Small Business Networking Toolkit
Digital download
This is a digital download, no physical items will be sent to you. You will see the download as either a PDF or zip file.
While we may not fully grasp the exact contours of Autistic unemployment at this time, one thing is clear: many Autistic adults do struggle with finding and keeping employment compared to Allistic peers for a variety of reasons, not least of which being that workplace cultures are often dominated by Allistic social norms.
In such a world, many Autistic adults may consider the potential benefits of starting their own business or acting as an independent contractor rather than having to decipher office culture.
But independent contracting comes with many challenges in its own right, and self-employed individuals still need to do a lot of legwork - and networking - to establish the clientele they need to turn into a viable business venture.
We are releasing this toolkit to offer some strategies for working toward those goals so that Autistic adults seeking to explore the self-employment route can consider a variety of starting points for what they want to do.
What Is Inside?
- Information About Common Needs
- Types of Networking
- Disclosure
- Establishing and Maintaining Boundaries
- Self-Advocacy
- Independent Contractors/Consulting Sections
- Small Business Owners Sections
Who Is This For?
This toolkit is for any Autistic adult who is interested in growing a small business, whether via self-employment and independent contracting or selling goods and services via a storefront. You may be thinking about self-employment as a fun side hobby, a potential source of supplementary income, or something you want to do full-time.
While different goals may entail different challenges and workloads, we can all establish a starting point for the strategies we want to use by laying out what we hope to achieve.
About the Lifespan Toolbox
The Lifespan Toolbox is a collection of toolkits for everyone in the autism community from self-advocates, family members, professionals, and other members of the community to get on the same page about autism and lifespan.
We span topics all over the lifespan, specifically thinking about the adulthood years (the longest span of our lives!) and how we can all work together to support the autistic person/people in our lives and community.
Research and reported experiences from autistic individuals show a need to receive individualized support regarding life skills and to be connected with others. That’s where the Lifespan Toolbox comes in!
Interactive
- Each toolkit page has an interactive webpage with active links and videos. You can also download the PDF which has ample space for taking notes.