Ingrid and Shannon recently graduated with their MBAs from Boston University and MIT. Now, they're putting their entrepreneurship education to the test with their new startup Levio, a diverse community of LGBTQ+ travelers who swap homes to feel welcomed and accepted, get relevant recommendations, and save money. Not only are they building a startup together, but they're also building a life together; they've been dating since 2014 and live in Boston's South End with their French Bulldog Stella.

Ellie Anne Dote is founder and owner of EllieGirl Creations, a marketing firm in Fresno, California that specializes in helping small business owners understand their identity as the basis for their entire marketing campaign. With over 25 years of experience in the graphic design industry and 10 years in the website design industry, Ellie uses her design expertise to create powerful user experiences for her clients and their prospective customers. She works with folks all over the country, and by the end of our conversation today, you can learn how to get in touch with her.

Jax Wheatley is the Chief Financial Officer Every Small Business Owner Needs. With over 18 years running their own business, Rainbow Tax & Accounting, Jax loves providing quality, affordable accounting services to individuals, small business, and non-profit organization. When not busy running their own business, Jax dedicates their free time expanding economic opportunities serving as the board treasurer for PABA, Portland’s LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce.

Lisa Snyder is a Portland-based feminist, the Founder and Co-Creator of Tokeativity, a Cannabis Community for Women, and the owner of Elle*Eye Web Design Consulting. With nearly two decades of entrepreneurial experience, she continues to be recognized for her work in Time Out New York, Go Magazine, Oregon Leaf, PUSH Magazine, CannabisTours.com, Stoner Magazine, The Weed Blog, and Splimm.com, among many others.

Christof is the Founder and CEO at Hornet Networks, the world’s premiere gay social network. Founded in 2011 with the mission to provide gay men the opportunity for meaningful connections, Hornet has grown to 25 million total users, creating a community that comes together around shared experience and common interests. Christoff identifies as a serial software entrepreneur & investor, he serves as the President of the LGBT Foundation, and he lives with his partner of 21 years, Juan, in San Francisco.

Alyssa Emerson is the Founder of Come Along, a travel agency for people ready to move beyond their comfort zones, and experience the things in life they’ve always wanted (but maybe were too scared to do alone). Alyssa believes the world would be a much better - and happier - place if more people travelled, experienced different cultures, and reconnected with their younger selves. Her company helps her actualize this belief every day.

Katie Lane is an attorney and negotiation coach who helps creators protect their rights and get paid fairly for their work. Her clients include comics creators, game designers, authors, illustrators, and musicians. Basically, if you make stuff, you’re Katie’s kind of client. Her loves include teaching people how to negotiate, reading contracts with a red pen, bow ties, and Star Trek.

Norma Jeanne Maloney is the founder of Red Rider Studios, where she hones her skills as a sign painter and muralist. With three decades of painting experience, she works closely with clients from small brick and mortar stores to tech titans like FaceBook. Norma Jean started her business when it seemed like everyone else had quit. Hand painted everything is what allows her business to offer a unique service for her clients. Today she has one of the most successful sign painting studios in the country, where she leads an industry now in a renaissance.

Jessica Pettitt, M.Ed., CSP, pulls together her stand-up comedy years with 15+ years of diversity training's in a wide range of organizations to serve groups to move from abstract fears to actionable habits that lead teams to want to work together. With a sense of belonging and understanding, colleagues take more risks with their ideation, conserve precious resources through collaboration, and maintain real connections with clients over time.

Bernadette Smith is the Founder and President of the Equality Institute, and an award-winning author of three books. She’s a long-time friend of the show, and kicked off the very first episode of The Out Entrepreneur. On today’s show, you have the opportunity to learn from a seasoned entrepreneur who shares some of the challenges and blessings of being your own boss. If you’ve ever thought about taking the entrepreneurial leap, start here, start out, and stay true to being your authentic self 100% of the time!

Thomas Sanchez, CEO + Founder of Social Driver, a business providing website, social media, and digital advertising solutions to global clients including Honda, Salesforce.com, and the American Heart Association. Thomas has been credited as one of the “most innovative people in Washington, DC” and a top “minority business leader” by the Washington Business Journal. His company’s collaborative culture and cutting-edge strategies have been featured in media appearances on CBS, the BBC, The Wall Street Journal, and now, The Out Entrepreneur.

