Dein Gründungsweg – online coaching for starting your own business with AVGS

Every year hundreds of thousands of people in Germany start their own business, and some of them do so straight out of unemployment. The “Dein Gründungsweg” programme is 12 weeks of individual work with a coach on Zoom: from your first business idea through a complete business plan with a financial section to the first concrete steps towards launch. If your AVGS voucher is approved, taking part costs you nothing.

Dein Gründungsweg at a glance

“Dein Gründungsweg – Individuelles Gründungscoaching online” is a Vitavia Akademie programme that helps you prepare for self-employment. It is designed for people who have received an AVGS voucher from the Agentur für Arbeit or Jobcenter and want to prepare their business launch systematically – even if the idea is still only in their head.

What makes Dein Gründungsweg different

Many start-up courses stick to theory and templates. “Dein Gründungsweg” is designed so that you come away with a real result: a business plan with a financial section that you have worked out yourself, and a well-founded decision on whether or not to start the business.

What the programme helps you achieve

“Dein Gründungsweg” takes you from your first idea to concrete preparation for launch. Ideally, by the end of the programme you will:

• be able to describe your business idea clearly and convincingly, and have tested its viability;
• have prepared a complete business plan;
• have a realistic financial plan with a liquidity forecast;
• understand the key legal and tax aspects of your chosen legal form;
• know which funding programmes may suit you (for example Gründungszuschuss, Einstiegsgeld, KfW, EXIST);
• have prepared and taken the first concrete steps towards launch together with your coach.

No coaching can guarantee a particular result – a successful launch or an approved grant. The aim is to give you a solid basis for your decision. Concluding that the idea is not ready yet is also a valuable result: it saves money and stress.

How Dein Gründungsweg works: 12 weeks step by step

We agree the coaching plan at the first meeting and adjust it as you progress. So the weekly structure is a framework, not a rigid timetable.

What support is possible after the coaching

The coaching itself is paid for with the AVGS. Other instruments exist for the period after launch, and the programme specifically prepares you for the relevant applications:

The business plan created during the coaching can be used as the basis for a viability assessment by a qualified body (for example the IHK, HWK or a tax adviser). Any funding decision is made solely by the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter.

Who will support you

If German is not your first language, it is often easier to work through complex topics – legal form, taxes, liquidity planning – in a familiar language first. The business plan itself is usually written in German: that is how authorities, chambers and banks expect it.

Requirements and equipment

• A valid AVGS voucher under § 45 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 4 SGB III
• A genuine interest in self-employment – even at an early idea stage
• No registered trade or current self-employment at the start of the programme
• No business or economics knowledge required
• A stable internet connection, a camera and a microphone (Zoom app or browser)

Letter generator for the Jobcenter

Which letter do you need?

Choose your goal – the generator builds a well-reasoned request in German step by step, with your signature and all provider details.

Starting a business

AVGS request for start-up coaching

• ≈ 10 minutes
• PDF with signature
• free of charge

What it is for: you plan to become self-employed and want a voucher for the start-up coaching «Dein Gründungsweg».

• Reasoning under § 45 (1) sentence 1 no. 4 SGB III
• Idea, resources and gaps – convincingly
• PDF with signature and provider offer

Create letter

Job search

AVGS request for job search coaching

• ≈ 10 minutes
• PDF with signature
• free of charge

What it is for: you are looking for work and want a voucher for the individual job search coaching «Dein Jobweg».

• Reasoning under § 45 (1) sentence 1 no. 1 SGB III
• Your obstacles and strengths – to the point
• PDF with signature and provider offer

Create letter

Whether an AVGS is issued is decided by the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter. The generator helps you make your case clearly and to the point.

How to sign up for Dein Gründungsweg

1. Registration on the Vitavia Akademie website: contact details and upload of your AVGS.
2. Call-back and first conversation: a no-obligation talk about your idea, goals and technical equipment.
3. Documents: you receive the participant information and sign the contract online via Zoho Sign.
4. Coordination with the office that referred you and choice of session times.
5. Start of the coaching on Zoom.

What Gründungscoaching is

Gründungscoaching (start-up coaching) is individual support for people preparing for self-employment or in the very earliest stage of their business. The focus is usually on developing a viable concept: from refining the idea and writing a business plan with a financial section to choosing a legal form, finding customers and preparing for dealings with the authorities.

