Autistic Business Network
Built by Autistic People, for Autistic People
Dues: $99/year, $27/quarter or $10/month. No hierarchy. Everyone equal.
Why We Need ABN
My name is Chuck Hall (Carl L. Hall Jr.) As a late-identified Autistic person I faced challenges in my corporate career. In 2007, I started my own business and have experienced a higher degree of satisfaction and a lower level of stress. I deeply understand what it's like being an Autistic person seeking career success and a good life.
As I have settled into my Autistic identity since 2020, I have learned much about Autism and connected with many Autistic people. The relationships that have formed through connecting with members of our tribe are wonderful. On the flip side, I have learned that many of us face intense challenges in our professional lives simply because we are Autistic people living in a neuro-normative world.
Living and working in this world can be extremely draining. An estimated 83 percent of Autistic people are unemployed or underemployed. I understand this challenge from deep personal experience.
Even though I achieved a high level of success in my corporate career it was highly taxing on me. I am certain that my success there was ultimately limited because of who I am as an Autistic person. As a self-employed business owner I have been better able to control my schedule, regulate the work I do and make choices – self accommodations – that have served me well. But even with this I have limited my business growth to what has been manageable for me as an Autistic person.
While I have coached and provided consulting for Autistic people in business from time to time throughout my coaching and consulting years, now that I have shared that I am Autistic I receive regular requests from Autistic people seeking help with their businesses or careers.
I do provide one-on-one coaching and consulting, but what is missing for most of us is community – peer engagement, support from fellow Autistics, and the opportunity for us all to work together. And that in a nutshell is why the Autistic Business Network exists – to bring together an engaged and supportive Autistic community focused on helping each other achieve greater success in our professional lives.
What Is the Autistic Business Network?
The goal is to provide a supportive environment for Autistic people to connect, network for business, and grow. Our community offers:
Member Directory
A searchable, national listing of every ABN member's business, profession, and skills. When you need to hire a designer, find an accountant, bring on a developer, or refer a client to someone you trust, search here first. Every member is listed. Every listing links directly to the member's business. This is the commercial heart of the network — the place where "buy Autistic, hire Autistic, refer Autistic" becomes a daily practice rather than a statement of intent. (Note: This directory will only be visible to other ABN members.)
Helpful Content
Articles, guides, and practical resources written specifically for Autistic people navigating business and professional life. Not generic small business advice repurposed from neurotypical sources. Content that addresses the actual challenges Autistic entrepreneurs and professionals face — managing client communication, setting boundaries, building systems that work with your brain rather than against it, understanding your legal and financial obligations as a business owner, and more. Written plainly, structured clearly, and added to regularly.
Resource Listing
A curated directory of external tools, services, organizations, and programs that ABN has identified as genuinely useful for Autistic business people. Vetted resources for legal help, financial planning, mental health support, business development, accessibility tools, neurodiversity-affirming professionals, and community organizations. We add resources because they are actually good — not because of any commercial relationship. If you know of a resource that belongs here, members can submit suggestions.
Member Forum
A private, members-only discussion space where you can ask the real questions, share what is actually happening in your business, and get honest answers from people who understand — because they are navigating the same things. Post a question, start a conversation, share a win, ask for a referral, or offer your expertise to someone who needs it. The forum is organized by topic so you can find relevant conversations quickly. Moderated to keep it safe, direct, and genuinely useful.
Mini Mastermind Sessions
Small group video conversations — typically four to six members — focused on a specific business challenge or topic. Each session has a clear agenda, a defined time limit, and a structured format so everyone gets floor time and no one has to navigate the social ambiguity of open-ended group discussion. Sessions are organized around shared interests, industries, or challenges. You bring a real problem. The group brings honest perspective and practical ideas. No small talk, no open-ended mingling — just focused peer thinking with people who get it.
Scheduled Webinars
Regular online events on topics directly relevant to Autistic entrepreneurs and professionals. Guest experts, member-led sessions, panel discussions, and practical skill-building programs. Every webinar has a published agenda in advance, a clear start and end time, live captions, and a recorded replay with transcript available afterward for members who could not attend live or who process information better in written form. Topics are driven by what members actually need — suggest a topic through the forum or member profile.
Expertise Sharing
A structured way for members to contribute knowledge to the community — through short presentations, written contributions to the content library, participation in expert panels, or informal Q&A sessions in the forum. If you have built something that works, solved a problem that others are still struggling with, or developed a perspective that the community would benefit from hearing, Expertise Sharing is how you put that knowledge to work for others. It builds your professional reputation within the network while strengthening the community everyone depends on.
Who Are We?
As the founder of Autistic Business Network. I may be the spark and a continued source of energy here, but this community is only as good as the people who join – and that starts with you. Note: you may also see me as Carl L. Hall Jr., my legal name.
I’ve currently engaged my son, Carl Hall, who is also Autistic, to help build out and support the Autistic Business Network. As we grow, I will be engaging some additional Autistic people to help me provide services to benefit our community.
My background is diverse. I grew up working in a family towing and car repair business, earned an undergraduate degree in Journalism at Penn State University, started my career in ministry and social services and spent most of my corporate career in marketing and communication roles in large companies before starting my own business as an executive coach and consultant in 2007. In 2008, I earned a master's degree in Organizational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania. I lived most of my life in Pennsylvania, and currently live with my wife of 36 years and our three dogs in Georgia. You can see more about my background on Linkedin.
I hope that you will join, add your information to the member directory, and be someone who helps others by your presence here and engagement while at the same time benefitting yourself.
How Much Does It Cost?
It’s easy to become part of the Autistic Business Network. Dues are $99 per year, $27 per quarter, or $10 per month. We’ve deliberately kept the pricing low and easy to understand. While some experts recommend multiple tiers of membership with higher price levels, that’s not what this is about. Yes, we want to cover our expenses and compensate the people working on the site and our programs. But the goal is not to wring as much money out of our members as possible.
Questions?
If you have questions about the Autistic Business Network, send us a message through the Contact Page and we'll respond within 12 hours.
Join the Autistic Business Network — $99/year, $27 per quarter, or $10/month.
Just click the membership enrollment link below and complete your application.
Note: Autistic Business Network currently is only open to residents of the United States.