← KOMPASS funding (Kompass-Förderung)
Stabilization and Business Growth with AI
For solo self-employed people who want to stabilize their business with AI (optimize processes, cut costs) and grow it (new customers, more revenue), with little or no prior AI knowledge. KOMPASS funding requires self-employment as the main occupation for at least two years.
- Comprehensive understanding of AI (language models, expert systems) for your business processes
- Legally sound, GDPR-compliant (DSGVO) use, including local AI instances
- Practical application for marketing, automation, customer management, data analysis, tool integration, scaling, and security
- A detailed AI action plan for stabilizing and growing your business
Learning Objectives
Five learning objectives: building AI competence, stabilizing the business, growing the business, working in a legally compliant way, and putting everything learned into practice in your own action plan.
AI competence
You understand the types of AI and use them for efficiency and growth.
Stabilization
You cut costs and save time through AI-supported workflows, such as automated receipt management or appointment scheduling.
Business growth
You win customers and scale with AI-supported marketing and sales strategies.
Legal certainty
You work in compliance with the GDPR, protect sensitive data, and use secure AI systems.
Practical relevance
You receive actionable solutions for marketing, customer management, integration, and security, with an individual action plan.
Who Is the Course For?
You do not need any prior knowledge of AI or programming; everything is explained in a practical way. The course is aimed at solo self-employed people who have been on the market for at least two years, employ at most one full-time equivalent, and run their self-employment as their main occupation.
Self-employed people
You reduce your workload, automate routine tasks, and expand your sole proprietorship with AI tools, without any technical knowledge.
Coaches and consultants
You create personalized content with AI, automate customer follow-up, and focus on your clients instead of administration.
Creatives and designers
You use AI for idea generation, content creation, and workflow automation without losing your own signature style.
Service providers
You save time in operations, improve customer communication, and grow your business with practical AI strategies.
Course Structure and Content
The course comprises ten days of 300 minutes each (240 minutes live and 60 minutes break) plus self-study assignments of 60 minutes each on days 1 to 7.
Day 1 · AI basics for a stable business: survey and introduction
Introduction of the instructor and participants with their areas of expertise (30 minutes); expectations of the course and of AI, recording of areas of expertise (120 minutes); introduction to AI: history and relevance for self-employed people (60 minutes); types of AI: language models such as ChatGPT versus expert systems for process optimization (90 minutes). Methods: lecture with examples (120), practice: you outline the expected benefit of AI for your business (120), individual brief analyses (60). Self-study assignment: research on an AI tool for an existing task (60 minutes).
Day 2 · AI basics: concrete solution approaches
Optimization through AI: time savings and error reduction, such as automated receipt management or appointment scheduling (90); practical exercise: analysis of an AI tool for your own business (90); joint development of solution approaches for the individual business cases (90); feedback, correction, and recording of the results for the practice days. Methods: lecture (120), practice: you select tools that benefit your work (120), individual consulting (60). Self-study assignment: research on an AI tool (60 minutes).
Day 3 · Legally compliant use of AI
Legal aspects: GDPR, copyright, data protection (60); local AI instances to protect sensitive data such as customer contracts or quotes (60); practical exercise: creating a GDPR-compliant text with AI, such as a customer email or website text (90); in-depth session: checking AI outputs for legal risks such as liability issues (90). Methods: lecture (120), practice with individual feedback (150), optimization tips (30). Self-study assignment: testing a language model on a safe task, such as a quote template (60 minutes).
Day 4 · Language models for growing the business
Marketing with AI: social media, emails, customer acquisition (60); practical exercise: developing a marketing campaign for existing or new customers (120); in-depth session: optimizing website, offer, and landing page texts for different target groups and advertising platforms (120). Methods: live demonstration of prompts (120), practice: you create posts, texts, and advertising material and test variants (150), optimization of the results (30). Self-study assignment: drafting a prompt for a marketing task (60 minutes).
Day 5 · Prompt optimization: effective instructions for language models
Strengths and weaknesses of language models (60 each); prompt optimization (60); tips for avoiding AI hallucinations (60); basics of task formulation without loss of meaning (60). Methods: lecture with examples and methods of semantics (180), practice: you develop your own prompts with mutual feedback (90), optimization (30). Self-study assignment: drafting complex prompts (60 minutes).
