Why We Must Share Stories of LGBTQ+ Entrepreneurs Succeeding

A common misconception about entrepreneurship is that you have to live on the coasts or need external funding to build a business. Too many of us don’t have easy access to capital, or connections to funders. Some of us don’t have generational wealth passed down from our grandparents or parents. And because of oppressive systems like racism, the racial wealth gap is widening. 

When entrepreneurs flaunt the amount of venture capital they raised or when we read stories of a small business owner using family connections to land their biggest vendor, this deters too many of us from starting our own venture. 

Yet, traveling across the country last year, I met incredible people who are making their own way and building thriving businesses despite the barriers in their lives. As a queer business owner myself, I’ve been especially touched by the stories of entrepreneurs who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community. They defy traditions, get creative and thrive–no matter what. I’ve learned that our embodied experience of being queer, trans and gender non-conforming in this country has actually made us better entrepreneurs. It’s sharpened our creativity, resourcefulness and resilience.

“Innovation is just a fancy word for survival,” said Ava Pipitone, the co-founder of HostHome, which offers short-term housing to people experiencing homelessness, who identifies as trans. “The most innovative people are the people who have to innovate to get their needs met.”

For many of us, hearing the stories of other LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who faced similar struggles to us is a powerful source of encouragement. It also makes us feel less alone. Finding our community, especially in trying times like today, is critical to our success. 

This is at the core of my reasoning for starting a podcast called Business Curious, which highlights the stories of LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs who are succeeding. As part of my role as the Entrepreneur in Residence for GoDaddy, we’ve been deeply invested in making opportunity more inclusive to all and bringing awareness to the issues that exist in entrepreneurship.

“Because we’re queer, because we’re immigrants, we are innately trained to…overcome,” said NiK Kacy, a gender-fluid, queer and transmasculine entrepreneur who runs their own luxury shoewear company. Through our conversation, NiK reminded us that our adversity makes us stronger and more adept to build thriving businesses that serve us, our families and communities.

With every episode, I go deep into the stories of diverse queer, trans and gender non-conforming entrepreneurs. We talk about the challenges they faced, the successes they’ve enjoyed and the businesses they’ve built. These initial episodes include the stories of NiK Kacy and Ava Pipitone, who I quoted above, and two other equally inspiring entrepreneurs: Nick Yeast, the founder of a gender-neutral fragrance company; and Suhaly Bautista-Carolina, the founder of Moon Mother Apothecary.