Radical Business Incubator TLDR
Six month Business Coaching Program
One-on-one consulting calls with me
A crew of like-minded small business owners
Monthly Co-Working, Office Hours, Community Calls, Group Chat
$3300 or $550/month (financial access options available)
April - September 2024
“If you’re unsatisfied with the status quo, if you’re eager to dream different worlds, if you’d like to revolutionize your relationship to money, and if your moral compass is fatigued from forms of working that don’t align with your values, Bear is the coach for you!”
Radical Business Incubator
Branding by itself is not revolutionary.
Marketing on its own won’t smash the patriarchy.
But I deeply believe that our businesses can be sites of liberation.
We can practice pushing back against the status quo and living into the world-yet-to-come inside our businesses.
And we need to do it together.
That’s what the Radical Business Incubator is aiming for.
“I was shocked at how much I accomplished over 6 months and how I achieved all of the intentions I had for our time together… “Productivity” can have many different looks and it is possible to step away from oppressive messages and still get shit done.”
What this is
The Radical Business Incubator is a six-month hybrid program. There’s one-on-one coaching and consulting specific to you and your business. There’s connection building through community calls, show-n-tell, tiny dance parties, and small biz speed dating. There’s ongoing support through office hours, co-working, and a group chat.
There will be between 12 and 20 people in the cohort. This is the size that makes a group offering feel robust and full of life. It’s small enough that we can learn each other’s names (and cat’s names) and really connect in deeper ways. We also fit nicely on a single Zoom screen. A handful of our calls are open for drop-ins to build a larger network of fellow small business folks, and you’ll know in advance which calls these are.
The Radical Business Incubator is designed to give you the tailored support your business needs while also getting out of the capitalist traps of isolation and individualism.
“Meeting with Bear throughout the launch for a new offering felt incredibly supportive. Their ability to take my flurry of ideas and organize them into something tangible, actionable, and aligned with my values is both practical and full of magic.”
How it works
Over six months, you’ll get:
8 One-on-one Business Consulting calls. Here’s where you and I get into the deep work of aligning your business with your values, strategizing to survive capitalism without replicating its pitfalls. You’ll get my undivided attention on you and your business for an hour at a time. You schedule these as needed over the course of the program.
12 Co-Working Calls (2 per month) where we (me, you and the other dozen or so folks who are working with me) get down to business to implement the action items we set during your coaching calls. No teaching, no coaching, just focused, effective working. Okay, there will also be dancing (optional but recommended!)
6 sessions of Office Hours for Q+A (1 per month). This is where you can bring lingering questions, thorny situations, and other conundrums for us to unpack together. It’s quick and effective coaching for your business woes. It’s also a space where we can tap into the collective wisdom of the group. Many of us have had the same problems, and together we can solve them.
3 Community Calls (1 every other month). These introvert-friendly calls are for building community, making connections, and having fun! They’ll include show-n-tells, platonic speed dating, connections with your cohort, instant dance parties, and more. Being in business can be lonely, and trying to do it ethically only makes it more so. Here you’ll get to share about yourself, your life, your business struggles and successes in a light-and-easy facilitated container of like-minded business folks.
3 Resting Days (1 every other month) Yep, we’ve scheduled in TIME OFF! These little chunks of rest, built into your schedule in advance, help us all walk the talk of prioritizing pleasure and unhooking from overwork.
Guest Speaker Calls (2 in total). We occasionally bring in other amazing humans to think together about things that are out of my scope. Examples include taxes and finances, astrology and human design, affiliate marketing, etc.
We’ll have our own low-key group chat (hosted on WhatsApp) for connection outside of call time. Though I’ll offer guidance and moderation, this will largely be a self-facilitated space to stay in touch. If you prefer not to use WhatsApp, or you just want to connect in more ways, there’s also the option to share your info on our community contact list, where you can indicate your interest in various forms of contact with fellow radical business people.
Those’re all the nuts and bolts of how this thing works. If you think you’re in, let’s talk.