Day 6 · Expert systems for process stability, optimization, and new possibilities
How expert systems work and where they are used (60); automation of processes such as customer inquiries, document sorting, or decision support (90); connection points in your work processes (60); practical exercise: planning and modeling an automation for your own business, such as “filtering inquiries” (90). Methods: case examples (120), practice: you plan, model, and mutually test an automation plan (150), presentation of the plans (30). Self-study assignment: research on your own processes and their automation (60 minutes).
Day 7 · Integrating AI into existing systems
Integration of AI into existing tools, such as a CRM like HubSpot (60); isolated solutions (silos) and methods for consolidating them, RPA (60); practical exercise: integration plan, such as “connecting AI to a CRM” (90); alternatives: testing an automation tool with AI integration such as Zapier or Make (90). Methods: integration examples (120), practice: you develop a plan and outline strategies (150), optimization (30). Self-study assignment: research on an integration tool, such as API options or low-code platforms (60 minutes).
Day 8 · Practical collaboration on your business cases, day 1
Definition of the specific business cases and allocation of time to the cases, for example, with three cases, 80 minutes per case (60); the group develops solutions for each case using the knowledge acquired (60 minutes per case); correction and optimization by the instructor (20 minutes per case). Methods: practice (240), feedback (60). No self-study component.
Day 9 · Practical collaboration on your business cases, day 2
Same procedure as day 8 with the next business cases. No self-study component.
Day 10 · Practical collaboration on your business cases, day 3 and conclusion
Business cases that have not yet been worked on are taken up in the group (60 minutes per case, correction 20 minutes per case); conclusion with presentation, evaluation, and certificate of participation (60). Methods: practice (180), feedback (60), conclusion (60). No self-study component.
Time Overview
Total time
50 hours
Live instruction
40 hours
Breaks
10 × 60 minutes, integrated
Self-study
10 hours
Reviewed by a Qualified Body & Eligible for Funding
Your advantage with KOMPASS: course fee €2,900, your personal contribution with KOMPASS funding €290. Included: live coaching and certificate of participation.
| Original price | With KOMPASS funding | |
|---|---|---|
| Live coaching |  | |
| Certificate of participation | | |
| Course fee | €2,900 |
- We support you with the application
- The course provider is UW Unternehmensweg GmbH, an AZAV-certified training provider (provider approval Z-000392-2); the course has been reviewed by a qualified body (fachkundige Stelle) and is eligible for funding through KOMPASS
- Funding is available nationwide; the course takes place online
How the funding works
- Consultation: You arrange a free consultation at a KOMPASS contact point (Anlaufstelle); we tell you the nearest one.
- Qualification plan and qualification voucher: The contact point creates a qualification plan with you; if the course fits your needs, you receive the qualification voucher (Qualifizierungsscheck).
- Registration: You register with us using the voucher.
- Participation and reimbursement: After the course you receive the certificate of participation; the program reimburses up to 90% of the course fee, at most €4,500, and your personal contribution is €290.
The KOMPASS contact point decides on the funding; there is no legal entitlement.
Book a free funding consultation
Instructor
Andrei Costenco
IT engineer, business analyst, solutions architect, and managing director of Techknowledgence GmbH in Cologne. With more than 23 years of experience in the IT industry, he specializes in integrating IT into business models, process design, automation, and the development of AI systems; his areas also include combining psychology and IT and organizing distributed teams. He makes a point of demystifying technical concepts and explaining complex IT topics so that you can make well-founded business decisions.
Areas of expertise:
- Integrating IT into business models
- Process design and automation
- Development of AI systems
- Combining psychology and IT
- Organizing distributed teams
- Making technical concepts easy to understand
Role in the course:
Andrei Costenco takes on the content and methodological leadership of the course. He designs the modules with lectures, interactive exercises, and personal consulting and aligns each session with concrete implementation in your everyday business.
And This Is What Our Customers Say
“I had Mr. Deuble as my consultant and was extremely satisfied. He was always there with help and advice, could respond to my individual needs, and was always flexible. I can only recommend him! In the end I received my grant without any concerns and therefore recommend him. Thank you very much 👍”
Mathios I.
