The Founder's Mentorship is built for autistic adults and neurodivergent individuals in San Diego County who are ready to build something small and meaningful that they own and love. You do not need a business idea. You do not need prior experience. You do not need any background in business or marketing whatsoever. You just need:

• A passion, hobby, or special interest you would love to share with the world

• A willingness to meet two-hour sessions, two to three times per week

• The desire to do something that fits you — not something that asks you to be someone you are not

If you arrive without an idea yet, that is completely okay. The first part of the program is all about discovering the right one together. If you already have an idea — whether it is selling handmade soap, opening an Etsy shop for your art, doing dog photography, or anything else — we will refine it and build it with you.

There are no big expectations. There is no pressure to become a major corporation. The goal is something that works for your life — even if "your life" means working from your bedroom three days a week selling sticker packs to people who love them.

Phase 1 — The Foundation (Months 1–2)

This is where we figure out what we are building together. The first phase is mostly about exploring, brainstorming, and getting clear on what kind of small business would actually fit your life and your interests.

Figuring Out the Idea

• Exploring what you love and what you are great at

• Looking at who might want to buy what you make or do

• Talking honestly about what kind of work you actually enjoy and what kind drains you

• Picking a direction that feels exciting and doable

Making Your Brand Feel Like You

• Choosing a name for your business that you genuinely love

• Picking colors, fonts, and a vibe that feel right

• Writing a simple description of what you do, in your own voice

• Planning the kind of photos that will make your business look beautiful and real

The Practical Stuff (Made Simple) ★

There are a few small things every little business needs to set up — not because we are pretending you are running a Fortune 500 company, but because doing these once at the beginning saves you a lot of stress later. We handle them together, in plain language, without making it feel like homework.

• Picking how to register your business: For most home-based small businesses, this is as simple as registering as a sole proprietor — which is the easiest, lightest option and works perfectly well for someone selling art, or services from home. If your business grows bigger later, we can revisit. We will explain the differences in plain English and figure out together what fits.

• A separate way to track your money: A simple second checking account just for your business — so you always know what you are earning. Easy to open and a relief once it is set up.

• A short "yes, I am ordering" document for clients: If you are selling custom work or services, having a simple little agreement that says what someone is buying and what to expect protects both you and them. Sam writes the first one with you so you do not have to figure it out alone.

• Knowing your work is yours: A quick conversation about how your designs, art, photos, or writing are protected — so you feel confident sharing them online.

• Keeping your accounts safe: Strong passwords, simple ways to back up your work, and basic habits that protect what you are building.

These things sound formal when written out, but in practice they are quick conversations spread across a couple of sessions. They are about giving you peace of mind, not making your business feel like a corporate job.

A Simple Plan You Can Hold On To

At the end of Phase 1, you will have a short, friendly written plan that describes what you are building, who it is for, and what comes next. Not a fifty-page document. Just a clear, encouraging summary that you actually want to look at.

Phase 2 — The Build (Months 3–4)

This is the fun part. We start actually making things.

Your Online Home

• A simple, beautiful website — yours, with your name on it, that you can show people

• Social media accounts on whichever platforms feel right for what you do (you do not have to be on all of them)

• A plan for posting that does not exhaust you

Making It Look Beautiful

• Real photos of your work, your space, or you (taken in ways that feel comfortable)

• A little library of social media posts and captions you can use whenever you need them

Tools That Make Things Easier

• A simple way to send invoices and get paid

• A simple way to handle messages from customers

• A calendar or scheduling tool, if you need one

• Friendly little organizational systems built around the way your brain works — not generic productivity advice

Smart Helpers

• AI tools that can save you time on writing, scheduling, or making images — used in ways that still feel like you

• Routines and habits that fit your energy levels and your natural rhythms

Phase 3 — The Launch (Months 5–6)

This is when your business actually opens its doors. It is exciting and a little nervous-making — and we go through every single step together.

