees of ARC of Stanly County, all of the new small business owners with developmental disabilities, family members, friends, neighbors, North Carolina State Vocational Rehabilitation, the Social Security Administration, business owners, and customers in Stanly County proved self-employment for people with disabilities benefits the whole community. Customers, vendors, and suppliers are interdependent; they can’t exist without each other. Business suppliers and vendors rally quickly and enthusiastically—without any apparent disability-related prejudices—when individuals with developmental disabilities open new small businesses. Customers/shoppers are glad to see new service choices for their community.

Where to Begin?

We began with the community. Organizational consultants invited business people from Stanly County; the Arc board of directors, management, and staff; and other social services and vocational services agencies to an “open space” community meeting. We explained our proposal to develop several small businesses that would be owned and operated by individuals with developmental disabilities.

Initially, the community participants and the disability support services participants had polarized opinions about the proposal. The staff of ARC Services and other disability related services providers, including Medicaid and Vocational Rehabilitation, voiced concerns and noted barriers. In contrast, the general community members and business leaders were clearly supportive and immediately accepted that new business development in their community by individuals with developmental disabilities was a sound and useful proposition. Chamber of Commerce and related business members committed themselves to serve on an advisory group for the small businesses proposed. A local accountant immediately offered a substantially discounted fee for bookkeeping support to the potential new businesses. The community business members felt the undertaking was reasonable and something useful enough for their community that they were willing to dedicate their time and energy to support it.

Person-Centered Businesses

Next we invited several individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to person-centered planning meetings to discover each person’s interests, talents, and gifts. Based on those person-centered meetings, participants listed at least ten possible businesses for each person, related to each person’s talents and desires. Each potential new business owner then took an individual tour of similar businesses to those on his/her list, gathered information from business owners, and asked for business development advice. Each team—including residential staff, employment staff, family members, and community members—set up times and schedules to support each person’s business visits and informational interviews. This helped focus the business ideas.

Coincidentally, as multiple businesses in the community were visited, natural connections developed. Business owners and the local business community heard that new business opportunities were in the making for people served by the ARC of Stanly County and the businesses began to approach the ARC staff, prospective business owners, and families involved in the project. Offers were made for buildings at substantial discounts, free rent, equipment, and advice. Within a few months, business locations and shared customer agreements within existing business properties were arranged. A greenhouse business that was in the process of closing, offered the ARC a greenhouse at a substantially discounted price. A family acquaintance offered another individual a small business space at no cost.

Responding to Community Opportunities

After the ARC acquired the greenhouse, a “business within a business” opportunity presented itself. A young man, who has a substantial developmental disability, had the option of owning his own business within two brothers’ business. These two brothers own a small farm and roadside produce stand. They needed a greenhouse and water hookup for their roadside stand in order to expand their business.

The employment service manager at the ARC, who had no prior background in business plan development, wrote a business plan to move the process along. Rural Institute staff supported the manager with training and technical assistance. Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) opened a case for the prospective business owner, and a Social Security and Medicaid benefits analysis was completed. The business plan was sent into VR only one month after the initial opportunity surfaced. The local VR office had no clear record of ever supporting such a business, sent the business plan to the state level for review, and requested a state decision to proceed or not. Meanwhile, back at the greenhouse, the two business owner/brothers needed to move forward. Spring wouldn’t wait for a VR decision and seeds needed to be planted. They helped the new entrepreneur launch the greenhouse business and hoped VR would make a decision soon. The business plan stalled at the state level for a few months, but eventually came back with a state VR management letter of approval, highly recommending funding, citing the high quality business plan, and recommending VR develop more supports similar to this venture in the future.

By early summer the business had opened. It grossed $800 in the first partial month of sales and $1,400 in the second month—a total of $2,200 in gross sales over seven weeks. Sales are climbing faster than predicted in the business plan; the initial prediction was for around $12,000 in gross sales in the first year, actual sales will be closer to $20,000, almost double projections. Customers are taking advantage of a new choice for locally buying their plants and flowers.

The New Business Owner

The new business owner and his family are extremely pleased. The owner is excited to go to work each day. Before starting his business, he went to a sheltered workshop. He was not considered a capable worker or interested in working on contracts, and frequently “ran” from the workshop. It was an effort for him to be there five to six hours per day. At his business, in the first month, he worked seven days per week, twelve hours per day. Now that the peak planting season is over, he has reduced his time at the business to six days per week and eight to ten hours per day.

New Community Choices

Two other new businesses, for lawn care and paper shredding, are also being developed through the ARC. Their business plans have been written, reviewed, and are being amended and solidified. More importantly, they are being developed with substantial community involvement. Funding has been partially secured from VR. Business space has been secured at no cost for the paper shredding business.

The local business community has responded with strong and unbiased support. Community members—who are shoppers, business suppliers, and vendors—endorse these new businesses, without any disability-related prejudices. The community recognizes it has much to gain from the new free-market, for-profit choices these businesses offer and willingly supports their development and growth.

Disability services accept the idea that they should offer people with disabilities more community choices and opportunities. These small businesses, owned by people with disabilities, are turning this notion upside down. They demonstrate that when people with disabilities create small businesses, they can offer community members more choices and opportunities: more choices for community members to shop; more services for community members; more fiscal benefits from prospering businesses; more local economic growth; and more opportunities for the community to share the diversity of life experiences of people with disabilities.