Business as Unusual (B.U.)

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I have been thinking about this a bit since I joined this site a few weeks ago and started researching my condition and learning from other Aspies.. catching up and so forth.

We are such an incredible untapped resource. What if we work for ourselves? There is power in numbers and we are well dispersed.

I have no idea what sort of company we could set up but it would have to be something ethical, meaningful and beneficial to mankind.

What do you guys think?

What sort of business?

Companies that almost exlusivly hire people with Aspergers...
...in denmark: http://specialisterne.com/dk/
...in norway: http://unicus.no/

Related article: http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/mag ... ist_sonne/ (this article mentions other countries; Sweden, the Netherlands, and Belgium)

It was an untapped resource, it is being tapped a few places as we speak, but there is a huge potential for growth there.

Starting a business from scratch is also something many adults with Aspergers have done and successfully so. Being your own boss eliminates some of the social problems with keeping a job.

There's a company in Wichita, Kansas that employs aspies to do software testing. I wish tere were more places like that.

I think as a group we would be genuinely great at problem solving. In addition, we would be quite creative in our ideas.

I think you need some NTs who know aspies well for their strengths. NT/aspie translators.

Exactly. We cannot operate by ourselves, we would be eaten alive by the competition. Though we may run a company ethically, that does not mean that rival companies will, and they will use every underhanded technique in the book to bring us down; the worst of it all is that being autistic, we would not even see it coming. We need trustworthy neurotypical sentries to keep us out of trouble and to act as a buffer between us and outside entities. Think of a clam without a shell: the world's smartest clam is nothing without a shell.

I'd like to work for an aspie company, though agree that some understanding NTs would also be necessary as most customers would probably be NT

Great minds think a like huh.. seems some people are all ready doing this.

We all have different strengths. I dont see why we would need any NTs at all but It could be ok to have hmmm say 1 in 130 LOL

A company of engineers needs technical writers, its the same sort of idea. The NTs are there to manage social aspects, and other parts we have difficulty with, specifically working with us, not working around us.

I actually know someone who one of her dream jobs is to work as an NT in one of these types of companies. She's an NT who is very socially adept, but prefers the company of autistic people in many situations despite that.

NTs would make great secretaries and clerks. Let's not put down our creativity.

Need NTs to translate between the customers and the rest of the business

The poll says "run exclusively by aspies", not "employing exclusively aspies", so of course there is allowance for neurotypicals to be employed, even high up as advisors to the directors.

What would the purpose of the business be, though? What service or commodity would it provide?

What are aspies natural advantages/strengths over NTs? There lies the competitive advantage.

From what I've read about it, "Aspie hiring companies" look at their special interests, and see if they have jobs in those areas. Also, attention for details is an attractive ability. Reading correction on computer code / books / manuals / etc.

I can spot a duplicate in a list of 100 fairly easy, and if it's in a list of 20, it just jumps out at me. I frequently get annoyed by subtitles being translated wrong, so perhaps translation could be a way to go. One company in norway was started by the father of a young adult with Aspergers, they specialize in renovating or improving pictures digitally. Attention for details are one direction to explore, no doubt.

edit: This quote is from the frontpage of the pioneers in aspie-hiring

( source: http://specialisterne.com/dk/ )

Our services and commodities could be... secret... we could be the Counter-Illuminati.