Thank you, MBA Orlando, the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and the greater Orlando business community for your support in helping launch The Out Entrepreneur's inaugural live podcast recording and LGBTQ marketplace event. With your support, the event was an enormous success! The stories shared about the power of LGBTQ businesses offered encouragement and support for those of us in the rainbow family, and to our corporate allies, especially those who work in the world of supplier diversity.

When the topic of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) management is addressed, senior executives and board members sometimes raise concerns about some stakeholders “losing power” when an organization commits to engaging, empowering, and elevating historically underrepresented and undervalued stakeholders into the highest levels of an organization in aggressive and achievable ways. These leaders falsely believe that DEI is a zero-sum game, or the idea that when one person gains something, another loses something in exactly the same amount. This post confirms through research and anecdotal experiences that DEI is instead a game where all parties can truly win. If you are curious about how to begin a DEI dialogue in your own organization, let’s set up a time to talk.