“ Bear helped me have courage to make major decisions about how to shift my work while also keeping in mind my survival. Now I can head toward financial stability, even thriving, while remaining committed to dismantling capitalism. ”
When We Meet
The next round begins April 16, 2024!
We meet every week on Tuesdays from 1:00pm-2:30pm Eastern time.
Co-Working calls are the first and third Tuesday of the month at 1pm Eastern/ 10am Pacific/ 5pm GMT.
Office Hours are the second Tuesday of the month at 1pm Eastern/ 10am Pacific/ 5pm GMT
Community Calls and Rest Days are the fourth Tuesdays of the month at 1pm Eastern/ 10am Pacific/ 5pm GMT. These alternate monthly.
Guest Speaker Calls happen when there’s a fifth Tuesday of the month! For this round, that’s April and June.
You self-schedule your consulting calls. I typically see clients Tuesdays and Thursdays.
It’s possible that these times will shift a little. There are usually some exceptions to this schedule for holidays and travel; all will be announced in advance and all sessions will be made up. If you have questions about time zones or scheduling, let me know!
“Bear is a creative wizard of loving encouragement and radical acceptance, generous with their knowledge, quick-thinking & light-hearted, an absolute antidote to shame and despair.”
Who it’s for
The Radical Business Incubator is designed for:
Small business owners trying to make enough money without chasing profit at all costs
Reluctant entrepreneurs who are over traditional business advice that insists we must exploit ourselves or our customers
Artists and creatives trying to do their work in more liberatory ways
Freelancers committed to unlearning systemic oppression in all aspect of business
People who are tired of doing every last bit of it by themselves and are excited about building a community of comrades
Anyone else interested in radical ways to do business
The RBI is open to service- and product-based businesses. The diversity of types of businesses is part of what makes the program interesting!
Note: While you don’t need to be totally thriving yet, if your business is not quite off the ground and/or if you’re not sure if the business is actually a business, this might not be the best fit for you at the moment, because you’ll be facing much different challenges than folks who’ve been at it a bit longer. Also note that I don’t work with most yoga businesses. You can read more on that over here.
“If you’ve tried many different ways of improving your business and know that you need some steady, values-based support, hire Bear! Don’t wait for years, trying to do it all on your own. [Working with Bear] will save you so much heartache and time.”
Who I Am
Photo by Claire Bangser
My name is Bear Hebert and I’ve been self-employed since 2010 (full time since 2014.) I never went into business to make a kerzillion dollars. Self-employment was my path out from under the thumb of capitalist wage labor.
One of my big joys is helping tiny business owners figure out how to bring their work and their values into greater congruence. We do this through the big picture vision and the nitty-gritty details. I’ve been helping my clients with this through one-on-one consulting for years now, and in the RBI, you’ll get my support in this way through weekly sessions with me.
I’ve also made many casual connections between my clients, matching up folks who might find camaraderie with one another. In the RBI, we’re formalizing this practice so we all end up with a network of like-minded folks we can lean on throughout and beyond our time together.
I’m pretty sure you already know, but just in case: All my work happens in an anti-oppressions framework. I recognize that capitalism is rooted in an interlocking system of white supremacy, patriarchy, ableism (and more). I’m actively looking at the intersections of power and privilege in the world and in myself; this work will ask you to do the same, with so much love.
If you want to read my bio, it’s over here.
“The most useful thing about working with Bear was having someone who shares similar core values and outlook on life. I felt unconditionally supported and free to explore, and I healed much of my high stakes mentality with my business.”
What it costs
To recap: You get 6 months of intensive business support, including 8 one-on-one consulting calls, plus co-working, office hours, and community calls.
The price is $3300 or $550/month for 6 months.
Financial Accessibility
I prioritize access for marginalized folks so please see the options below if this price is out of range for you.
As you approach the question of pricing, I ask that you consider your current financial situation, identity-based privilege, relative earning potential, and access to financial support from your family/network. If you have people in your life who could give or easily lend you the money to pay for this offering, please utilize that network. Paying the standard rate if you’re able (even on a payment plan) allows me to offer discounts for those who need it.
