Published in Down Syndrome News, Volume 30, Number 6. Reprinted with permission of the author and the National Down Syndrome Congress (www.ndsccenter.org).

By Martha Blue-Banning

Research Assistant Professor, University of Kansas

When our son, Ryan, graduated from public school eight years ago, our vision for his future included competitive employment in the community. We never, ever dreamed, however, that Ryan would one day be a successful business owner.

Ryan had several jobs in the community before and just after he graduated at age 21 from the public school system. Most of these jobs were in fast-food restaurants — not because Ryan enjoyed this type of employment, but because those were the jobs that were available in our town.

We learned, over time, that the employee turnover rate is extremely high in the fast-food business — both for employees and supervisors. The constant supervisor “revolving door” was particularly difficult for Ryan. Each time his supervisor changed, Ryan was at the mercy of the new supervisor’s personality and perceptions of individuals with disabilities. His last supervisor made the job especially unpleasant.

When Ryan was in junior high, we used a process called Group Action Planning (GAP) to begin his transition planning outside of school. This process involves a group of family, friends, and professionals forming a reliable alliance for the purpose of realizing a vision for an individual with a disability. We called this group of people, Ryan’s “GAP.”

Ryan’s GAP met on a regular basis in our home for over seven years. At the time, we had no idea what a profound impact this informal group of family, friends, and professionals would have on Ryan’s life. During one meeting, Ryan and his GAP brainstormed about employment options other than fast-food work. One GAP member knew that our state’s Developmental Disabilities Council* offered small business grants as microenterprise startup funds for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Everyone in the GAP became excited about this possibility, so at the same meeting we began to explore possible types of businesses that matched Ryan’s strengths and interests and that might have an open niche in our community.

We talked about Ryan’s characteristics, strengths and abilities that might affect what kind of job was the best match for him. Ryan is not a morning person. His interests include uniforms, physical activity and drinking sodas. Ryan likes to be around lots of people and have variety in his work tasks.

Given these characteristics, we eventually chose the vending business. Once we made this decision, our conversation turned to where the machines would be placed. Another GAP member suggested the new health facility that was being built near the local hospital. Three health organizations, including public health, would occupy the building. We guessed that the mission of these three organizations would be in alignment with what we were trying to do, so we agreed that the health facility would be a good place to begin.

I later met with the directors of the three organizations. I explained about Ryan’s potential business and asked if they would be interested in Ryan placing vending machines in their break rooms if the grant was funded. The directors were enthusiastic about the idea and provided us with letters of support that we could include in Ryan’s grant application.

Our next steps included researching the vending machine business and talking with people in our region who had experience in the profession. By this time, we were convinced that this was a job that Ryan would enjoy and succeed at.

After we obtained a council grant application, we made an appointment with our local small business development center to get help in writing the business plan. The center provided essential guidance in writing a detailed description of Ryan’s proposed business and its goals. That business plan:

• explained the business ownership and legal structure;

• identified the skills and experience that we brought to the business;

• described the products and service the business would offer; and

• identified the specific niche for vending products/service in our community.

The plan described our marketing plan, the financial management (e.g., monthly operating budget, accounting methodology), and the operations plan (e.g., the day-to-day management, necessary equipment, and purchase/delivery of the sodas/snacks). The grant required “in-kind” support, which were resources that have cash value that we would provide. Our in-kind support included:
• use of a van to pick up and transport products to service machines;

• van maintenance and insurance;

• storage facility and utilities for vending products (Ryan’s house);

• telephone service (Ryan’s telephone);

• refrigerator (Ryan’s refrigerator);

• accounting services (his dad’s job); and

• training support to Ryan’s job coach (his mom’s job).

Approximately six weeks after the grant was submitted, we received word that it had been funded and Ryan’s Vending Service was born!

One of our first steps after the grant was funded was to form a corporation to shelter the money his business earned until the business grew large enough to replace the federal benefits he would lose when his assets became too great. The business income is reinvested in the corporation to fund business expansion until the vending company is large enough to support Ryan’s living expenses.

Ryan has now owned Ryan’s Vending Service for seven years and the business has doubled in size. We’ve become more “professional” and even have a business logo (designed by Ryan’s brother-in-law, who is a graphic designer) embroidered on shirts and hats for Ryan and his job coach.

While we have not advertised, the business has grown from six machines to 12 (six soda machines and six snack machines) by word of mouth. The community has been extremely supportive of the business.

In addition to the health facility, Ryan now has machines at city hall, the city airport, a fire station, and a fraternity on campus. Ryan now stocks the soda machines with little support. The snack machines are more complex and more difficult to stock.

Over the past seven years, we have learned many “lessons.” We learned the hard way that the sodas have to be stored out of the van in extreme weather (freezing weather in winter and heat in summer).

One job coach left the van filled with newly purchased sodas outside in the sun all afternoon in 100-degree heat. Thirty cases of exploding sodas make quite a mess!

We learned that soda machines are easier to maintain and are more profitable than snack machines. Snacks go out of date much more quickly than sodas and, at times, this has created expensive losses.

We learned that good job coaches are hard to find and that we are the substitute job coach when a regular coach is ill or quits. We’ve been thrilled to watch Ryan establish friendships with many employees at the organizations where his machines are placed.

We’ve learned that Ryan is really the business’s best public relations representative. And probably the biggest lesson we’ve learned is to not underestimate Ryan’s capabilities.

In taking this giant leap into the business world, we moved into unchartered territory for us. Because we took the risk, today Ryan gives back to his community and pays taxes just like every other businessman. For the first time ever, he has a job he enjoys, with friends who take time to stop and talk in every facility where he has a vending machine.

Everywhere Ryan goes, he meets another friend; and those friends have resulted in providing Ryan more business opportunities than we ever imagined he would have. Like every dream, making the business a reality began with the first step and lots of work and help from our reliable allies and others in the community. It’s working — and so is Ryan.

* Every state has a developmental disability council. The council’s task is to identify the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities in their state and to develop ways to meet those needs. To find your state’s council, visit www.nacdd.org/pages/councils.htm.

** Small Business Development Centers are a part of the U.S. Small Business Administration. They offer management assistance to current and prospective small business ownership. To find a center in your region, visit www.sba.gov/localresources/index.html.