Ben Workman, is a creative entrepreneur, artist, and gallery owner who has been dubbed the Jackson Pollock of the 21st Century. He believes it is a person’s traumas that define the individual, and he releases his joys and pain into his artwork, thus becoming the storyteller of the creation. Ben’s art is a beacon for ending hate, bullying and intolerance in the world. Ben has received national and international recognition, and while exhibiting his work abroad in Dubai, he secured a documentary film deal for “The Jumper Maybach Story.”

Dara Barlin is really passionate about transforming toxic culture and creating spaces where people can feel awesome at work, so that they can do really great stuff in the world. She recently started DARE Consulting to help organizations rethink how they treat their employees, and figure out how to make trust a center-piece of their workplace environment. Dara's written a book and several articles on organizational change and organized dozens of campaigns for social progress including A Big Project, which brought people together from 97 countries to identify a common blueprint for global change.

Kronda Adair is the Founder and CEO of Karvel Digital, and recently celebrated her 5th year in business! She has launched Working Websites, her organization’s flagship 6-week online course to teach the basics of online marketing to non-technical business owners. When Kronda’s not working, she can be found enjoying time at home with her wife and two cats, reading dead-tree books, riding one of her five bicycles, or enjoying the postcard vistas of the state of Oregon.

Reverend Catharine Clarenbach, founder and creator of the Way of the River, helps people more fully connect to their own deepest, wisest selves. Her business offers spiritual accompaniment, coaching, preaching, and courses available through her website, Facebook community, and newsletter, Journey Through Wisdom. It was a pleasure learning more about Catharine’s approach to business, life, and her spiritual traditions during this intriguing interview.

With over 17 years in LGBTQ services and social justice education, Lyndon provides training and technical assistance for healthcare providers, educational institutions, businesses, and organizations, as well as workshops designed for queer and trans communities. Lyndon's background also includes 10 year as a firefighter/EMT, running a small art and t-shirt business, and founding and directing a number of youth leaderships camps. Lyndon serves on the Board of Directors for CRUX, the country's largest LGBTQ rock climbing organization, and can often be found scaling rock faces around the country.

Jaiden Love is an author, a soul alignment coach, and the Founder of Held and Heard, a professional cuddling business. In 2017, Jaiden published his first book detailing his first year living as a transgender man. He is passionate about the well-being of humanity, and he believes everyone is unique and has a purpose on this planet. Jaiden is committed to inspiring anyone he comes in contact with to take steps towards living their truth. In alignment with his purpose, Jaiden has now opened up himself, his business, and his life to educate those he encounters.

Lake Perriguey owns Law Works LLC, a full service law firm in downtown Portland, which handles many types of legal matters, including civil rights litigation. Lake is probably best known in the Beaver State for bringing the federal lawsuit that established marriage equality for same-sex couples in 2013. Last year, he handled the first successful action for non-binary legal recognition in the United States by pushing the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles to acknowledge a third gender marker on all licenses and IDs in the state. Lake’s been in business as an independent solo lawyer with no staff for the past 10 years.

Hailing from a Military Dad and a Recovering-Catholic-Proudly-Sandra-Dee-Mom, Amy Jo Goddard had no other choice but to become a sex educator just to sail the shaky waters of human experience and help her family survive. Actually they don’t really take sex advice from her. But thousands of others have—Amy Jo is author of Woman on Fire: Nine Elements to Wake up Your Erotic Energy, Personal Power and Sexual Intelligence and co-author of the best-selling classic Lesbian Sex Secrets for Men. She earned her Master’s degree in Human Sexuality Education at New York University and has been teaching and speaking about feminism and sexuality for over two decades.

Nico is the founder of Scarlet Moon and Integrative Mysticism, a YouTube channel. He started his business 5 years ago, and connects fellow astrologers and tarot card readers from around the globe through his virtual communities and in-person retreats. With over 5 million YouTube views, Nico humbly shares that all he wanted to do when he initially started his YouTube channel was to reach out and connect with other spiritual/pagan people. Learn more about Nico’s success in building an online community in this episode.