Being a part of the LGBTQ+ community can come with enough social challenges, but being an owner of an LGTBQ small business should be something you can tackle with ease. Putting your pride into your business is a tool you can use to elevate your business to the next level of success. Your business should have an atmosphere where pride can thrive and serve as inspiration to others that may not be ready to take their LGTBQ-owned business out into the public eye.
We’ll guide you through the process of creating a successful business plan to conquer the LGBTQ-owned company landscape and give you the confidence you may need to follow through with your big business dreams!
Be An Ally
At this point, we’d like to assume that everyone knows what it means to be an ally in this community, but sometimes saying we are isn’t enough. Creating space inside and outside of the office where you and your coworkers can have an open conversation about what it means to be a part of an LGBTQ-owned business can provide a safety net for those who may not fully understand what being a business owner in this community offers. We believe having a conversation gives people that may not be a part of the community a chance to ask questions and learn how to be better allies in a professional setting.
Part of this process also includes being approachable to customers. Many people want to support LGBTQ-owned small businesses and are eager to learn how to get involved. Providing customers with resources that can contribute to their educational efforts is a great place to start.
If there are situations that arise or questions your customers may have for you, be receptive to their curiosity and provide them with answers that’ll give them a better understanding of how their support can help the larger community.
Put Yourself In The Spotlight
To make your business stand out, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce offers a certification program that can make your LGBTQ-owned-small business status official. There are many benefits to becoming a certified LGBTQ-owned small business, especially since it can open the door to life-changing opportunities and provide you with resources that can assist in the growth of your business. Utilizing small business funding to apply for certifications, providing your employees with educational recourses, and pursuing potential business endeavors can put you at ease if you haven’t already added these expenses to your current business plan.
We understand that it can be intimidating to advocate for your business, but that’s why being a part of a community is so great! There are 1.4 million LGTBQ-owned businesses in the U.S., meaning you don’t have to go through your business journey alone. Reach out to other LGTBQ-owned businesses to discuss the challenges you may be facing, because chances are, they’ve likely had the same experiences you’re going through and would be willing to share what they learned so you can power through.
Part of being in the spotlight means taking the initiative to create events for your business. Now that you’ve reached out to other business owners, you have the chance to work together to create pop-up events, product collaborations, and classic social shares between various social media accounts.
Pride In The Media
Social media can have a significant impact on your outreach. Finding inclusive platforms that can foster insightful conversations and awareness can have a lasting effect on your business’s reputation and growth. The integration of celebrating pride month in recent years has made several social media platforms adjust their standards and become platforms that inspire and embrace creativity among LGTBQ-owned small businesses and creators.
The recent push for platforms to adapt to social shifts has created an outlet for LGBTQ content creators to speak their voices in the community. Even though your small business isn’t at the level of a large corporation, it’s okay to reach out to influencers. Forming connections with LGBTQ influencers is a marketing strategy your business can use to continue to create strong allies to back your business, leading to potential collaborations or sponsorships.
We’ve laid out techniques that you could implement as a social media collaboration:
TikTok: Short videos have taken over social media platforms. TikTok’s algorithm offers vast opportunities to go viral by reaching a broad audience. Provide an influencer with an opportunity to make a short clip uniquely using your product to capture the attention of casual scrollers.
Instagram: Start a campaign that’ll create brand awareness using the educational resources you want to share with your customers. Finding LGBTQ influencers whose outreach focuses on keeping their followers informed would be a starting point to bringing value to your brand’s identity.
YouTube: This platform covers everything under the sun. Creating a channel for your business allows you to push out content that wouldn’t be suitable for other platforms. Many influencers are adapting their content to YouTube, making collaborations enticing if you offer them products to advertise.
Embracing these strategies may seem simple, but bringing awareness to LGBTQ-owned businesses by making inviting spaces for allies and further exploring the community will encourage others to follow suit and give your business the boost it could be looking for!