Business Coaching

Start-up coaching is individual one-to-one support on the way to self-employment: from the business idea through the business plan and financial planning to marketing and funding applications (for example the Gründungszuschuss start-up grant). At IHQ Akademie (AZAV-approved provider, Reg.-Nr. EPZ-25-15-T) it is approved as measure 962/189/25, takes place online only via live video in German (German at least at level A2) and is free of charge for you with an AVGS (activation and placement voucher under § 45 SGB III) from the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter.

AVGS start-up coaching works through a voucher: the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter issues you an AVGS, you redeem it with an approved provider such as IHQ Akademie, and the provider bills the authority directly – free of charge for you. In five steps: (1) You are registered as job-seeking with the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter and are not yet self-employed as your main occupation. (2) In a free initial consultation (online or on site in Berlin) we check your idea and the funding route. (3) You apply for the AVGS under § 45 SGB III yourself with your employment adviser (Vermittlungsfachkraft) and name measure 962/189/25; it is a discretionary benefit. (4) Once the voucher is approved, you start at IHQ Akademie: up to 80 UE one-to-one via live video, in German. (5) We bill the funding body directly.

Yes, through the activation and placement voucher (AVGS) under § 45 SGB III: the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter issues it if you are registered as job-seeking and your employment adviser considers the coaching useful – a discretionary benefit with no legal entitlement. You apply for the AVGS yourself, before you start your business. The coaching itself is delivered by an AZAV-approved provider such as IHQ Akademie (measure 962/189/25, online only), which bills the authority directly.

With an AVGS there are no costs for you: the start-up coaching is free of charge with an AVGS from the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter. We are an AZAV-approved provider (EPZ-25-15-T), the start-up coaching is approved as measure 962/189/25, and we bill the funding body directly – you do not have to pay anything in advance or pay anything back.

Yes – with an AVGS, start-up coaching is free of charge for you if you are registered as job-seeking with the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter and are not yet self-employed as your main occupation. At IHQ Akademie (EPZ-25-15-T, measure 962/189/25) this means up to 80 UE one-to-one, online only, throughout Germany, unless the AVGS is restricted to a region. The AVGS is a discretionary benefit: your employment adviser decides whether you receive it.

The start-up coaching takes place entirely online via live video – you take part from home, anywhere in Germany. In one-to-one sessions we first clarify your goals, then draw up your business plan and financial plan step by step and prepare your business registration and funding applications. A headset and a stable internet connection are all you need.

Yes. In the start-up coaching we advise you on the Gründungszuschuss and the Einstiegsgeld and support you in preparing the application documents, for example with a viable business plan. The Gründungszuschuss is applied for and paid only through the Agentur für Arbeit (§ 93 SGB III); if you receive Grundsicherungsgeld from the Jobcenter, you can apply for Einstiegsgeld there instead (§ 16b SGB II). Neither goes through IHQ Akademie. Two points are worth knowing early. First, the Gründungszuschuss requires that you are still entitled to at least 150 days of Arbeitslosengeld I when you start self-employment (§ 93 (2) SGB III). Your Agentur für Arbeit can tell you how many days that is in your case — clarify it before you fix your start-up date. Second, the application must include a statement from a competent body within the meaning of § 93 SGB III: chiefly the IHK, the chamber of skilled crafts, professional chambers, trade associations and banks. You obtain that statement there — we work out with you the business plan it is based on.

The AVGS pays for the coaching before you start your business; the Gründungszuschuss (start-up grant) secures your living costs afterwards. The AVGS (§ 45 SGB III) is issued by the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter. The Gründungszuschuss (§§ 93, 94 SGB III) is paid only by the Agentur für Arbeit, if you still have at least 150 days of unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld) left when you start self-employment: 6 months in the amount of your unemployment benefit plus €300, then up to 9 months of €300 each. Both are discretionary benefits and can be used one after the other: first the coaching with an AVGS, then the application for the Gründungszuschuss before you start your business.

