Celebrate LGBTQ-Owned Businesses this Monday!

Written By Rhodes Perry

On Monday, December 11, The Out Entrepreneur will host a live podcast recording & LGBTQ marketplace event at the Orange Studio to amplify the power of LGBTQ business owners, strengthen our relationships with supplier diversity professionals, and celebrate our authentic selves. The recording will feature local out business leaders, corporate partners, and a representative from MBA Orlando.

Together, panelists will share how they are creating economic opportunities for LGBTQ communities, and enhancing supplier diversity efforts for leading corporations in the region. People living in-and-around Orlando can secure their early bird tickets here: https://livepodcast.eventbrite.ca, and for fans around the world, you can tune in live by visiting Rhodes Perry's YouTube Channel at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT on December 11.

With 50 Out Entrepreneur episodes published, I decided to host this inaugural event to get my message of support and mentorship out to more LGBTQ & ally entrepreneurs. Delivering my message to friends and colleagues in the Central Florida Region is especially meaningful, as I grew up on the Space Coast, and found acceptance and community in Orlando.

Pulse nightclub in particular was a place I often visited. Like so many LGBTQ people and our allies, the tragedy that took place on June 12, 2016 was one that will forever be emblazoned in my memory. As a way to heal, and demonstrate the rainbow community's incredible resiliency, I couldn’t think of a more appropriate place to flex our economic muscle as a strong and mighty community of business leaders, who in 2015 alone contributed $1.7 Trillion to the U.S. economy.

And speaking of strong and mighty, Monday's event is made possible thanks to flagship sponsors including MBA Orlando and the newly rebranded National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. As a bisexual and transgender man, I’m so grateful for the visible inclusion of the "B" & the "T" in NGLCC’s new branding. Local businesses also contributed their support to ensure the event's success including: Hot Spots Media, Livd+Produced, Michael Vonberg, and the Orange Studio!

To learn more about the event and the Out Entrepreneur Podcast, check out the following links:

·      RSVP to the Out Entrepreneur’s live recording on 12/11 in Orlando!

·      Subscribe to the Out Entrepreneur Newsletter

·      Join the Out Entrepreneur Facebook Community 

Rhodes Perry

Rhodes Perry, MPA is an award-winning social entrepreneur, best-selling author, and keynote speaker. He helps leaders build belonging at work to achieve industry breakthroughs. His firm offers transformative leadership development, change management, and capacity building solutions for senior executives focused on advancing their organizations’ diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments. Nationally recognized as a LGBTQ+ thought leader, he has two decades of government and nonprofit experience having worked at the White House, PFLAG National, and the City of New York. Media outlets like Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press have featured his powerful work as a (DEI) influencer.

http://www.rhodesperry.com
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