The United States has an estimated 1.4 million LGBT owned companies. This number, however, is very hard to determine because still, so many professionals fear publicly being out. The United States Small Business Administration’s (SBA) came under fire shortly after the Trump inauguration (Jan 2017) for removing pages focused on content for LGBT entrepreneur business owner community. The gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer community face obstacles in the form of prejudice and exclusion. This bias has real business implications as limited access to capital to launch or grow their business, lack of mentors in many fields of business as most start-ups need along with other resources generally taken for granted.
LGBT business owners contribute over $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy. LGBT business owners are innovators, job creators, taxpayers, and providers of essential services in the communities they serve.
Reps. Clarke and Velazquez, both from New York, who serve on the House Committee on Small Business, wrote a letter to SBA Administrator Linda McMahon soon after their disappearance inquiring about the reason for their removal from the SBA site. In August 2017 SBA officials promised the committee members the agency’s site was under construction “with strategies to launch the pages with a focus on LGBT business owners in the not too distant future,” reported Representatives Velazquez and Clarke.
Roma Daravi, the SBA’s acting press secretary, said: “SBA is an inclusive agency, proud to support all small businesses including the LGBT community.”
Terry Sutherland, the SBA’s media office manager, said “As you’d expect with any new government coming into office, government sites go through a review and reconstruction. the national as more policies have been developed the sites will soon be populated with much more info.”
Beneficial or Lame?
So now a full year and a half after the removal of the SBA LGBT Small Business Page, the site due to Reps. Clarke and Velazquez pressure is back up. It took 17 months to create their page. When the page appears to have taken a mere 17 minutes to type and post at most. This basic and scant content didn’t require a “strategy” to develop. That is clear.
Of the 77 LGBT Chambers of Commerce & Business Alliances Supporting Entrepreneurs OutBüro is aware of in the United States, the SBA site lists that it has a partnership with 6. That’s roughly 7.5% of the easily found known and in active LGBT Chambers of Commerce organizations in the United States.
Maybe the SBA in hast to put anything out they just slapped this together in 17 minutes. They could have taken another 2 minutes to put a sentence staying this is a growing list and ask the public to submit additional resources. Something. Anything to make this not come across as pathetic. They simply provide an email for more information – (lgbt@sba.gov).
Take Charge
We cannot wait or rely on the SBA to provide our community with the resources it needs. You can join the OutBüro community for free and begin leveraging the business and professional oriented content to build your knowledge and spark ideas.
Leverage the growing OutBüro community to network with other professionals and entrepreneurs. Add your company/organization to the Company Rating system as an additional internet business citation (SEO). Invite your employees to rate your business.
Use the OutBüro Job Portal to advertise your jobs to attract quality LGBT candidates.
We also need people just like you to share your professional and entrepreneur knowledge with the community. As a Premium member, you may submit articles as an author that become part of the OutBüro blog. You may promote your business/organization products and service as well as provide industry knowledge setting you apart as an authority.
- Build Your Business and Personal Brand in the LGBTQ Business and Professional Community<
- How LGBT Entrepreneurs Use OutBüro to Increase Online Trust Authority and Page Ranking
- LGBT Entrepreneurs Lead with Content – Contribute Articles to OutBüro
Let’s Lead
Here at OutBüro w,e are actively compiling resource listings for LGBT entrepreneurs, professionals and students. Yes, it’s intensive work. When reviewing them if you find any information that needs correction or are aware of a resource not listed, please use the Contact Us form found under the Support menu and just drop us a quick message with a link to the company/organization main website or primary social media account.
In the works:
- LGBT Professional Associations
- LGBT / Friendly Business Investors
- LGBT Entrepreneur / Start-Up Resources
- LGBT Internships
- LGBT Scholarships
Are you aware of any company/organization that fits those categories or other suggestions? Please use the Contact Us form found under the Support menu and just drop us a quick message. We’d love to consider your ideas and contribution.
Note that we’re striving to provide global information. So anywhere in the world, you are and/or aware of please help build the resource lists by contacting us.
Get involved!
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