We’re bringing together a group of Queer business owners, founders, and a few values-aligned allies for a candid, relationship-focused conversation about what it’s like to build and lead a business in our region right now. RSVP at this link so we know how many participants to expect!

Overview

Northern Michigan's peer-support community for LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, business leaders, freelancers, and aspiring founders.

This Month's Topic

• Making Meaningful Progress on Our Shared Marketing Challenges

About This Group

The Queer Business Owner Roundtable brings together Northern Michigan LGBTQ+ business owners, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and aspiring founders to work through real business challenges, learn from one another’s experience, and build trusted relationships.

This isn’t networking for networking’s sake. Participants help identify the topics, shape the gatherings, and share the knowledge, connections, and resources they’ve gained through their own entrepreneurial journeys.

Rather than trying to tackle a broad business topic in a single meeting, we work through it over three monthly gatherings:

• Explore — Virtual, 1 hour: Participants share how the jointly-decided monthly topic shows up in their businesses, identify common challenges, and clarify what meaningful progress could look like.

• Design — Virtual, 1 hour: Participants decide what the group should work on together at the following month's in person gathering, what preparation or resources would be useful, and whether local experts should contribute.

• Work — In person, 2 hours: Participants put those plans into action and leave having made concrete progress on a challenge, decision, plan, or project.

Each gathering builds on the previous one, though participants are welcome to attend whichever sessions are most relevant and accessible to them.

The Roundtable is co-hosted and facilitated by Grove Community Incubator and Up North Pride, with additional support from local experts and other partners when helpful.