Caregiver Business Ownership Program

The Business Ownership Initiative of Indiana’s “Caregiver Business Ownership Program,” funded by Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, includes two components to help clients start and operate in-home small businesses that address the need for high-quality child care and nonmedical care for people with disabilities and the elderly. No prior business experience is required to register for the program.

The Caregiver Business Ownership Program has two program tracks:

* in-home child-care provider
* personal care provider, which includes personal care attendant, personal care aide, handyperson and homemaker services

The programs are designed primarily for women who are underemployed, career transitioning, transitioning to work or who simply have a desire to care for others and want to become business owners. The Caregiver program offers BOI clients three levels of support for starting or growing caregiver businesses:

    * exploring new business ownership
    * launching a business, or
    * growing an existing caregiver business

Those who are licensed or are already in an informal caregiver position will benefit from our Caregiver Business Success course, which is customized specifically for Child Care or Personal Care business ownership. Caregiver Business Success covers:

setting and reaching your goals	sales forcasting
business marketing	product and service pricing
networking to build your business	personal and business credit
business insurance	bookkeeping
legal forms of business	financial statements

BOI is a certified training site for the First Step FastTrac®, sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. The 30 to 60 hours of training includes a unique balance of business ownership and child care or in-home personal attendant aide specific topics. Training costs, per participant, are determined by household income and start at $35. The training is currently being used by approximately 30 organizations nationwide.

Volunteer Opportunities

    * Presenter, Business Workshop Facilitator
    * Referral Partner
    * Caregiver Program Advisory Board
    * Business Mentor

The Caregiver Business Ownership Program is a project of BOI and is supported by the Central Indiana Women’s Business Center.