For Facilitators

The day of the meeting:

Text or call group members, if you have their contact information. Ask if they are coming to the meeting. Invite them to arrive 10 minutes early to sign the roll.
Prepare the meeting materials:
- Bring a copy of this workbook and the booklet My Foundation: Principles, Skills, Habits for each group member.
- Bring five extra copies of the My Path to Self-Reliance booklet in case group members did not receive a copy.
- Prepare a way to show videos, if possible.
- Don’t have books or videos? You can get them online at srs.lds.org.

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table diagram

Set chairs around a table so everyone can be close.
- The facilitator does not stand during the meeting and does not sit at the head of the table. The facilitator should not be the center of attention but should help the group members focus on each other.

Greet group members warmly as they arrive. Learn their names.
Pass around a piece of paper and ask group members to write their full names, ward or branch, and date of birth (day and month, not year).
- After group meeting, go to srs.lds.org/report and follow the instructions to register all group members.
- After the first meeting, make a contact list to share with the group.
Assign a timekeeper to keep the group on schedule. Ask him or her to set a timer as directed in the book.
- For example, you will see instructions that say “Time: Set the timer to 60 minutes for the Learn section.” The timekeeper will set the time on a phone, watch, or other available timer and will tell the group when the time is up. Then the group can decide whether to start the next section or continue their discussion for a few more minutes.

Say: “Welcome to this self-reliance group.”
Ask people to turn off their phones and other devices.
Say the following:
- “This is a self-reliance group called ‘Starting and Growing My Business.’ Are all of you here to start or grow a business?
- “The Perpetual Education Fund does not make business loans. But by the end of these meetings, you will be better prepared to make decisions about loans from local lenders.
- “We will meet 12 times. Each meeting will take about two hours. We will also spend one to two hours each day keeping our commitments that will help our businesses. Will you make this time commitment?”
Have an opening prayer (and hymn, if desired).
Say the following:
- “Every time we meet, we begin with a topic from the booklet called My Foundation: Principles, Skills, Habits. This helps us learn and live principles, skills, and habits that lead to spiritual and temporal self-reliance.
- “The Holy Ghost will give you ideas throughout the week. Write your ideas and do them. As you do, the Lord will bless you and do His miracles with your business.”
Set the timer to 20 minutes for My Foundation.
Read the First Presidency’s introduction letter on page 2 of My Foundation. Then complete principle 1 in that booklet and return to this workbook.

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My Foundation cover