[Nfbnet-members-list] NFB/eBay Entrepreneurs Project

[Mary Ellen]

On September 15, in a joint press release, the NFB and eBay announced 
the NFB/eBay Entrepreneurs Program..



We are now seeking blind people who want to participate in this 
innovative pilot program.





Business Start Up Pilot

The NFB/eBay Entrepreneur Project is looking for serious 
entrepreneurs who want to create new eBay businesses or expand 
existing businesses to include eBay selling. We will offer successful 
applicants intensive eBay training and connect them with successful 
blind business people and other experts who will provide assistance 
in specific areas, such as business planning, development, and 
working with accessible accounting software.



Individuals chosen for the Business Start Up Pilot will take part in 
an intensive training program at the NFB Jernigan Institute in 
Baltimore. They will receive transportation, lodging, training 
classes, accessible training materials, and ongoing mentorship support.



If running your own eBay business appeals to you, please write us at 
<mailto:entrepreneurs at nfb.org>entrepreneurs at nfb.org and request an 
Entrepreneur Program package. Your letter of interest should include:
    * a resume describing your employment and education history, with 
particular emphasis on entrepreneurial projects;
    * a brief description of the product or service you intend to 
market using eBay; (Is this a completely new enterprise, or are you 
intending to create an eBay outlet for a business that already exists?)
    * a basic budget outline.



Because this is a pilot program intended to demonstrate the viability 
of eBay businesses run by blind individuals, we must select from 
applicants those with the strongest plans and the greatest 
willingness to mentor the blind people who will follow.





Training the Trainers



In order to provide opportunity to as many people as possible, we 
will train interested blind people to be eBay certified education 
specialists. EBay Certified Education Specialists are people who buy 
and sell on eBay themselves and want to create a business teaching 
others how to do it. The trainers we train will be equipped to teach 
other blind people who use screen readers; they will also be 
certified to teach the sighted. With ninety-two million people 
already using eBay and more joining the community every day, the 
business opportunity for anyone who can teach them how to be more 
effective is enormous!



The Certified Education Specialist training will consist of a program 
that will take place at the NFB Jernigan Institute in Baltimore, plus 
follow-up individualized support and group teleconference training. 
Those selected for the "Train the Trainers" program will receive 
transportation, lodging, training classes, accessible training 
materials, and ongoing mentorship support.



Is being an eBay Certified Education Specialist for you?



If you have a deep desire to be of service to others, an 
entrepreneurial spirit, the aptitude to teach, and basic computer 
literacy using screen readers, we want to hear from you.



Because selling on eBay has not been readily accessible to blind 
people in the past, you will not need to have experience as an eBay 
seller to take part in the first "Train the Trainers" class. However, 
you will need to demonstrate success in buying and selling on eBay in 
order to graduate and receive certification.



You will need some ability to use a screen reader to access web 
sites, though it is not necessary to be a screen reader power user.



To apply to enter the "train the trainers" inaugural class, send a 
letter to <mailto:entrepreneurs at nfb.org>entrepreneurs at nfb.org 
explaining your background, qualifications (particularly your 
entrepreneurial and/or teaching experience), and telling us why you 
want to become an eBay Certified Education Specialist.



Testing the Waters



Even if you do not yet have a perfectly developed business plan, we 
still want to hear from you. As eBay trainers receive certification, 
we will help connect you with them so that you can get started on the 
path to running your own eBay business.

Contact <mailto:entrepreneurs at nfb.org>entrepreneurs at nfb.org or phone

Mary Ellen Gabias, coordinator

NFB/eBay Entrepreneurs Project

(410) 878-2660 for further information or an application package.
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