PAYMENT PLANS!
Shame-free, no-interest payment plans are readily available for everyone!
There are two options:
Payment Plan Option 1: $550/month for 6 months.
Payment Plan Option 2: $275/month for 12 months.
SLIDING SCALE!
2 sliding scale spots are available for each cohort. People of color with financial need are prioritized here, as well as others whose marginalization creates financial barriers.
If $275/month is beyond your budget, there are sliding scale payment plan spots with up to a 50 percent rate reduction. You calculate the amount that you can afford to pay per month from $135/month, and I’ll set up a 12 month payment plan at that rate. These are first-come, first-served; they are offered on an honor system in good faith with no verification of income needed. Please only claim these if you truly cannot afford one of the other options. If the reduced rate is still unaffordable, let’s talk.
“The Radical Business Incubator helped me stay focused on what is important in my business; I gained confidence and worked on letting go of what wasn’t working. And I met a number of really wonderful people—one of whom I am developing a course with!”
The fine print
Space is limited to 20 people/program. A minimum of 12 members required for the program to run.
ACCESSIBILITY: All group calls happen over Zoom. One-on-one calls can happen over Zoom or phone. Participation in this program will require reliable internet connection and a device (computer, phone, tablet, etc.) for joining calls. Live captioning is available for Zoom calls. Transcripts available as needed. I aim to be trauma informed and neurodivergent friendly in all my work. Have access needs not covered here? Let me know at bear@bearcoaches.com.
“Bear’s ability to organize [business] into simple systems is a game changer for someone who doesn’t have an “organized” brain. Understanding how to navigate business in ways that support my anti-capitalism freed up so much energy and brain space better used to fight the system, not myself. ”
What’s next?
Sign up for a free 30-minute call to see if we’re a good fit!
More nice things people have said about my work…
“Bear’s orientation to “work” and capitalism is refreshing, honest, and grounded in experience. With the support of the RBI, I made more money in the first two quarters [of 2022] than in the entire previous year. But the biggest gift was letting go of so much shame and judgment about my business, and being able to see that I am so much more than my work. With that clarity, I feel calm and grounded. I can breathe. I can rest. I can take days off. Ooh what a relief. ”
“RBI helped me clarify what I stand for as a coach and small business owner, affirmed my desire to do business differently, and connected me with other humans who are making magic in their little corner of the universe. Feeling less isolated in this work was huge for me! ”
“When I entered RBI, I was in a place where I’d been influenced by a lot of coaching podcasts that talk about making millions of dollars in your online business within a short span of time, and I was feel frantic, urgent, manic and stressed out about my business — I was chasing vague and unrealistic goals and feeling like a failure for not achieving them. Bear’s coaching in RBI helped me to completely shift my mindset and emotional relationship with my business to one that is more in line with my values and my nervous system health. I’m no longer chasing someone else’s goals that make me feel frantic all the time. My relationship with my business now feels so much healthier: It feels okay for my energy to have ebbs and flows, and for my business to have ebbs and flows. I can now see that my business is steadily growing at a sustainable pace and in a nonlinear path — just like everything else in life. I’m grateful to Bear for helping me make this shift.”
“Bear is an incredible coach and the Incubator helped me take the time I needed to get clarity on what’s going on in my practice / business so that I can be more intentional about the way I work going forward. In 1:1s, Bear is super skilled at listening and reflecting back what they’re hearing in a way that makes your own thinking a little clearer each time. They’ll check in on progress in ways that keep you honest but don’t stress you out. They’ll explore the existential questions with you about what it means to operate within / against capitalism + how to cultivate the kind of business / world you want to through your work. They do this all along without pretending to be the purveyor of all the answers, but in a way that you know you’re all in it together, carefully figuring things out as you go and generously sharing what they know to make your path a little easier. The 1:1s and the structure of shared working time + reflections with the rest of the cohort really helped me jumpstart my progress toward rethinking the systems I’m building. 10/10 highly recommend! ”