Yes. Our start-up coaching supports full-time start-ups as well as starting a business on the side (Nebenerwerb), online and at your own pace. However, it is free of charge only with an AVGS, and you only receive one if you are registered as job-seeking with the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter – for example because you are unemployed or threatened with unemployment. If you have a regular job and are not registered as job-seeking, you will not receive an AVGS. With an AVGS, the coaching is available throughout Germany, unless the voucher is restricted to a region.

The entire start-up coaching is free for you if you have an AVGS (Activation and Placement Voucher) from the Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter. We are an AZAV-approved provider (Reg.-Nr. EPZ-25-15-T), the start-up coaching is approved as measure 962/189/25, and we bill the funding body directly.

The start-up coaching comprises up to 80 teaching units (Unterrichtseinheiten, UE) of 45 minutes each, i.e. up to 60 clock hours, individually spread over several months. Your AVGS states the exact scope; we discuss the schedule in the free initial consultation.

Yes, IHQ Akademie's start-up coaching takes place online only, via live video. You can take part conveniently from home anywhere in Germany, unless your AVGS is restricted to a region – this is stated on the voucher. A headset and a stable internet connection are all you need; the initial consultation can take place online or on site in Berlin-Friedrichshain.

You can take part if you are registered as job-seeking with the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter, are not yet self-employed as your main occupation (15 hours a week or more), have a concrete business idea, speak German at least at level A2 and receive an AVGS. Previous experience in self-employment is not required. The coaching is not intended for businesses that are already up and running.

Generally not at the Agentur für Arbeit: anyone who works 15 hours a week or more on a self-employed basis is no longer considered without employment (beschäftigungslos, § 138 (3) SGB III). If you are self-employed and receive Grundsicherungsgeld from the Jobcenter, you can ask the Jobcenter about funding (§ 16c (2) SGB II); your employment adviser (Vermittlungsfachkraft) decides on it. IHQ Akademie's start-up coaching (measure 962/189/25) is intended for the time before you start your business, not for existing businesses.

Sharpening business idea, creating a business plan, marketing and customer acquisition, financial planning and funding options, legal basics (business registration, taxes), step-by-step start-up preparation.

You apply for the AVGS yourself with your employment adviser (Vermittlungsfachkraft) at the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter, before you start your business; it is a discretionary benefit under § 45 SGB III. Name measure 962/189/25 of IHQ Akademie; if you wish, we will give you a written offer with all the details. The coaching only begins after approval.

Now you redeem it with a provider that has a suitable approved measure; if a provider is already named on the voucher, redeem it there. First check on the voucher how long it is valid, whether it is restricted to a region and what scope it was issued for. At IHQ Akademie (measure 962/189/25, online only, up to 80 UE) you hand in the voucher and arrange your start date. Register your business only once the coaching has prepared you for it.

One such provider is IHQ Akademie: an AZAV-approved provider (Reg.-Nr. EPZ-25-15-T) with approved start-up coaching (measure 962/189/25), online only via live video and throughout Germany, unless your AVGS is restricted to a region; the coaching is held in German (German at least at level A2). In general, providers of AVGS start-up coaching must be approved under the AZAV, both as a provider and for the specific measure. You can find all approved AVGS coaching programmes in the coaching search of the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit); our entry: https://web.arbeitsagentur.de/coachingundaktivierung/suche/aktivierungsangebot/345494692.

One such provider is IHQ Akademie (AZAV Reg.-Nr. EPZ-25-15-T): its start-up coaching (measure 962/189/25) takes place online via live video and is available throughout Germany, unless your AVGS is restricted to a region; a personal meeting is possible in Berlin-Friedrichshain. Whether your voucher is restricted to a region is stated on the AVGS itself, or your employment adviser can tell you. If it is not restricted, any AZAV-approved provider with a suitable measure can be considered, including online. You can find all approved AVGS coaching programmes in the coaching search of the Federal Employment Agency (web.arbeitsagentur.de/coachingundaktivierung).