Finding Your First Customers

• Making a list of the first few people who might love what you do

• Practicing how to talk to potential customers in a way that feels comfortable

• Sending your first message or post

• Having your first real conversation with someone who wants to buy

Your First Sale

• Sending your first invoice (we celebrate this one)

• Receiving your first payment

• Delivering your first product or service

• Hearing back from your first happy customer

Looking Back, Looking Forward

• Checking in on everything we set up in Phase 1 — adjusting anything that needs adjusting

• Talking about what comes next: do you want to keep it small and steady, or grow it bigger over time?

• Making a simple plan for the months after the program ends so you do not feel like you are suddenly alone

Phase 4 — Growing Together (Month 7 and Beyond)

Launching the business is a beginning, not an ending. Phase 4 is the ongoing stage of the journey — and for most of our students, it is the longest and most important one.

Running a real business in the real world brings new situations every week: a tricky customer, a new product idea, a pricing question, a busy season, a slow season, a new skill worth learning. Phase 4 is where we keep meeting regularly to work through all of it together — steadily building your student's capability and confidence so they can handle more and more on their own over time.

This is not a separate program you have to find later. It is the natural, expected continuation of the journey we start together on day one — and it continues for as long as it is genuinely helpful.

What Phase 4 looks like:

• Regular ongoing coaching sessions — weekly, biweekly, or monthly, matched to what each student needs at each stage

• Working through real business situations together as they arise

• Building new skills progressively, one at a time, as the business grows

• A steady, trusted presence in your student's corner — week after week, season after season

What You Will Have at the End

By the time the six months are over, you will not just have an idea. You will have a real little business. Specifically:

• A website you own, with your name and your work on it

• Social media accounts set up and active

• A small collection of beautiful photos and content

• A clear, friendly plan describing what you do and who it is for

• Your business officially registered the simple way

• A little customer agreement template ready to go when you need it

• Easy systems for invoicing, scheduling, and communication

• Confidence in how to find and talk to customers

• And — most importantly — at least one real sale under your belt, with the experience of knowing you can do it again

This is not about becoming someone you are not. It is about taking what you love and turning it into something that pays you for doing it.

After the Six Months: The Coaching Continues

As described in Phase 4 above, the foundational six months are the first stage of a longer journey — not the finish line. For almost every student, the ongoing coaching that follows is where the real, lasting growth happens.

Here is the core idea behind everything we do after the program ends: we are not running the business for our students. We are continuing to teach them, week by week, how to run it themselves with steadily increasing confidence and capability. Every session builds new skills. Every challenge we work through together is a challenge they will be able to handle on their own next time. The whole point of ongoing coaching is to make our students more independent over time, not less.

What ongoing coaching looks like:

• Regular check-in sessions — weekly, biweekly, or monthly, depending on what fits

• Working through real business situations together so the student learns how to handle the next one

• Continuing to develop skills in areas the student wants to grow

• Strategic planning for the next chapter of the business

• A steady, trusted presence for whenever something new comes up

The goal is independence, not dependence.

We measure success by how much more our students can do for themselves over time, not by how often they need us. Some students reach a point where they only check in every few months because they are running things confidently on their own. Some keep meeting regularly for years because the structure and accountability help them thrive. Both outcomes are successes — because both are stories of a neurodivergent founder running their own business with someone in their corner whenever they need it.

How ongoing coaching is funded:

Continued Supported Self-Employment coaching remains an IPP-eligible service through the SDRC Self-Determination Program. The SDP can continue to fund the ongoing coaching relationship after the initial six-month program ends — through a renewed or extended IPP goal focused on capability-building, business growth, and increasing independence. Sam works directly with each family and their service coordinator during the final phase of the program to map out what the continued coaching should look like and to structure it cleanly within the SDP framework.

For parents and guardians, this is the part to hold onto.

Your child is not going to be launched into a business and then left to figure everything out alone. The coaching relationship continues, the trust continues, and the steady work of building their independence as a business owner continues — for as long as it is helpful.

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