About BEQ Pride

It is our belief that small businesses are the engine of the economy. The innovation, injection of competition and job creation they provide are key to our economic prosperity. Driven by this belief, we have created a Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer plus (LGBTQ+) and same-gender-loving (SGL) business-focused publication as a platform for connection, support and engagement. Principally, we conduct ongoing outreach and connection with the LGBTQ+ and SGL business and professional communities toward the common goals of business equality and access to equity.

We specialize in knowing and accessing the LGBTQ+ SGL community and allies in support of supply chain, workplace and marketplace inclusion and equality. But it doesn’t end there. By 2045 the minority U.S. population will be the majority and the need to realize the true benefits of Diversity, means we must address Inclusion and Belonging now.

More than a seat at the table, the diverse business community wants inclusion and belonging to enable access to equity—a piece of the pie. The injection of new ideas, different voices and perspectives and the creation of safe spaces that don’t sacrifice sacred spaces and dedicated spaces means we will have the ability to truly benefit from the Fourth Industrial Revolution—4IR.

 

“However, I am convinced of one thing—that in the future, talent, more than capital, will represent the critical factor of production.”

~Klaus Schwab,

founder and executive chairman, World Economic Forum

 

The technological advances promised by 4IR and Industry 4.0 are only as good as the people behind them. Are we ready?

Our engine of economic prosperity is in danger of running out of fuel—the solution is full engagement with the diverse business community. When it comes to business equality and access to equity, so much depends on how we engage people. Our efforts at BEQ Pride and BusinessEqualityMagaine.com center on enabling the benefits of Belonging, finding new routes to talent, new routes to market and, most importantly, the discovery of new markets.

BEQ Pride, our flagship publication, serves as a communication platform for the realization of full business equality and access to equity for the LGBTQ+ SGL community through relationships with the world’s largest brands, employers, organizations and allies.   

Laws, regulations, policies and practices are intended to address structural or systemic inequalities, especially in business. But people change hearts and minds, and people decide when and where to extend opportunity and access. BEQ is dedicated to bridging the gap between efforts in the name of diversity, equality, inclusion and belonging and the need for equity—a chance to create and access a new pie for the diverse business community. We look forward to building that bridge with you over the coming year. 

The Business Equality Network (BEQ) is a group of strategic media, consulting, research and business accelerators committed to reaching and empowering LGBTQ, women, minority and other underrepresented, underserved and underutilized business communities. BEQ leverages its dedicated communication platforms to facilitate an increase in cross-sector (public, private, civil society) engagement of diverse professionals, business-owners and entrepreneurs.

 

BEQ’s Communication Platforms Include

  • Print and digital affinity publications for the diverse business community
  • Mobile and digital channels dedicated to business programming for a diverse audience
  • Long-form content and advertisements in national radio programs focused on business equality issues and interests

BEQ Serves

  • A diverse community of small-to-medium sized businesses, entrepreneurs and professionals
  • Fortune-ranked corporations dedicated to diversity & inclusion in their workplace, workforce, supply chain and in the communities they serve
  • Advocacy groups, third-party certification organizations and non-profit organizations focused on business equality
  • Individual consumers and supporters of business equality

Diversity as a differentiator

Since the late 1960s and the passing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, corporate diversity initiatives have evolved from simple compliance related efforts to address discrimination in hiring practices to corporate policy and a business imperative. Research shows that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially. Diversity is a competitive differentiator shifting market share toward more diverse companies.

The pioneers of diversity in the workplace, marketplace, supply chain and philanthropy have shown a willingness to take on issues of equity, fairness and equal opportunity in the United States and around the world. The identification and inclusion of LGBTQ+ SGL business start-ups, increased spending power within the LGBTQ+ SGL community, and growing participation of LGBTQ+ SGL suppliers in the corporate supply chain are creating new opportunities for astute companies to realize first-mover advantages in both domestic and global emerging markets. In addition, current demographic trends, a favorable political climate for LGBT equality and the global race for talent, compel more organizations to better understand, engage and include the LGBTQ+ SGL community in their business models.

Corporate diversity leaders are setting new standards and establishing best practices on how to reach and include the LGBTQ+ SGL community across the enterprise. Their focus on diversity and inclusion has set them apart, positively distinguishing their brands in the marketplace, and attracting some of the smartest and most talented people in the world to their ranks.

Small businesses are the engine of our economy. Small, diverse businesses are starting at unprecedented rates and are expected to play a key role in the health of our national economy in the years ahead. Diversity and inclusion still matter.