Through the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter: there you receive the activation and placement voucher (AVGS, § 45 SGB III), which makes start-up coaching with an approved provider free of charge for you – for example at IHQ Akademie (measure 962/189/25, online only). You apply for the AVGS yourself with your employment adviser; it is a discretionary benefit. The initial consultation with us is non-binding.

At IHQ Akademie: up to 80 teaching units of one-to-one coaching. The content covers sharpening your business idea, creating a business plan, marketing and customer acquisition, financial planning and funding options, legal basics (business registration, taxes) and step-by-step preparation for starting your business.

Yes – financial planning is a fixed part of the one-to-one start-up coaching: revenue planning, a cost overview, capital requirements and the financing sections of the business plan are worked out together in individual coaching, not in group lessons. With an AVGS this is free of charge for you.

The AVGS is a form of support under § 45 SGB III issued by the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter. For business founders it covers the full cost of start-up coaching with an AZAV-approved provider – with no personal contribution. Requirement: registered as job-seeking, with a concrete business idea. The AVGS is a discretionary benefit – your employment adviser decides.

The start-up coaching is held in German only; you need German skills at least at level A2. We use simple, clear language, explain technical terms and take our time, even if German is not your first language. In Arabic, Persian, Russian or Ukrainian, IHQ Akademie offers job coaching and apprenticeship coaching, on site in Berlin.

Yes, we advise you on all relevant funding options (start-up grant, entry money, KfW funding loans) and support you in preparing the application documents. You apply for the Gründungszuschuss at the Agentur für Arbeit, which also pays it (§ 93 SGB III); for the Einstiegsgeld at the Jobcenter (§ 16b SGB II); and for KfW funding loans through your own bank (Hausbank). These bodies decide on approval, not the IHQ Akademie. Two points are worth knowing early. First, the Gründungszuschuss requires that you still have at least 150 days of Arbeitslosengeld I remaining when you start self-employment (§ 93 (2) SGB III). Your Agentur für Arbeit can tell you how many days that is — clarify it before you fix your start-up date. Second, the application must include a statement of viability from a competent body within the meaning of § 93 SGB III: chiefly the IHK, the chamber of skilled crafts, professional chambers, trade associations and banks. You obtain that statement there — we work out with you the business plan it is based on.

Ideally a brief description of your business idea, your AVGS (if available) and all relevant documents from the Jobcenter or the Agentur für Arbeit. If you do not yet have an AVGS, we discuss in the initial consultation how to apply for it yourself with your employment adviser; if you wish, we will give you a written offer.

Currently our coaching is exclusively for AVGS holders. For private inquiries please contact us by email at info@ihq-akademie.de.

Yes. You can receive an AVGS for our business coaching even without active ALG-I or Grundsicherungsgeld (formerly Bürgergeld) benefits, the requirement is that you are registered as job-seeking with the Employment Agency and that there is an integration need. University graduates, employees who have been given notice, and those threatened by unemployment are also eligible. Important: AVGS is a discretionary benefit, your caseworker decides on a case-by-case basis.

The AVGS must be applied for and approved BEFORE you start your business. Once you work 15 hours a week or more on a self-employed basis, you are no longer considered without employment (beschäftigungslos, § 138 (3) SGB III) and the requirement for an AVGS no longer applies. Ideal procedure: (1) initial consultation with us → (2) appointment with your employment adviser at the Jobcenter or Agentur für Arbeit: there you apply for the AVGS yourself and name measure 962/189/25 → (3) wait for AVGS approval → (4) only then start the coaching and prepare your start-up. We recommend starting the AVGS process at least 4 weeks before your planned start-up date.

It depends on which benefit you receive. The Gründungszuschuss under § 93 SGB III requires an entitlement to Arbeitslosengeld I and is granted by the Agentur für Arbeit. If you receive Grundsicherungsgeld from the Jobcenter, the Einstiegsgeld under § 16b SGB II applies instead. Both are discretionary benefits — there is no legal entitlement to either. Which route is open to you is something to clarify with your placement officer. This is independent of the AVGS for the coaching itself: you can receive that in both cases.