Owner, manufacturer of
dietary supplements
“Mr. Deuble helped me a lot. He is very competent and friendly, always has advice, and takes good care of his customers. Exemplary, I can only recommend him.”
André G.
Owner, cleaning service provider
I had the pleasure of taking part in personal coaching with the owner, Mr. Pavel Deuble, which prepared me for my future self-employment. I would like to thank him from the bottom of my heart for this extraordinary coaching. His approach and his commitment far exceeded my expectations. Mr. Deuble always responded to my personal needs and priorities, and thanks to his flexibility we were able to get the maximum out of the coaching together. He even continues to support me beyond the coaching, which is not a given and should be appreciated. I am extremely grateful to Mr. Deuble and can recommend his coaching to anyone looking for professional support on the path to self-employment.
Melih Orhan
Accounting firm
Unique service, super friendly, always reachable. Mr. Pavel was always at our side with help and advice when we started our business. Everything was handled very professionally and reliably! I can only recommend him 100%!!
Alireza Dehhagi
Hospitality
We can only recommend Unternehmens-Werk! Besides competent advice in every area of starting a business, Mr. Deuble was always willing to listen and supported us with help and advice. We would like to thank you again warmly for the great support!
Sebastian Brück
Own Water
Very satisfied. Very good advice and help with creating the business plan.
Benni Bublak
Independent Trailrunning Media GmbH
The Unternehmenswerk team advised me with great competence on all my questions and supported me in creating the business plan and applying for the start-up grant. It was approved today! 🙂 Thank you so much for your support 🙏 You are great!
Teresa Bach
SEO agency
I got to know Unternehmens-Werk through a program of the Employment Agency (Agentur für Arbeit). I immediately felt very well taken care of. I needed support with questions about self-employment, and my existing side business was examined closely. I am very glad to have been put in touch with Unternehmens-Werk. With the one-on-one coaching I can now look to the future with peace of mind and face the new tasks. My special thanks go to Mr. Deuble
Thomas Sperrhake
Hufservice Sperrhake
Mr. Deuble was my coach when I started my self-employment and always supported me with help and advice on taxes, financing, and everything else that goes with it. Thanks to his help and the help of his team, I now feel ready and confident to take the step into self-employment.
I am absolutely satisfied with the professional competence, friendliness, flexibility, professionalism, and patience shown to me, above all by Mr. Deuble. With his empathetic skills he even managed to convince me that, for example, taxes can be interesting. 🙂 All in all, absolutely recommendable.
Christina Viehmann
Mein Kleeblatt-Bioladen
Pavel was my coach in the start-up seminar. As a person and as a coach, 5 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ stars. His knowledge of founding, financing, and everything to do with the authorities is extremely deep. He is rock solid in the subject.
All agreements are processed very quickly, and it is simply a lot of fun to work with Pavel.
He is also a very good conversation partner and listener. I am very glad that he found a free slot for our training.
Pavel, I thank 🙏 you and your team for the great work.
With best regards from Bielefeld!
Roman Lewakow
Amazon seller
Absolutely professional, helpful, and friendly. The content that is taught is also conveyed perfectly. Everything went to my complete satisfaction. Highly recommended.
Stefan Kunz
Photographer
Great, can only be recommended, navigates you safely through the start-up jungle
Karsten Kunde
Business consultant
Super friendly and competent advice, highly recommended, especially Mr. Deuble!! 👌🏽 Best regards
Benjamin Gergin
Jeweler
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the funding work?
The course is eligible for funding through the KOMPASS program (ESF Plus): up to 90% of the course fee is reimbursed after participation; your personal contribution is €290. This is how it works: consultation at a KOMPASS contact point, qualification plan and qualification voucher, registration with us using the voucher, participation and certificate of participation with all the details for the reimbursement. The contact point decides on the funding.
Do I need prior knowledge?
No. The course is explicitly also aimed at solo self-employed people with little or no prior AI knowledge. The goal is a comprehensive understanding of AI in your everyday business, from the basics to practical application.
How do I take part?
You register directly with us. If you would like to clarify questions about participation, funding, or contents beforehand, book a free consultation.
Not a solo self-employed person? For companies with more than one full-time equivalent employee: BAFA-funded consulting