Hi!
I am newish to the forum and have only posted a few times here-and-there, and then I found this thread!
I am a serial side-hustler with one full-ish (30hrs/wk) time job who is finishing school full-time and working a handful of side jobs.
So I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with school and considering my steps post-graduation. I am considering expanding upon one of my current side hustles after graduation and either going at it full time or at least making it my only side job.
My main question for entrepreneurs is, how did you gauge interest for your work? Especially if there are seemingly barriers for your clients to reach you (see below)?
I've worked in some kind of special education setting for a very long time (TA, manager of a job-skills training program, director of a nonprofit education program for adults with disabilities, special education tutor, etc...). What I have found is a PROFOUND lack of resource connections outside of therapeutic interventions or education programming for those who are differently-abled/non-neurotypical/disabled and their guardians or families.
This is kind of hard to explain concretely, but I've worked with families & individuals on so many occasions who just need a person to look over a behavior plan and spot potential holes before they waste nine months processing through it, or to look at an IEP and break it down to be more understandable (a lot of parents feel intimidated at IEP/IIP meetings), or sit down and examine career prospects for an individual, or help them quickly find a therapist who specializes in puberty alongside autism ---things like that--- and have found myself being the one who is basically consulting between the family, therapists, the individual receiving service, the school system, county ADA drivers, Life coaches, BcABAs, program directors, etc. etc. to make everything run more smoothly. Like an investigative symphony director. I also think having someone like me OUTSIDE of the immediate service bubble can be really helpful, so I think this could be done as remote work as well, and I'd be very open to that as I thrive working from a home office.
I started to think about the fact that what I am really really damn good at is fighting for the individual and being a consultant and advocate for what they want, what can serve them best, and the people within that network while being relentlessly (obnoxiously?) positive. I'm like a little bulldog for progress, I'm good at it, and I like it (as long as I manage my own burnout tendencies)...... so heck, why can't I be a consultant and do this for a living?
So how should I gauge interest in these types of services to see if this is viable? Obviously I would need to narrow this scope down a bit and do the actual business planning.... but how will I know if this is something people will pay for?
This scope of service would likely not be included in any state/county waiver systems because those unfortunately pay far too low and it's generally illegal (depends on the state) to double-stack them or have clients supplement them... so this would be an out-of-pocket expense for families that are often already strained of resources and stressed... BUT I know that I could help them discover new services that would save them money (for example, I once helped a family who only had $200-$300 to put toward a new iPad and necessary (but expensive) communication app to find a grant and get the iPad, five apps of their choice... and then got a company to donate a smash-proof case, and requested that the school write a communication plan into this persons IEP... this saved them potentially thousands of dollars, and they got to keep the $200+) ... and it probably took me about 2 volunteer labor hours and I did it all from home), so I know I am worth it... but how do I sell that idea?
I'm getting a little all over the place here, so I will stop there... but any insights into a non-traditional consultant type gig and how I could gauge interest? I keep marinating on this idea and it keeps popping into my head as a way to create a growing income for myself while also helping people by playing to my strengths.