Running your own business

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Do any of you think running your own business is a good idea for people on the spectrum?

I have sometimes considered owning a restaurant. I am a reasonable chef and I have a lot of inventive ideas. What puts me off is the idea of how I would raise the funds and that I have no knowledge of kitchen equipment used in restaurants.

I'm quite sure lots of folks on the spectrum run their own business. I can see an aspie running a flowershop, a bookstore, a laptop fix-it joint, a furniture emporium...why not a restaurant?

I like those restaurant shows where Gordon Ramsay makes mincemeat of the contestants. More power to them. I couldn't do it.

I suppose you can apprentice at a restaurant. This way you'll get a feel for how restaurants are run and gain a knowledge of restaurant equipment.

You can probably then open a business with someone else who is into that profession, maybe even find someone on Craigslist. It could happen.

That's a good idea - thanks.

This has been suggested to me because I am having such a struggle with finding work. The Australian government has something called "The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme" to help unemployed people like myself to start a small business. I will probably start one once I start getting more experience in my field/s.

When you call yourself a 'reasonable chef' do you mean you can cook nice food? The restaurant business is not something to go into without experience. As RedRobin said above, you would be best to spend a few years in a commercial kitchen first.

I'd strongly advise that you learn about entrepreneurship. There's a very different mindset that, if you are going to ultimately be successful you'll need to adopt. Business in and of itself is a learned skill, comprised of many smaller skills. Some of it you might know, but others you will have to learn. DO NOT GO TO SCHOOL TO LEARN THIS STUFF, no matter what anyone tells you that is the worst thing you can do. I'd suggest reading some of Guy Kawasaki's books on the subject and reading some material from SCORE. Once you read that, the only thing left to do is go out and do it. You will make mistakes, learn from them. Your first business might fail, be prepared for this possibility and if it does then honestly find out why and what you did wrong.


I say this from personal experience, my first business failed, in fact it never made past the business plan because among other mistakes I chose an idiot to be a partner. Currently I'm trying to build a new business, which is currently still in the conception stage. Right now I'm doing market research and looking for partners to be cofounders.

If I were you, I would chef for the highest bidder, who risks all the capital. Restaurant ownership is the SWAT elite of capitalism.

isnt restaurant owning or working in them at a more basic level a high stress environment? especialy when have got functional pyschopaths involved who treat the lesser cooks/staff like sht.

if can cope with that,then go for it,but being able to deal with stress is a need in that sort of place,even when there isnt a functional pyschopath like gordon ramsay involved
never let a label stop from doing something,mine dont either.

the UK has an increasing number of social enterprise grants going on,even the NAS was offering some of us [never to be paid back] ones for a while.
america must have similar offers am guessing.
write the state/area and/or country in the search;also write; social enterprise grants so for example [america social enterprise grants].

Hello Kingdom, yes, working kitchens can be high stress and do attract a certain type of character. Definitely best to put a toe in the water before jumping straight in.

I started a wholesale bakery from scratch. I started with one cake that I took to a fancy restaurant in DC. He said, "This is great... you guys never work out... bring me eight of them tomorrow." I delivered to him twice a week for almost 20 years. Having a business where you deliver, rather than staying in one place and waiting for business comes to you, was wonderful for me. I ended up selling in Washington, and Baltimore, and serving 80 restaurants. Many restaurants use purveyors to make some of their desserts because cakes and pies are pretty labor intensive. But if you have a good kitchen, making a dozen cakes or pies can be done in a few hours once you get good at it.

thinking of starting an online transcribing service. This is a very aspie friendly job-its listening and typing, in the comfort of your own home, library, cafe or whatever. Even your clients need not ever meet you! I'm doing this now through a friend, dont yet have my own thing set up, and its a job i can finally do. Purely because I don't have to socialise with anyone!

My advice is to look for something that can be done purely through the internet, where you can remain faceless and silent, only communcating through writing.

I did for awhile. I was the only thing I ever really did well. I don't anymore because my living situation changed.