Unlike a one-off consultation, for example at a chamber of commerce, coaching consists of a series of meetings over several weeks. The term is not legally protected and is used for different formats that differ mainly in how they are paid for.

Which support options exist

It is easy to get lost in the terminology. This table helps you sort out the main types of Gründungscoaching in Germany:

For people starting a business out of unemployment, AVGS coaching is usually the most comprehensive form of support – so the rest of this page focuses on it.

What an AVGS is and how the funding works

The Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein (AVGS) is an employment promotion instrument under § 45 SGB III. It is issued by the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter and can be used to pay for various “measures for activation and occupational integration”. Preparing for self-employment is expressly listed among them (§ 45 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 4 SGB III).

The organisation running such a programme is called a Maßnahmeträger. To work with AVGS vouchers it needs AZAV certification – both approval of the organisation itself and approval of the specific programme.

Who can get an AVGS for start-up coaching

In general, AVGS-Gründungscoaching is aimed at people who are registered as unemployed or as job seekers, or who are at risk of losing their job and are seriously considering self-employment. In practice this includes, among others:

• recipients of Arbeitslosengeld I (ALG I);
• recipients of Bürgergeld registered as job seekers – regardless of nationality, as long as they have the right to work in Germany;
• people who are likely to lose their job in the near future.

Whether you will be given a voucher depends on your adviser’s assessment. Everyone’s situation is different, so a personal conversation at the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter makes sense in any case.

How to apply: step by step

The formal procedure is usually similar, but the details depend on the agency, the Jobcenter and the provider:

1. Book an appointment – contact your adviser and explain your plans to start a business. A concrete programme offer, such as the description of “Dein Gründungsweg”, makes the conversation easier.
2. Adviser review – the office assesses whether the programme makes sense and whether the requirements are met.
3. Receive the voucher – if approved, you receive an AVGS stating its goal, scope and validity.
4. Choose a provider – an AZAV-certified provider checks whether its programme matches the conditions of the voucher.
5. Start the coaching – once coordinated with the office that referred you, the programme begins.

What actually happens during the coaching

The content depends on the provider and your needs, but the logic is usually similar. Typical building blocks – which are also reflected in the weekly plan of “Dein Gründungsweg”:

• Analysing your starting point: business idea, personal circumstances, possible risks
• Business plan: working together on the written and numerical parts – target group, offer, competitors
• Financial planning: capital requirements, revenue and liquidity planning for the start-up period
• Marketing and customer acquisition: positioning and first sales
• Legal basics: overview of legal forms, trade registration, insurance
• Preparing funding applications: including the documents for the Gründungszuschuss

Example: a future founder with an idea for an online shop first sharpens her target group and pricing strategy, then works with her coach on a revenue and cost plan for the first twelve months, and finally puts together the documents needed to apply for the Gründungszuschuss.

Duration, scope and cost

The scope and duration of AVGS coaching are determined individually – according to your needs and the conditions of the voucher issued. They are measured in teaching units (UE) of 45 minutes, and the scope can vary considerably between providers.

AVGS coaching and the Gründungszuschuss: how they are linked

These two measures are often confused, although they are different things. The AVGS pays for support before or during the preparation of your launch. The Gründungszuschuss (§ 93 SGB III) is a cash benefit that helps you cover your living costs in the first months of self-employment.

The Gründungszuschuss requires, among other things, at least 150 days of remaining ALG I entitlement and an expert statement on the viability of the concept – for example from the IHK, the Handwerkskammer, a professional association or a bank. The business plan prepared during the coaching often serves as the basis for this statement.

The Gründungszuschuss is also paid at the agency’s discretion, and you must apply before starting self-employment. For people receiving Bürgergeld, the Einstiegsgeld under § 16b SGB II is often considered instead.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Early, structured preparation – including outside the coaching – usually helps keep the whole start-up process under control.

How to choose a provider: checklist

• Check the AZAV certification and programme approval before you start
• The provider’s experience with business start-ups and with your target group
• An individual 1:1 format rather than group-only, if that matters to you
• Online or in person – whichever suits your situation
• Preparation for the expert statement, or contacts with the IHK, HWK and start-up centres
• Transparent information on the process, duration, content and final documents before signing the contract

Frequently asked questions about Dein Gründungsweg and start-up coaching

Information as of October 2026

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