Queer Business Alliance Provides Resources to LGBTQ Business Owners

Brynna Wilson (she/they) and Andy Schumacher (he/she/they) sat down with OFM to discuss what the Queer Business Alliance is doing for entrepreneurs and what it hopes to do in the future. The Queer Business Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)(3) founded by Jade Baranski in 2018. Drawing on their own experience in business ownership, and how large of a role mentorship played in the success of that business, Baranski set out to create a space for queer business owners and professionals to network and share resources.

Through mentorship programs and quarterly workshops, the QBA is working to make entrepreneurship inclusive and equitable for everyone. The main gap in resources the QBA aims to fill is collaboration.

“Queer businesses have existed, and LGBTQ entrepreneurs have existed all over the world, but there’s a disconnection between each other,” Schumacher tells OFM.

“Being able to see each other and then pass on information and collaborate and bring the whole community up together is our main goal.”

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According to a 2016 National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce report, of the nearly 28 million small businesses in the US, only 909 were certified LGBT Business Enterprises (LGBTBEs). Many queer small business owners, especially trans and gender-nonconforming ones, may hesitate to divulge their identity. Of the 909 LBGTBEs, a majority—nearly 67%—are owned by gay men. Only 30% are lesbian-owned, and barely 2% were trans-owned, according to the NGLCC report.

“I’ve noticed that there’s not a lot of space for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming folks in the business world. Even in the spaces that already exist, it can be hard when you’re different, and there’s not a lot of representation, and you’re still not sure if you’re even safe in these spaces,” Schumacher tells OFM.

“We really wanted to provide a landing spot for those folks. Somewhere that they know there are no boxes for them to check, there’s no proving who they are. That they can just show up as they are and we’re here to support them.”

Monthly memberships for queer business owners start at $99, and while that price may seem high for folks trying to launch a new business, the folks at QBA say the resources included in the membership are invaluable. In the month of June, however, in honor of Pride Month, queer business owners can join for free.

The QBA tells OFM that they’re looking for businesses and allies who would like to sponsor their micro-grant program, which would directly fund local, queer businesses. To learn more about the Queer Business Alliance, or for membership details, visit their website here.