Who it is for?

The Founder's Mentorship is for autistic and neurodivergent adults in San Diego County who are done trying to fit a job market that was never built for them. You do not need a business idea. You do not need experience. You need three things:

• Something you love doing or are great at. Coding, photography, AI, video, design, art, writing, gaming, crafts, anything.
• Time for two to three sessions a week, two hours each.
• The wish to build something that fits you, instead of forcing yourself to fit a job.

If you already have an idea, we refine it. If you have none, finding it is the first thing we do together

What we are building

That depends entirely on you, because you are the boss.

Some students build a small shop they run from home: art, prints, handmade goods, a photography practice. Others build professional service businesses with corporate clients: web development, SEO, AI systems, media production, social media content. One current student signed two San Diego companies before his agency officially opened.

There is no minimum size and no ceiling. What every business here has in common is that it is built around what you love, how you work, and the life you want. Small and steady is a win. Growing and ambitious is a win. Yours is the only definition that counts.

Sessions

Two to three in-person sessions every week, two hours each, at a place you choose: your home, a quiet coffee shop, a private co-working room, or outdoors. Sam travels to you.

Bad day? We reschedule. Nobody is penalized and nobody is made to feel guilty. Showing up over months matters more than perfect attendance

The six months

Months 1 and 2: Foundation
• Figure out the idea, or confirm and sharpen the one you have
• Pick a name you love, colors that feel right, and write a short description in your own words
• Handle the simple paperwork together: registering the business, opening a separate checking account, a one-page customer agreement, and keeping your accounts safe
• Finish with a short written plan you actually want to look at

Months 3 and 4: Build
• Your website, with your name on it
• Social media accounts on the platforms that suit you, not all of them
• Real photos and content that show your work at its best
• Simple tools to send invoices, get paid, and handle messages
• The professional skills your specific business needs, taught one-on-one: from product photography to AI tools, coding workflows, or video editing, depending on what you are building

Months 5 and 6: Launch
• A list of the first people or companies who might buy from you
• Practice talking to a customer in a way that feels okay
• First message sent. First sale. First invoice. First payment. We celebrate that one.
• A plan for what comes next

What You Will Have at the End

• A live website
• Active social accounts and a small library of posts you can reuse
• Real photos and content showing your work
• Your business officially registered
• A customer agreement template
• Invoicing and scheduling set up
• At least one real sale, and the knowledge that you can do it again
• Something no job ever gave you: a business that is yours

Month 7 and beyond

Launching is a beginning. Running a business brings new questions every week: a tricky customer, a pricing question, a slow month, a new opportunity, a skill worth learning. So the coaching continues. Weekly, every other week, or monthly, whatever fits.

The goal is independence. We measure success by how much more you can handle on your own each month, not by how often you need Sam. Some students reach a point where they check in every few months. Some keep meeting for years because the structure helps them grow. Both are wins.

This continued coaching stays fundable through a renewed Supported Self-Employment goal in the IPP. Sam meets with you and your coordinator near the end of month six to set it up.

For parents

Your adult is not launched and then left. Sam stays. The trust stays. The funding pathway stays. And unlike every job that ended, this business cannot fire them.